Barth filing for congressional seat
Anne Barth (Democrat) a Calhoun-connected woman is seeking to unseat U.S. Representative Shelly Moore Capito (Republican-2nd District).
It will likely be the state-wide race of the election season.
Barth, a long-time aide to US Senator Robert C. Byrd, is the daughter of Rev. Bill and Nancy McDonald Street of Charleston.
Nancy McDonald, Anne's mother grew up in Calhoun, and was the daughter of the late Louise McDonald, a well-known Calhoun schoolteacher.
Louise McDonald was among the county's most loved teachers.
Barth spent much of her childhood in the county, according to a family member.
Nancy McDonald had two brothers who were cut down early in life, both graduating from Calhoun High.
James McDonald was a WVU graduate in 1960 with a degree in geology, but met a tragic fate as a Lt. in the Naval Air Service in 1964 when his plane crashed into the Atlantic, never to be recovered.
John McDonald also graduated from WVU in 1961 with an engineering degree, but died in 1973 of leukemia.
Another brother, Bob McDonald, graduated from Marshall University in 1965, to become an educator and librarian.
Barth told supporters yesterday she was raised for public service.
She said the issues most important to West Virginians this year are the economy, the war in Iraq and education.
Supporters think Barth is most likely to unseat Capito, who has been in lock-step with President George Bush's war, invasion of personal privacy decisions and economic policies.
Barth has served on Sen. Byrd's staff for 21 years. She faces Richie Robb and Thornton Cooper in the primary.
"I know how to serve the people of the 2nd District because I see them and talk to them every day. I take their concerns personally because they are my concerns, too," she told a group of supporters.
Barth acknowledged at her rally she is not a household name like her former boss, the married mother of two girls, both students at WVU, has played prominent behind-the-scenes roles in West Virginia politics.
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