He also compared Manchin, of Italian and Czech ancestry, to fictional Mafia boss Tony Sopranao from the HBO TV series. He referred as well to Sen. Carte Goodwin, Manchin’s temporary appointee to the Byrd seat pending the special election, to “Carte Blanche.”

According to Raese, questionable jokes concerning the ethnic background of one of his opponents are just examples of his “quirky sense of humor.”

Another example, perhaps, was this classic newspaper ad from his 2006 campaign, in which Raese posed with a ridiculous elephant gun. In the ad, he had the gun on his shoulder, pointing behind him. And his finger was on the trigger. Which is something of a faux pas, among people who actually know how to handle guns.

(Also running for the seat as a Democrat: 95-year-old Ken Hechler, a legendary West Virginia politician who wrote speeches for Harry S. Truman, served in the House of Representatives, and was West Virginia’s secretary of state. He receives my endorsement, because how amazing would it be to replace the oldest sitting senator with an even older guy?)

A Democratic challenger for Manchin did step forward Wednesday: Ken Hechler, a 95-year-old former congressman and secretary of state. The primary will be Aug. 28.

He said his candidacy will be a chance for voters to oppose a controversial strip mining method known as mountaintop removal that exposes coal seams through large-scale blasting. Manchin is a champion of the state’s coal industry, which considers the method highly efficient.

“It’s not to attract attention to myself. It’s not that I even expect to win,” said Hechler, in Jamestown, N.Y., this week for a series of lectures on his days as an Army combat historian in Europe during World War II. “I want to give an opportunity for those who want to vote against mountaintop removal.”

One possible Republican challenger, Morgantown industrialist and former GOP party chairman John Raese, plans to say Thursday if he will enter the race. He challenged Byrd in 2006 and lost badly.

Capito decided not to run even after lawmakers passed a special election measure that would have allowed her to seek both a sixth U.S. House term and Byrd’s seat in November.

The 56-year-old Capito, who faces a political novice in the House race, said a dual candidacy would “create more uncertainty, invite a legal challenge, and misrepresent my priorities as a public servant. “

Capito also said she would not run for governor if Manchin were to win in November and trigger a special election for his job.

McKinney said Capito had been backed into a corner because of the potential downsides to seeking both offices, but he also said her decision was a letdown after the Legislature’s minority Republicans won the amendment allowing her to do so.

“They went out on a limb and really extended themselves to get that provision in there,” McKinney said. “They’re going to be disappointed, and I think most West Virginians will be disappointed.”

Political analysts said Manchin is heavily favored, and had given him the edge even in a matchup with Capito.

“He would be awfully hard to beat,” said Marybeth Beller, a Marshall University political science professor. “He’s very popular in this state, and is a social and fiscal conservative and so has broad appeal across party lines.”

Manchin, a 62-year-old centrist, first captured the governor’s office in 2004 after a term as secretary of state. He became chairman of the National Governors Association earlier this month, enjoys high approval ratings and was seen as a comforter-in-chief to victims’ families following April’s Upper Big Branch mine explosion, which killed 29 workers, and the 2006 Sago mine disaster.

The winner of the Nov. 2 special election will succeed Sen. Carte Goodwin, Manchin’s Democratic appointee to fill the Byrd vacancy temporarily. Goodwin, a 36-year-old lawyer and the governor’s former chief counsel, took office Tuesday.

After November, the Byrd seat will again go before voters in 2012. The 92-year-old Democrat, the longest-serving member of Congress in history, died June 28 with slightly more than 30 months left in his term.

The bid marks the latest rise in profile for the 62-year-old Manchin since the former state lawmaker captured the governor’s office in 2004 after a term as secretary of state. He became chairman of the National Governors Association earlier this month, enjoys high approval ratings in his state and was seen as a comforter-in-chief to victims’ families following April’s Upper Big Branch mine explosion and the 2006 Sago mine disaster.

West Virginia GOP Chairman Doug McKinney said he’s not heard from any Republicans seriously weighing a run. He noted that any candidate would likely need to raise several million dollars to mount a credible campaign in a short timeframe.

John Raese, a Morgantown industrialist and former Republican Party chair, has told reporters he was considering entering the race. He challenged Byrd in 2006, losing badly when history’s longest-serving member of Congress secured his record ninth Senate term with more than 64 percent of the vote. Raese did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Capito opted not to run despite a special election measure that would have allowed her to seek both a sixth U.S. House term and Byrd’s seat on the same Nov. 2 general election ballot.

The 2nd District Republican faces a political novice, Virginia Lynch Graf, as the Democratic nominee in her 18-county district.

