There's nothing unusual about getting campaign fliers in the mail this time of year, but the return address on some fliers is getting attention: It's the Lee Street address of the West Virginia State Democratic Executive Committee's headquarters in Charleston.
That address on fliers for 2nd District congressional candidate Corey Simpson particularly are drawing attention, since Simpson's campaign has been designated as an "emerging race" by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
However, state Democratic Party Chairwoman Belinda Biafore said Friday there's no favoritism involved.
"It's a service we offer all the candidates. We did the same thing with the gubernatorial candidates," she said.
In additional to allowing candidates to use the committee's bulk mailing rate for fliers, the committee is also providing email blasts and Internet digital advertising for Democratic candidates, she said.
"It's not an endorsement of any candidate by any means," Biafore said, noting the candidates' campaigns pay the costs for whatever committee services they use.
In the 2nd Congressional District primary race, in addition to Simpson's flier, Harvey Peyton has used the committee's mailing address for two fliers, and Mark Hunt has used its Internet services to send an email blast to Democrat voters, she said.
"We've treated them all fairly, and they've chosen to use our services in different ways," she said.
Biafore said the committee decided to come up with creative ways to assist candidates in the Democratic primary races after repeated criticism that the party sits on the sidelines in the primary elections.
"That's the biggest complaint I used to hear, not only from the executive committee but from candidates, what can the party do for us?" she said.
"We're really pleased to offer these kinds of services," she added. "It's a new world of campaigning."
Biafore said anything that provides for a better informed electorate is worthwhile, noting, "There's a whole lot of uninformed voters out there."
Simpson's campaign was named in February an "emerging race" by the DCCC, the campaign arm of Democrats in the House of Representatives.
That designation signals that national Democrats favor Simpson and that the DCCC is prepared to spend significant money on the general election race should Simpson win the primary.
It is also a signal to national donors that the DCCC believes Simpson has a shot at flipping the seat, currently held by first-term Congressman Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., from Republican to Democrat, a designation that may have helped Simpson raise more than twice as much money as any of his primary opponents.
Staff writer David Gutman contributed to this article.
Reach Phil Kabler at philk@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1220, or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.