Published: May 14, 2008 10:07 pm         

Laird halfway to Senate seat

All that Fayette County Sheriff Bill Laird needed was a little help from his friends back home.

Heading into the final bundle of votes to be counted, Laird actually trailed by some 150 votes in quest of the Democratic nomination for state Senate in the 11th District.

Then, the slow-moving vote totals in Fayette County began to turn the tide, and Laird wound up with a 1,056-vote victory margin over school principal Sue Blake Andersen of Nicholas County.

Jerry Cook, the third name on the ballot in the multi-county district, wound up last with 2,664 votes, far off the pace of Laird, who finished with 9,598, and Andersen, in second at 8,542.

“Obviously, my base of support in Fayette County was sufficient to offset some of my margins in other counties,” Laird said Wednesday.

“I think that’s reflective of the fact that I’ve not run in those counties before.”

Laird has served four terms as sheriff in Fayette and has been a delegate representing the 29th District, but was little known outside his home turf.

In Nicholas County, the home base of Andersen, the first runner-up outpolled him 3,474 to 1,350. She also outgunned Laird in Upshur County, 1,202 to 586, and dominated Clay County, taking it 1,139 to 542.

But in Fayette County, the Laird juggernaut was unstoppable. The outgoing sheriff proved his posse was bigger than anyone else’s, corralling 6,774 votes to 1,557 for Cook and 1,046 for Andersen.

Laird now takes on Republican nominee Aubry Wilson of Upshur County for the right to represent a five-county district being vacated by Sen. Shirley Love, also a Democrat.

Love landed the post in 1994 by gubernatorial appointment and handily won re-election in all succeeding elections.

“She did a very good job of getting her message out,” Laird said of Andersen. “It was a positive message. And Mr. Cook had a good campaign.”

Noting the 11th District is a large one that runs into Upshur County, the nominee added, “That’s a new experience for me.”

Looking ahead to the general campaign, he added, “I met him (Wilson) during the campaign. He seems like a nice gentleman. We’ll be working hard in the general election.”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com