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There have been many reminders this year of why nothing is certain in political campaigns until the final date of candidate registration.
Previously, I've written about the number of potential presidential candidates to make big-splash announcements early in the "pre-campaign" period, only to fizzle out and withdraw before anything really got going.
We've had examples here in West Virginia, as well, with individuals touring the state in 2022 announcing plans to run for federal office only to switch to something on the state or local level once early filings started.
We received another reminder a little more than a week ago when Ryan Weld announced he would be suspending his long-planned campaign for West Virginia Attorney General and, instead, seek re-election to his current state Senate seat.
As part of his announcement, Weld noted he realized he truly considers our area to be home. He grew up in Weirton and Wellsburg, and has been representing our area for several years now between his time in the House of Delegates and the Senate. He and his wife also are active in various causes and organizations in our area.
More telling, he said, "I am not willing to compromise my principles and my beliefs." In some of the interviews as part of his announcement, there were allusions to him being asked to make changes to his campaign in exchange for higher-profile support from donors.
These days, that's often seen as just a part of politics, and people go along with it because they see it as the way to get to where they want to go. To actually have a candidate not only call it out, but opt to no longer seek an office because of it is an interesting development.
It won't be the only development resulting from this decision, though.
When Ryan Weld announced his initial plans to run for attorney general, it left his Senate seat open. Current Del. Mark Zatezalo stepped forward as the first candidate intending to run for that seat, with Weld on hand to show his support during the press conference.
As we reported, the two spoke prior to Weld's re-election announcement, leaving Zatezalo in a position to make a decision of his own. Does he continue with the planned Senate run, which would mean he and Weld facing off in May's primary, or does he stay in the House?
At the same time, Michele Slates, a local business owner, made her own announcement in September, planning to run for Zatezalo's House seat. There also had been rumors, at one point, of a former delegate attempting to seek the seat.
I'm sure there are many conversations taking place currently, and many more planned in the coming weeks leading up to the official candidate registration period in January.
Another thing to remember is those who have been on the front lines, so far, of these races have been almost entirely Republican candidates (or Democrats who have or plan to switch parties). Locally, at least, there have been no Democrats making any kind of announcement for office.
There will be several offices appearing on the ballots in our area next year. We still have a little more than a month before the filing period officially begins, and I'm sure there are going to be some candidates come out of the woodwork either leading up to, or during, that time period.
It will be interesting to see what other surprises might happen as the 2024 election officially gets under way.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter @CHowellWDT)