West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin has reportedly picked former chief counsel Carte Goodwin to replace the late Senator Robert Byrd until the elections:
"The 36-year-old Goodwin, a Charleston lawyer, would hold the seat until November. That's when the governor wants general election voters to decide who will serve the final two years of Byrd's term. The Legislature has begun a special session to consider a proposal from Manchin to allow for a fall vote…Last year, Manchin tapped Goodwin to lead an extensive review of the state's judiciary amid complaints from business groups and conflict-of-interest scandals involving state Supreme Court justices. Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor served as the study commission's nonvoting honorary chair…Goodwin already has ties to West Virginia's Senate delegation: His wife, Rochelle, is state director for Byrd's Democratic colleague, Sen. Jay Rockefeller. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., declined comment until there was an official announcement. Reid was slated to be in West Virginia for a Friday campaign fundraiser."
