Word: virginia
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Questions in Washington have been raised about why millions of dollars of federal money have been steered toward non-profit groups supportive of U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan. But voters in the 12-term Democrat's West Virginia district don't seem to care too much. In West Virginia, after all, pork barrel spending isn't frowned upon; on the contrary, the home state of legendary Senator Robert Byrd, widely considered the king of steering federal dollars to a congressman's home turf, tends to view the practice as just another way to provide jobs for the family down the street...
...Pork Trumps Scandal in West Virginia Democrat Alan Mollohan was supposed to be one ethically challenged incumbent that Republicans could beat. But so far, voters don't seem to agree
...after the FBI seized records from his office amid questions over his role in directing the federal money to non-profit groups that have since supported his campaign. The FBI inquiry is ongoing, but Mollohan has vigorously denied wrongdoing, saying the funds were well spent in hard-pressed West Virginia. In recent years, Mollohan has used his seat on the appropriations committee to earmark funds for dozens of projects, including nearly $2.8 million in 2003 for a law enforcement training center and $3 million in 2004 for a high-tech recycling center in his district...
...Congress, is a good fit for the district: he is generally conservative on social issues and liberal with the federal purse strings. "He's the Robert Byrd of the House, and people understand him," said Berch. Mollohan hasn't had a close race since 1992, when redistricting reduced West Virginia's number of seats from four to three...
...Wakim campaign trailed the incumbent in fund-raising by a 2-1 margin, but it received a $100,000 boost Aug. 16 from First Lady Laura Bush. About 250 to 300 people turned out for a rally in Fairmont, a small hill community in northwestern West Virginia that calls itself "the friendly city." Wakim has also benefited from a flurry of direct-mail ads and television spots attacking Mollohan for the federal funds he has steered to the non-profit groups Those ads - including one mailer that screams, "The Worst Tradition in Government" - are paid for by the Economic Freedom...