The Eye

"As a traditionalist, I feel traditionalism incorporates fiscal responsibility and the understanding we shouldn't spend more money than we have," said Barnes, who was elected to the West Virginia Senate in 2004 and re-elected in 2008.

Most of Barnes' state Senate district, including his primary residence, is in the 2nd Congressional District of Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito. Of the 20 counties in West Virginia's 1st, Barnes represents part of one of them, Grant, where he said he has a residence and is considering moving. (Members of the House are not required to live in their districts.)

Mollohan, whose father also served in Congress, has not been seriously challenged by the Republicans in a long time. First elected in 1982, he has won at least 60 percent of the vote in each of his past 13 re-election campaigns.

In 2006, GOP strategists heavily promoted the campaign of Republican state Rep. Chris Wakim and made allegations of ethical misconduct by Mollohan, who has been successful as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee at sending federal "earmarks" back to his district. But Wakim wound up losing to Mollohan by the lopsided margin of 64 percent to 36 percent.

Mollohan's political dominance is a major reason why CQ Politics presently rates as Safe Democratic the 2010 race in West Virginia's 1st. We will closely monitor the contest over the next 13 months for signs of competitiveness.

To follow the 2010 House races, check out the CQ Politics election map