Editorial: Three stand out in House Democratic primary

The races for the West Virginia House of Delegates have been low-key so far this spring. Only one district in the immediate Tri-State, the 16th, has a true primary election. Five people are running for three spots on the Democratic Party side of the ballot in November. Only one Republican -- incumbent Kelli Sobonya -- filed.

The five candidates in the Democratic primary offer a variety -- experience vs. new perspectives; age vs. youth. After reviewing the candidates, three stand out as most worthy of moving on to the general election.

Doug Reynolds and Dale Stephens are currently in the House, and both have done good enough jobs to merit approval in the primary. Reynolds in particular is a young politician who can climb the ladder of seniority and influence within a few years. This area needs more of that sort of representative in the Legislature.

For that reason, Chris Tatum also merits the votes of people in the 16th District Democratic primary. He currently is assistant manager for the Cabell County Commission, and he is on the Barboursville Village Council. He knows government at several levels, and he could be another person who will wield considerable influence for this area in the future.

Other races

There are several statewide races with contested elections in the Democratic primary. Our endorsements in those elections are:

• U.S. Senate: Jay Rockefeller. Rockefeller faces two unknowns in the primary. Neither has provided any reason to replace him. It would take an outstanding candidate to provide that reason, given Rockefeller's record since he was first elected in 1984.
• Governor: Joe Manchin. Manchin has done a good job in his first term. Most voters may not even know he has an opponent in the primary.
• Secretary of State: Joe DeLong. The secretary of state's office can serve as a launching pad for other statewide offices. DeLong is the current majority leader in the House of Delegates and has ambitions for higher office. This race could test whether he is a viable candidate for governor in 2012 or beyond.

And there is one contested race on the Republican ballot that merits notice:

• Attorney general: Dan Greear of South Charleston knows how many West Virginians feel about the state attorney general's office in the hands of incumbent Darrell McGraw. Greear says he will end McGraw's practice of filing lawsuits in hopes of landing millions of dollars that he can dole out for his own promotion. He will not hire private lawyers to file lawsuits on behalf of the state and collect large fees for doing so. And he will stop using state money for trinkets that serve no purpose other than promoting McGraw. Greear offers the changes the attorney general's office desperately needs.