The Fix:
Mollohan hadn't faced a serious primary fight in more than a decade and was seen in some circles as unbeatable given that the 1st district seat had been in his family since 1968. (His father held it from 1968-1982 before handing it off to the son.)
But, Oliverio, who served a single term in the state House of Delegates before being elected to the state Senate in 1994, ran hard against Mollohan's entrenched incumbent status and the lingering whiff of ethics problems that had dogged the Congressman for years.
The race has gotten very nasty over its final weeks with Oliverio referring to Mollohan as "one of the most corrupt members of Congress" and the incumbent retorting that his opponent is "lying" and "spreading right-wing smears".
Mollohan, despite regular warning from state and national Democratic strategists, never seemed to understand the threat posed by Oliverio and, according to several sources, ran a campaign suited to the early 1990s rather than 2010 in terms of its sophistication.
More from AP, The Politico, Wapo and NYT.
2010 is the year of "Throw the bums out" and November is right around the corner.
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