Anne Barth In the News

February 1, 2008

Barth, aide to Byrd, holds her first rally

A longtime aide to Sen. Robert C. Byrd opened her own political career Thursday by borrowing from an old Jimmy Carter speech.
By Tom Searls

A longtime aide to Sen. Robert C. Byrd opened her own political career Thursday by borrowing from an old Jimmy Carter speech.

"Hello. My name is Anne Barth and I'm running for Congress," she said as she stepped to the podium before a small but loud crowd in the state Capitol Rotunda.

Barth, 50, entered the fray at the last minute, filing to run for the 2nd Congressional District seat just after 11 p.m. Saturday, less than an hour before the filing deadline. She had held off running after top national Democratic leaders endorsed state Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley. Unger, however, decided earlier Saturday not to run.

Those in attendance Thursday included legislative and party leaders. But Barth tried to reach out past them, speaking of helping everyday West Virginians who have walked into Byrd's state offices looking for help.

"I see them and talk to them every day, and I can tell you they are concerned about the economy," she said. "They are concerned about their jobs. The dollar is shrinking and the price of gas and groceries is exploding. People in the 2nd District are concerned about the costs of the war. Our veterans are concerned about their benefits. Teachers and parents are concerned about our schools.

"And just about all of them are worried about how they're going to make ends meet in this economy."

For full article (http://wvgazette.com/News/200801310670)