W.Va. Dem Primary: Obama 60%, Felon 40%

Texas jailbird Keith Judd comes close in coal country
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 9, 2012 5:48 AM CDT
Updated May 9, 2012 7:45 AM CDT
W.Va. Dem Primary: Obama 60%, Felon 40%
More than a third of Democratic primary voters in Virginia prefer this guy to President Obama.   (AP Photo/ The Beaumont Enterprise courtesy of Keith R. Judd)

A felon serving time in a Texas prison has managed to give President Obama a run for his money in West Virginia's Democratic primary. Keith Judd, who is serving a federal sentence for extortion, took 40% of the vote to Obama's 60%, the highest result of any Democratic challenger in the primaries so far, reports Politico. The result may get Judd four delegates to the Democratic National Convention, although officials say it's not clear whether he has filed the necessary paperwork.

Judd—who filed to run in 14 states in 2008 but only made it onto the ballot in Idaho—was able to get on the West Virginia ballot by paying a $2,500 fee and filing a form known as notarized certification of announcement, state officials say. West Virginia has never been Obama country—he lost every county to Hillary Clinton in 2008—but the Judd vote shows just how unpopular the president is in some areas, the AP notes. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Sen. Joe Manchin, both Democrats, have refused to say whether they'll vote for him in November. (More Keith Judd stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X