CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The special election to replace West Virginia's beloved Sen. Robert C. Byrd seems over before it begins.

Gov. Joe Manchin is a strong favorite to be nominated in the Democratic primary Aug. 28 -- and a statewide poll shows him easily winning the general election Nov. 2.

Early voting will be Friday and Saturday, followed by three more days next Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday. The special primary will conclude with Saturday balloting Aug. 28.

Manchin's Democratic challenger, former Congress member and Secretary of State Ken Hechler, has been an admirable West Virginia reform crusader for half a century. But age stalks him. He's 95, three years older than Byrd at his death. Even Hechler realizes that he's off the actuarial table for politics.

Therefore, The Charleston Gazette endorses Manchin for the Democratic nomination.

Gov. Manchin has been a solid, sensible, practical, businesslike, West Virginia leader. When he first took office in early 2005, the state faced a horrifying $10 billion potential deficit in public pensions and Workers' Compensation shortfall. The governor worked with Legislature chiefs to privatize Workers Comp and apply state surpluses to the looming debts.

They couldn't erase all the pending shortages, but much of the crisis was defused. As a result of this frugal management, West Virginia was on firmer footing than many states when the Great Recession struck in 2007.

Joe Manchin isn't an ideologue, and he's level-headed. We think he will make a worthy Democratic addition to the U.S. Senate. So we endorse him in the upcoming election.