Manchin Jumps to Early Lead

Worth Clicking: Blasts from the past wound Romney

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August 30, 2010

Manchin Jumps to Early Lead

The first post-primary Rasmussen survey in West Virginia shows Gov. Joe Manchin (D) leading John Raese (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 48% to 42%.

First Read: "Although Manchin is undoubtedly the front-runner in this contest -- due in large part to his high approval ratings -- here's a word of caution for Democrats: Popular governors running for the Senate haven't always enjoyed success. In 1994, Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan (D) lost to Craig Thomas (R); in 1996, Nebraska Gov. Ben Nelson (D), whose poll numbers were in the 60s, lost to Chuck Hagel (R); and also in '96, popular Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (R) lost to Sen. John Kerry (D). What makes someone a well-liked and successful governor isn't always what voters seem to want from their U.S. senator."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

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Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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August 30, 2010