| A recent poll shows two Supreme Court challengers are leading in a tight race for two spots in the Democratic primary race.
Huntington lawyer Menis Ketchum and Margaret Workman, a Charleston lawyer and former state Supreme Court justice, were named by more respondents than the other two candidates in the tight poll.
Justice "Spike" Maynard, who is seeking re-election was third in the
poll, conducted by telephone this week by Orion Strategies.
The poll questioned 368 West Virginia Democratic and independent voters who had voted in at least one of the last two primary elections.
Ketchum led as the first choice of 24 percent of poll respondents. Workman was listed with 18 percent.
Pollsters then combined the two rankings for each candidate, leaving Ketchum at 18 percent and Workman at 17 percent.
Incumbent Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard ran third in the poll with 13 percent, just ahead of West Virginia University law professor Bob Bastress, who polled at 12 percent.
Maynard has been the subject nationally for his ruling in favor of Massey Coal, being a long-time friend of CEO Don Blankenship. Photos surfaced showing him on vacation in Europe with Blankenship while Massey cases were before the court.
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