Darrell McGraw
Editor's note: An earier version of this story incorrectly identified Warren McGraw II as Darrell McGraw's brother.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) - The son of a former West Virginia Supreme Court justice recently spent almost $12,000 to help his uncle, state Attorney General Darrell McGraw, in his bid for re-election.
In an expenditures report filed Monday with Secretary of State Betty Ireland's office, Warren McGraw II wrote that he spent $11,962 for advertisements for his uncle, who is battling Republican candidate Dan Greear.
His father Warren McGraw lost his bid for re-election to the Supreme Court in 2004 to Republican Brent Benjamin. McGraw II spent more than $3,000 on automated calls for his uncle, and most of the rest of the money went toward radio advertising.
McGraw II had previously purchased $2,014.50 in newspaper ads run in Beckley.
Darrell is also a former Supreme Court justice and is running for his fifth term as attorney general. Warren Sr. lost during a contentious 2004 election season that saw Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship spend millions of dollars in an effort to get Benjamin elected.
Not helping matters for Warren Sr. that year was a speech he gave in April of that year in Racine. Critics ridiculed him for his zealousness and used the speech to question his ability to be level-headed and judicial.
Later, Warren Sr. filed suit against a truck driver who he says rear-ended him on the way to the event and caused his actions on stage, seeking $100,000 in compensation. He said the truck driver was partly responsible for him losing the election.
Darrell was trailing Greear by eight points in a poll released last week by North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling.
From Legal Newsline: Reach John O'Brien by e-mail at john@legalnewsline.com.