GOP lands Mollohan challenger

Republicans will take another crack at longtime Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) in 2010, four years after their effort crashed and burned.

From the Wheeling News-Register:

A Republican state senator with ties to the Ohio Valley says he will seek the seat of U.S. Rep. Alan B. Mollohan in 2010.

West Virginia Sen. Clark Barnes, R-Randolph, said he promises to push for a return to "traditionalism," less federal spending and laws to assure one's personal privacy against government.

Barnes, 59, is a graduate of Paden City High School who spent his teenage years in the Ohio Valley. Before that, he and his family - who hail from Marion and Doddridge counties lived in Harrison County, W.Va.

Barnes has connections throughout West Virginia's 1st Congressional District that could prove beneficial to him. Mollohan, D-W.Va., is currently serving his 14th term in Congress.

Barnes' residence in Beverly, W.Va., is located within West Virginia's 2nd District represented by U.S. Rep. Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va.

The rules for running for Congress are established by the U.S. Constitution, and require only that a candidate live within the state he or she would represent.

Mollohan's district went 57 percent for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2008 presidential race, but Mollohan's 64 percent showing versus GOPer Chris Wakim in 2006 was his worst performance since 1984.