CHARLESTON — Move over Alabama and LSU.

Your celebrated rematch on the gridiron could pale alongside the one shaping up in West Virginia’s political arena in this year’s U.S. Senate race — a revival of the Joe Manchin-John Raese contest of two years ago.

If this turns out to be the Race of the Century in state politics, look for a return of the megabucks that characterized the 2010 battle that saw Manchin dispose of his Republican rival by 10 points.

Raese, a Morgantown businessman who also lost in 1984 to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., filed last week for a shot at unseating Manchin.

Accompanied by wife Gayle, the Democratic incumbent filed his candidacy papers Wednesday in the secretary of state’s office, chuckling at the comparison of his second battle with Raese and the BCS National Championship game a week ago.

“It will be interesting,” he said, in the glare of television lights outside the office of Secretary of State Natalie Tennant.

“It will be a good race. We’re going to fight hard.”

Manchin wouldn’t predict the outcome, saying the decision is in the hands of the voters.

The last time around, national parties dumped millions of dollars into media advertising.

Manchin’s ads often portrayed him as a Washington outsider with one interest in mind — represent the interests of West Virginia, regardless of his party’s leadership.

And he pressed on that theme again just before paying his filing fee.

“I think people know I’m going to be speaking out for what I think is right,” he said.

“I’m asking people to give me a chance to represent them again. There’s so much we need to do for our country and our state. I’m going up there to fight for West Virginia.”

Manchin acknowledged his stances on national concerns — the burgeoning public debt, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s strident regulations on the coal industry — often put him at odds with his own party.

“Sometimes, my own side of the party, the Democrats, are upset, and sometimes the Republicans are upset,” he said.

“But I can guarantee you, I’m fighting for West Virginia and I will do that continuously.”

Manchin said he remains strongly opposed to the latest debt proposal — hiking the ceiling by an additional $1 trillion.

Manchin has held out for a long-term solution to lower the nation’s indebtedness.

“People say, ‘why are you running?’” he told reporters.

“I’m running basically to get our financial house in order. The trade laws, the tax laws that we have are not incentives as far as rebuilding America, bringing jobs back to America. There needs to be a level playing field.”

Manchin pledged to remain a voice seeking to bring both parties together and end what is seemingly a perpetual gridlock in Congress.

“I think you’ve got to continue to reach across the aisle, have people sit down and work for the betterment of our country,” the incumbent Democrat said.

“Our state is going to do well. I’m going to represent our state. That’s what I was sent to do and that’s what I think I’ve been doing.”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com