GOP Senate Nominee John Raese: ‘I Made My Money The Old-Fashioned Way: I Inherited It’

By Scott Keyes Following the death of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) this summer, a special election was called to serve out the remainder of his term in the Senate. The November contest will pit Gov. Joe Manchin (D) against perennial candidate John Raese (R). Recent polling has shown a competitive race in the Mountain State.

Yesterday, Raese appeared on the Matt Lewis show, a conservative talk radio program. When Lewis asked Raese about his background and his life experience, Raese offered this straight-faced response:

LEWIS: Tell us a little bit about you and your business experience and how you got here.

RAESE: I made my money the old-fashioned way, I inherited it. I think that’s a great thing to do. I hope more people in this country have that opportunity as soon as we abolish inheritance tax in this country, which is a key part of my program.

Listen here:

Last year, all persons inheriting less than $3.5 million (99.75% of all Americans) were not affected by the estate tax. Apparently, Raese is also campaigning the old-fashioned way: catering to the ultra-rich.

Update On equality issues, Raese is opposed to the repeal of DADT and supports a Constitutional Marriage Amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Update Lowell Weicker, a former Republican congressman and independent Governor from Connecticut, said the state GOP “can’t find men or women that have come through the chairs to get to where they are. They find people with a wad of dough who just try to buy the office.” Linda McMahon, the wealthy former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, is the Republican running for Senate in Connecticut.

Update The Politico has an article today discussing Raese's exorbitant wealth. They note that "Raese leads a lavish lifestyle that's included over 15 cars, boats and motorcycles, a home in Florida where his family lives full-time and where, records show, he paved the driveway with marble in 2008 as the economy was nosediving."