Daily Mail Editorial


SINCE her election to Congress in 2000, Republicans have looked to Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., as a shining star for the party nationally.

She has not let this go to her head. She is one of the hardest-working members of Congress, dividing her time carefully between legislating in the nation's capital and tending to her constituents in West Virginia.

Upon the death of Sen. Robert C. Byrd, national Republicans and many in the state urged Capito to run for the open U.S. Senate seat.

But she had already committed to seek re-election to the House of Representatives and declined the invitation, even after state law was clarified to allow her to seek both offices simultaneously.

That was a wise decision.

While there is nothing wrong with an incumbent governor seeking the Senate seat in mid-term, Capito's situation was a little different. It would have been hard  to explain to voters why she was on the ballot seeking two offices.

In avoiding such an uncomfortable proposition, Capito set a good example and provided real leadership for her state and her party.

"There has been enough unnecessary chaos and controversy surrounding the vacancy in the U.S. Senate," she said. "My candidacy would create more uncertainty, invite a legal challenge, and misrepresent my priorities as a public servant."

Her decision may disappoint national Republicans, but it is a relief to West Virginians, who expect their representatives to put the state's interests first.

Furthermore, with the expected rise in the number of Republican congressmen in January, Capito's seniority will likely rise sharply, and she will be in a position to do even more for the state.

Certainly her opposition to cap-and-trade legislation is a relief for people who do not want to see their electric bills double.

She does not say no for no's sake. She carefully considers legislative proposals.

Her mine safety proposal, for example, is based not on grandstanding or sloganeering, but on what changes really would save lives.

Capito will keep her nose to the grindstone, doing the work she was elected to do.

As she seeks a sixth term in the 2nd congressional district, voters in the 1st and 3rd districts should consider sending her a little bit of help.

A Republican majority in the House would do much to change the direction the nation has taken.




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Paid for by Capito for Congress