Published: May 14, 2008 10:10 pm         

Louisos ousts Pino; Staggers overcomes pro-life smear

Tom Louisos took the day off from his hot dog-barbecue stand to feast on victory, one that might tempt ordinary politicians to gloat with a measure of long-awaited revenge.

Not Louisos.

But for the record, the populist-type lawmaker reached the halfway point in his comeback ride Tuesday with a victory over Delegate John Pino in a hotly contested nomination in the 29th District.

Just two years ago, Louisos was squeezed out of his House seat by a scant four votes in losing to Pino.

Now, the tables have turned, and the victory margin was 466 votes, just a few shy of how Louisos sized matters up when Fayette County got around to counting the final seven precincts in the Democratic primary.

“It’s not revenge,” Louisos emphasized. “I think it’s public service and who is going to represent the working people to the best of their ability. And I think it’s what people see in me. I hope that’s what it was. Somebody needs to fight for the working people. It’s just not happening today.”

Louisos attributed his victory to “a lot of friends out there helping me and who believed in me and wanted me to go back to Charleston to represent them.

“I’m real tickled to go back,” he said.

In the final yet unofficial tally, freshman Delegate Margaret Staggers led the Democratic ticket in the House race with 6,496, while Delegate Dave Perry placed second with 5,777. Louisos had 5,749, with Pino collecting 5,283 votes and Jim Sulesky finishing with 2,455.

Three Republicans on the ballot ran unopposed for the three slots — Marshall Clay, Steven Oliver Smith and Daniel Wright.

Staggers was pleased not only to win but to lead the ticket, saying, “It sure beats losing.”

Late in the campaign, Staggers worried she might do just that, given a sudden accusation by right-to-life forces that she favored abortion on demand.

“I thought that would hurt me a lot, because I’m not,” she said.

Besides squaring things with the voters, Staggers said she made sure her priest didn’t get the wrong information.

“I’m a card-carrying Catholic,” she said. “I pay my tithes and go to church.”

So, the delegate said, she told her priest, “I’m not for abortion. Don’t excommunicate me. He said that he wouldn’t.”

Staggers feels she resonated with the voters in the 29th on such issues as health care and the needs of volunteer fire departments.

“I was saying and doing the things that people wanted to hear and wanted me to do,” she said.

“I’m certainly for volunteer firemen and excellence in health care and education.”

Louisos applauded Pino’s campaign, which included some folksy television commercials, saying the lame-duck delegate put in some admirable work in trying to maintain his seat.

“I really admire how he worked,” Louisos said. “He hustled. I served with him many years. I think John did a good job. There were things we differed on. I don’t know who was right or wrong, but there were places we did have differences.”

Louisos said one of the Republican candidates was singing his praises over his conservative stands on moral and social issues.

If he wins in November, Louisos pledged to stay as he is on such matters.

“If I don’t and somebody tells me, and if I don’t change back to where I was, then send me back home,” he added.

— E-mail:

mannix@register-herald.com