Democrat Joe Manchin's lead on Republican Patrick Morrisey has moved to 16% according to a poll just released by WSAZ-Gray television:

The poll indicates that Manchin leads Morrisey by 16 percentage points, 52-36. That's double the margin of a WSAZ poll released on Oct. 1. The previous poll showed Manchin leading 46-38.

Another ominous sign for the Morrisey campaign is that 77 percent of respondents said their feelings about the race were very strong or strong, and that they were unlikely to change their minds.

Yesterday's lead editorial in the Wheeling News-Register endorsing Manchin may have foreshadowed this. When was the last time a Wheeling "newspaper" endorsed a Democrat? (I don't know. Readers with a better memory than mine can drop me a line.) While the locals have not become pro-Manchin, the positive references and articles about Morrisey have dwindled considerably in the last month or so. I think our local papers didn't want to back a loser. Note -- they endorsed Republican incumbent McKinley on Saturday. (Of course, the Intelligencer has treated that race as though McKinley is running unopposed -- their endorsement did not mention or even acknowledge Democrat Kendra Fershee's presence in the contest.)

Adding insult to injury, the Manchin campaign has released its latest TV ad, "Coaches":

An ad with Jerry West, Bob Huggins, and Nick Saban? I think that's called "piling on."