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His estranged wife misled the media into thinking he had pulled out of the race for governor, apparently to gain a measure of revenge in an impending divorce suit, Republican aspirant Joe Oliverio said Thursday.

"War is hell, but it ain't nothing like a woman scorned, and you learn that when you get in a divorce suit," the Morgantown painting contractor said.

A flashy campaigner - known lately for riding the state in a Hummer with a Canadian timber wolf at his side - Oliverio has sparked controversy every mile of the way.

In one week, he called on Pennsylvania to sell Green and Washington counties to make way for a West Virginia road project, sold $10 raffle tickets to one of his two Hummers, and vowed to live on bread, water and fruit until Kroger Co. caves in to strikers. Then came a bombshell this week in a faxed message to the news media - a report Oliverio was calling it quits.

"She sent it," he said. "A woman scorned. I'm still in. I didn't know what was going on for two days."

Oliverio said he went to Charlotte, N.C., for a couple of days to sort out the personal trauma involving his wife of 24 years, and even attempted to reconcile matters with an invitation for lunch to a German restaurant.

"I bought a box of Russell Stover chocolates, too," he said. "Of course, I ate a couple of pieces. But money can't buy you love."

Oliverio said his wife didn't seem interested, so he instructed his attorney in Morgantown to start divorce proceedings. Apparently that led to the erroneous fax sent to the news media that he was giving up his quest of the governor's post.

"I still love her," he said of Rama, his wife. "The first time I saw her walking down the street, I said to myself, 'I'm going to marry her.'"

Oliverio said he planned to file on grounds of irreconcilable differences.

- E-mail: mporterfield@register-herald.com