THE two seats in 13th District of the House have long belonged to incumbent Democrats Dale Martin and Brady R. Paxton. They face Mickey Whalen, a former Mason County commissioner, in the Democratic primary.

But Republicans have exceptionally strong candidates this time. The Daily Mail endorses James McCormick II and Brian (Scotty) Scott. The third Republican, Brian C. Savilla, did not attend the editorial board meeting.

McCormick, 40, a graduate of Winfield High School, spent 22 years with the U.S. Army and Army National Guard and served in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is safety coordinator for Brown Electric.

Scott, 25, is finishing a political science degree at West Virginia State University.

Scott and McCormick are well informed and focused on changing the state. They know the per capita income of West Virginians ($26,000), evaluate proposals in that light, and would improve the economy as quickly as possible - not at, as one put it, "at a snail's pace."