Joe Manchin

Joe Manchin
34th Governor of West Virginia
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 17, 2005
Preceded by	Bob Wise
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	August 24 1947 (1947-08-24) (age 60) Farmington, West Virginia
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Gayle Manchin
Profession	Energy executive
Religion	Roman Catholic

Joseph Anthony (Joe) Manchin III (born August 24, 1947 in Farmington, West Virginia) was elected Governor of West Virginia in the 2004 election and took office on January 17, 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the scion of a large Democratic political family in West Virginia.

Early life

Manchin entered West Virginia University on a football scholarship in 1965, however, an injury during practice ended his football career. He graduated in 1970 with a degree in business administration#Information management and later became involved in several family owned businesses.

Early political career

He was elected to the House of Delegates in the West Virginia Legislature in 1982, and moved up to the Senate in 1986 where he served until 1996. As a Senator, he was present, along with A. Jame's son and Joe's cousin, during the impeachment trial of his uncle, A. James Manchin, then the State Treasurer. His uncle resigned the day that the trial began, and died on November 2, 2003. In 1996, Manchin was a candidate for governor, but finished second among a large group of candidates in the Democratic primary election. He then ran for state Secretary of State in 2000, winning easily.

Term as Governor

Manchin announced his intention to challenge incumbent governor Bob Wise in the 2004 Democratic Primary in May 2003, however Wise decided not to run for re-election after a scandal, becoming the first governor not to do so since the practice was permitted in 1972. Manchin won both the primary and general election by large margins, and his election marked the first time that two persons of the same political party have followed one another in the governor's office since 1964. As Governor, he is a member of the National Governors Association, Vice Chairman of the Southern Governors' Association, Vice Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, Chairman of the Southern States Energy Board, State's Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission and Chairman of the Interstate Mining Compact Commission. He will take over as Chair of the Southern Governor's Association in August 2007 and Chair of the Democratic Governor's Association in December 2007. In July 2005, Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship sued Governor Manchin alleging that he violated his First Amendment Rights by threatening to retaliate with increased government scrutiny of his coal operations. Blankenship poured substantial amounts of money into campaigns to defeat a proposed pension bond amendment and prevent the re-election of Supreme Court Justice Warren McGraw, and also fought against an increase in the severance tax. Soon after the defeat of the pension bond amendment, the Division of Environmental Protection revoked a permit approval for controversial new silos near Marsh Fork Elementary School in Raleigh County. While area residents had complained for some time that the coal operation there endangered their children, Blankenship claims that the DEP's action was in response to his opposition to the bond amendment. During the 2006 Sago Mine disaster of early January 2006, Manchin initially appeared to confirm reports that 12 miners had survived. These reports proved to be incorrect three hours later, when it was confirmed that only one miner survived the accident. In an early-morning press conference on January 4, Governor Manchin acknowledged that an unintentional miscommunication had occurred with rescue teams within the mine, and stated that the incorrect information he received regarding the status of the miners was not received through official channels. Although he did not confirm the story, the press assumed he did, and no one is currently aware how the story was confirmed. His handling of the Sago mine incident may have enhanced his popularity. In November 2006, SurveyUSA ranked him as one of the most popular governors in the country with a 74% approval rating. ^[1] On February 1, 2006, Manchin ordered a stop to all coal production in the state of West Virginia pending safety checks after two more miners were killed that day in separate accidents. ^[2] A total of 16 West Virginia coal miners died from mining accidents in early 2006. On April 15, 2006, during an Easter visit to U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq, the governor caused a controversy by posing for photographers while signing two missiles at Balad Air Force Base. One of the messages read "Sending you to hell, from Almost Heaven, West Virginia." He explained his intentions to the media stating, "I just thought, 'Hey, these are people doing tremendous harm to our people.' I wanted to send them a little message." ^[3] After receiving several complaints, Manchin issued an apology. On May 13, 2006, Manchin delivered the commencement address to the 299 graduates of Wheeling Jesuit University, where he was also presented with an honorary degree. Manchin is considered a moderate by Democratic standards and received national attention for his opposition to abortion as a Roman Catholic. Much political speculation has surrounded Manchin's possible response should Senator Robert C. Byrd be unable to serve out a full term, but Manchin has consistently refused to comment on the subject. Should the senator die during his term, Manchin would have the responsibility of appointing a replacement.

Electoral history

References

External links

• West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III official state site
• National Governors Association - West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III biography
• DemocraticGovernors.org - Governor Joe Manchin III biography
• Follow the Money - Joe Manchin III 2006 campaign contributions
• On the Issues - Joe Manchin III issue positions and quotes
• Project Vote Smart - Governor Joe Manchin III (WV) profile
• 2008 Governor's Race at 2008RaceTracker.com
• Inaugural Address of Joseph Manchin III