WHEELING - For the first time in more than 40 years, there won't be a Mollohan representing West Virginia in the U.S. House when Congress convenes next year.
State Sen. Michael Oliverio, D-Monongalia, soundly defeated U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., on Tuesday to win the Democratic Party nomination to West Virginia's 1st Congressional District seat.
The vote margin was sizable - Oliverio received 56 percent of the vote to Mollohan's 44 percent. With all precincts in the district reporting, Oliverio garnered 37,504 votes to Mollohan's 29,716.
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Democrat congressional candidate Mike Oliverio, left, and supporter Sandy Bigelow, open the doors to Oliverio’s campaign headquarters in Morgantown, W.Va., Tuesday.
Oliverio will next face Republican David McKinley of Wheeling in the November general election.
"I'm just extremely pleased with the response we received in the Northern Panhandle," Oliverio told The Intelligencer on Tuesday from his office in Morgantown. "I'll be returning often in the coming months. I look forward to an exciting race.
"I can't say enough about the support of the voters, and how much I appreciate the confidence they placed in me. Now I have to go out and try to win every one of these votes."
Oliverio's campaign message has been a simple one - to restore integrity to Congress and the 1st District seat.
Billing himself as a "conservative Democrat," Oliverio campaigned against Mollohan from the right. And Mollohan was quick to draw a distinction between the two in his campaign, painting Oliverio as being more aligned with the philosophies of the Republican Party.
"For a long time, people had no choice," Oliverio said. "We offered a choice."
Oliverio, 46, was first elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1992, and later to the state Senate in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006.
He presently serves as chairman of the Senate Labor Committee, and as vice-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
West Virginia's 1st District encompasses 20 of West Virginia's 55 counties, including the Northern Panhandle.
Mollohan has served in the U.S. House since first being elected in 1982.
He succeeded his father, former U.S. Rep. Robert Mollohan, D-W.Va., who held the job first from 1953-57, then again from 1969-83.
Mollohan's defeat doesn't bode well for other members of Congress in 2010, a year many political pundits predict will be difficult for most incumbents. Sitting members of Congress are being singled out for their votes on "cap and trade" legislation, as well as on the health care overhaul.
Mollohan made a last-second decision against cap and trade last year, but voted in favor of health care reform.
The health care legislation raised questions that it might fund abortions, and Mollohan's "yes" vote on the bill cost him the support of the National Right to Life Committee. The group campaigned against Mollohan in the days leading up to the primary election.
Questions also have been raised about Mollohan's personal finances and how his personal wealth increased from $500,000 in 2000 to $6.3 million in 2007.
Mollohan could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.