CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) - If history is any indication, the closest of Tuesday's 10 state attorney general races will be in West Virginia.
It is there that five-term AG Darrell McGraw faces Republican challenger Patrick Morrisey. Though McGraw's hold on the office has spanned 20 years, his last two re-election efforts were two of the closest statewide races in West Virginia history.
In 2004 he beat Hiram Lewis by only 6,000 votes, and his 2008 win over Dan Greear was by less than 5,000.
Morrisey has attacked McGraw this year, claiming McGraw has been spending taxpayer money to promote his own office. McGraw's campaign, meanwhile, said Morrisey - who has run for office while living in New Jersey and works for a Washington, D.C., law firm - doesn't understand what West Virginians want.
Other attorney general races to be decided are:
-Indiana, where Attorney General Greg Zoeller is seeking a second term against Democrat Kay Fleming;
-Missouri, where Attorney General Chris Koster is seeking a second term against Republican Ed Martin;
-Montana, where 2008 runner-up Tim Fox and Democrat Pam Bucy are hoping to replace Steve Bullock, who is running for governor;
-North Carolina, where Attorney General Roy Cooper is running uncontested;
-Oregon, where Democrat Ellen Rosemblum and Republican James Buchal are hoping to replace the resigning John Kroger;
-Pennsylvania, where Democrat Kathleen Kane and Republican David Freed are hoping to replace the resigning Linda Kelly;
-Utah, where Republican John Swallow and Democrat Dee Smith are hoping to replace the resigning Mark Shurtleff;
-Vermont, where AG William Sorrell is seeking an eighth term (Vermont's terms are two years long) against Republican Jack McMullen and Progressive Ed Stanak; and
-Washington, where Republican Reagan Dunn and Democrat Bob Ferguson are hoping to replace Rob McKenna, who is running for governor.
From Legal Newsline: Reach John O'Brien at jobrienwv@gmail.com.
West Virginia AG race leads field of nine others
