This story was originally published on Feb. 3 by the Forward . Sign up here to get the latest stories from the Forward delivered to you each morning. MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Barry Wendell was standing on the banks of the Monongahela River, a serpentine waterway that winds its way to Pittsburgh, 75 miles north. Here in West Virginia, one of the reddest states in the entire country, Wendell is swimming against another tide: as a liberal, gay, Democrat running for U.S. Congress.