West Virginia's First is more or less an extension of the Pittsburgh area with a shared history of declining coal and steel industries. Mollohan (and his late father, Rep. Robert Mollohan before him) is seen as a hero to many loyal voters because of the federal money he has brought back to the state. In 2004, Mollohan won 68 percent of the vote and carried all 20 counties in the district save for one. But Wakim points out that dissatisfaction with the Clinton-Gore policies on coal and the environment helped President Bush carry this district twice, a fact that may bode well from Wakim should the ethics concerns surrounding Mollohan persist.