The 56-year-old Capito said a dual candidacy would “create more uncertainty, invite a legal challenge, and misrepresent my priorities as a public servant. “

Capito also said she would not run for governor if Manchin were to win in November and trigger a special election for the resulting vacancy.

Capito said in a campaign statement that there has been enough chaos and controversy surrounding the vacancy in the U.S. Senate.

“The outcome could ultimately place my re-election to the House of Representatives in jeopardy and would leave the final decision in the hands of state officials rather than the voters,” she said.

The state GOP’s McKinney said Capito had been backed into a corner by the potential downsides to seeking both offices, But he also said her decision was a letdown after the Legislature’s minority Republicans won the amendment allowing her to do so.

“They went out on a limb and really extended themselves to get that provision in there,” McKinney said. “They’re going to be disappointed, and I think most West Virginians will be disappointed.”

Political analysts consider Manchin heavily favored to win, and had given him the edge even in a matchup with Capito.

“He would be awfully hard to beat,” said Marybeth Beller, a Marshall University political science professor. “He’s very popular in this state, and is a social and fiscal conservative and so has broad appeal across party lines.”

Beller also echoed Capito’s concerns about running for two office and noted that she is also considered a shoo-in for another House term.

The Nov. 2 winner would succeed Sen. Carte Goodwin, Manchin’s Democratic appointee to fill the Byrd vacancy temporarily. A 36-year-old lawyer and the governor’s former chief counsel, Goodwin took office Tuesday.

After November, the Byrd seat would again go before voters in 2012. The 92-year-old Democrat died June 28 with slightly more than 30 months left in his term.

(This version CORRECTS that Democrat’s Senate majority is not ‘slim.’ )

The 36-year-old Goodwin, a Charleston lawyer, would hold the seat until November. That’s when the governor wants general election voters to decide who will serve the final two years of Byrd’s term. The Legislature has begun a special session to consider a proposal from Manchin to allow for a fall vote.

Byrd was the longest-serving senator in history when he died last month at 92. Goodwin, the youngest among those considered potential choices, worked on Manchin’s 2004 campaign for governor before becoming his chief lawyer. He served in that post until shortly after Manchin began his second term in 2009, leaving for his family’s law firm.

Last year, Manchin tapped Goodwin to lead an extensive review of the state’s judiciary amid complaints from business groups and conflict-of-interest scandals involving state Supreme Court justices. Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor served as the study commission’s nonvoting honorary chair.

While Manchin’s general counsel, Goodwin was considered key in drafting mine rescue and safety measures passed after fatal accidents at West Virginia’s Sago and Aracoma coal mines in early 2006.

The governor’s former longtime chief of staff, Larry Puccio, credited Goodwin for his role in that legislation as well as such other major administration policies as the conversion of the state’s troubled workers’ compensation program into a private insurance company.

“He’s just a brilliant attorney, and I think he’s very detailed and a disciplined individual,” said Puccio, who had also been considered a potential Manchin pick. “I think he’s a rising star, and West Virginians would do well if they involved such individuals in the process. I think so much of him.”

Like Byrd, the Goodwins have played a major role in West Virginia public service. Goodwin’s father, who died in April, was chairman of West Virginia University’s Board of Governors. An uncle is a federal judge, while a cousin is the U.S. Attorney for the state’s southern federal court district.

Goodwin already has ties to West Virginia’s Senate delegation: His wife, Rochelle, is state director for Byrd’s Democratic colleague, Sen. Jay Rockefeller. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., declined comment until there was an official announcement. Reid was slated to be in West Virginia for a Friday campaign fundraiser.

Rockefeller, D-W.Va., did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The state Chamber of Commerce, which had urged Manchin to fill in for Byrd, welcomed the choice.

“Anybody who knows Carte likes Carte, enjoys working with him and finds him extremely competent,” Chamber President Steve Roberts said. “He is somebody who will represent West Virginia well in Washington and make us proud.”

The state’s Republican Party chairman, Doug McKinney, said the GOP was interested in Manchin’s choice only as long as he was “intelligent and someone from West Virginia to represent us until then.”

The governor’s appointee is not expected to run for the seat. Manchin has said it’s highly likely he will, but he has yet to announce his plans. The GOP’s top choice is Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, though she is already seeking a sixth House term.

The likely special election will put another Democratic Senate seat in play this year as the party struggles to retain its majority. Democrats have a 58-41 edge, with Byrd’s seat vacant, but are expected to lose seats in November, typical for the president’s party in his first midterm elections.

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Associated Press Staff Writer John Raby in Charleston contributed to this report.