WV-Sen: Republicans Turn To Ireland

Secretary of State Betty Ireland (R-West Virginia) appears to be the GOP's last hope to run a formidable candidate against Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia) next year.

Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), the state's only GOP member of Congress has decided not to run for Senate, instead running for another term in the House (which may not be an easy feat either)

Without Ireland, the Republicans' last hope may be John Raese, the GOP nominee against Robert Byrd last year who got creamed by the Presidential Pro-Tempore. Raese has previously ran (and lost) against Rockefeller in 1984 for the Senate seat.

Thought West Virginia is fairly conservative and George W. Bush carried the state by a substantial margin, it is still fairly Democratic at home and may be a state in play in next year's Presidential election.