Raese running against Obama in W.Va.

Republican businessman and West Virginia Senate candidate John Raese apparently thinks he's better off running against President Obama than Gov. Joe Manchin (D) in the state's special election for Senate.

The decided underdog in the race to fill the remainder of the late Sen. Robert Byrd's (D) term, Raese's first TV ad hits Washington, calls for repealing the recently enacted healthcare law and alludes to Arizona's new immigration law. 

The Republican makes no direct mention of Manchin and concludes the ad by proclaiming, "I won't be a senator that's a rubber stamp to Obama, I'll only serve you." 

The "rubber stamp" line is a clear reference to Manchin, but the popular governor has a reputation for independence and has already signaled disagreement with the Obama administration's cap-and-trade proposal. 

Raese, who ran unsuccessfully against Byrd in 2006, jumped into the contest after Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R) decided not to challenge Manchin. The latest Rasmussen poll has Manchin ahead of Raese 51 percent to 35 percent.