Anne Barth In the News

Second District race getting congressional cash
By The Associated Press

West Virginia's highest-profile congressional race has attracted the attention, and the campaign cash, of leaders in both the U.S. House and Senate.

The latest Federal Election Commission postings show nearly half of Anne Barth's political action committee funds have come from fellow Democrats in both chambers as she seeks West Virginia's 2nd District seat.

Those supporters include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada. They, other leadership and rank-and-file members have together provided about one-sixth of the $635,000 in total funds raised by Barth since she began her quest in late January.

"They tend to focus their money on the more competitive races,'' said Douglas Weber, a senior researcher at the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. "It's where they can do the most good.''

Incumbent Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito is being aided by congressional GOP sources, though not as much as in past elections.

House minority leaders and colleagues have provided about 15 percent of Capito's PAC funds. She has raised $1.4 million, with about 43 percent of that coming from PACs.

Capito had been a chief recipient of Republican leadership support during prior re-election battles, but is not among the top 20 House candidates for that source this year, according to CRP. Weber said that suggests the GOP had not considered her vulnerable, but that could change.

Noted national political analyst Charles Cook, for instance, upgraded the race from safely Republican to "Likely Republican'' after West Virginia's May primary and then to "Lean Republican'' earlier this month.

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