The report is that West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin (D) will be pushing for having a 2010 special election for the late Senator Robert Byrd’s seat. In this he’s joined by Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R), who shares with Manchin a desire for the job. Which is fine: neither politician is making a secret of it and they’d be the most likely candidates for 2012 anyway.
There does seem to be a general consensus that while a special election is not required, it would be desirable:
Secretary of State Natalie Tenant has already called on state lawmakers to revise the law to allow for a special election.
“For me, there is a distinct line between how I personally feel and what I can legally do,” Tennant said on her website late last week. “I personally believe that the voters of the state should be allowed to elect a successor to Senator Byrd sooner than November of 2012.”