Published: May 14, 2008 01:56 am         

Louisos turns 29th District campaign into horse race

Fast-food eatery owner and veteran legislator Tom Louisos commanded a 500-vote lead late Tuesday night, moving into an apparent upset of incumbent Democrat John Pino in the 29th Delegate District race.

“I think I have won it,” a weary Louisos said in a hoarse voice.

With only a handful of the 45 precincts in the tri-county district tabulated, incumbent Margaret Staggers was leading the ticket, while another incumbent, David Perry, was in second place. Jim Sulesky was in fifth, trailing Louisos and Pino by a huge margin.

Louisos lost by a mere four votes to Pino two years ago, then contested the results in a canvas. This time, it looked like a repeat of the 2006 battle, but as Fayette County’s votes began to come in, the challenger began to widen his lead.

“That’s the way it goes. It’s like a gamble. You roll the dice. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. But I think this time, I’ve got it.”

As he spoke, only seven or so precincts remained to be counted — all in Fayette, where Louisos was running strong.

Known as a maverick who often bucked the Democratic leadership, Louisos at times sided with Republicans on taxes and social issues, even taking to the floor once to denounce the leaders as “cowards” for not sending out legislation for a vote.

Two years ago, he lost by a mere four votes in a razor-thin battle with Pino that moved into a recount before he was counted out.

Staggers, an emergency room physician at Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital, became an outspoken advocate on health issues and gained passage of a new law that requires public school students to undertake CPR and first-aid instruction.

Perry is a longtime educator and principal at Collins Middle School and has been active on a number of key education issues since he was elected to the House. Pino remains active in the construction business.

The other candidate in the race was William Sulesky, who had 1,348 votes with 15 precincts counted.

On the Republican side of ballot, all three candidates, Marshall W. Clay, Steven Oliver Smith and Daniel B. Wright, will move on to November’s general election.

— E-mail:

mannix@register-herald.com