The man in the blue shirt looked at Glenn Elliott. Glenn Elliott came to the front yard of his home in the quiet, conservative town of Moundsville and introduced himself as the candidate to represent West Virginia in the U.S. Senate.
“It’s going to take a long time to get me to be like other politicians,” the man replied.
It’s not an unfamiliar feeling for Elliott, a former mayor who ran as a Democrat to represent what has become one of the most Republican states in the country in recent years. With West Virginia ranking at or near the bottom of most quality-of-life indicators, from child poverty rates to overdose death rates, voter disillusionment is inevitable. But Elliott has his own way of keeping the conversation going.
“Well, I’m going to run against Jim Justice,” he replied. The man’s interest was piqued, and when he agreed to take Elliott’s flyer, the tall, silver-haired 52-year-old exclaimed, “That means we have a chance!”
Glenn Elliott. Photo: Kathleen Batten/AP
Justice is the state’s Republican governor, but West Virginia tends to be very conservative, leaving the vacancy vacated by Joe Manchin, a former Democrat who is leaving the Senate as a thorn in Congress. He is seen as a strong contender for the seat. He was by Joe Biden’s side during his first two years as president.
Democrats are desperately trying to maintain their 51-seat majority in the U.S. Senate, but Manchin’s decision not to run last year and the fact that the best path to a two-year majority requires Democrats to re-elect themselves. The task is made even more difficult by the fact that Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jon Tester of Montana, two senators representing red states.
Recent polls show the latter falling short of his Republican challenger, and the party is now hoping for wins by candidates in Florida and Texas, which are perhaps even more unlikely. If those efforts fail and Republicans take control of the Senate as Trump returns to the White House, his right-wing nominations to the Supreme Court, the Cabinet and powerful federal regulators could be confirmed. Even if Harris wins, the Republican-controlled Senate could block her selection for the same position.
The former president has undoubtedly captured the attention of many voters who feel ignored. I’m not fighting him, I’m fighting Jim Justice Glenn Elliott
West Virginia has been a Democratic stronghold for decades, but party leaders effectively wrote off the Senate seat after handing President Trump two of the state’s biggest victories in 2016 and 2020. did. The party’s decline was confirmed earlier this year when Manchin switched his registration to independent, meaning there are no longer any Democrats in statewide office.
Elliot is on a mission to change that and prove right wrong. He said Mr. Justice, whose business is embroiled in a legal storm of lawsuits and unpaid bills, is less popular than he seems, pushing his campaign forward despite little support from national Democratic power brokers. claim that there is.
There are very few polls on the race in West Virginia, but the ones that do show Manchin’s support of Elliott far behind. A Metro News West Virginia poll in August found Mr. Justice up 62% to 28% for Mr. Elliott, and another poll commissioned by the Democratic Party that same month showed Mr. Justice doing slightly better. Justice’s lead was 58%.
“I never thought this was a high-odds race,” Elliott said in an interview at the storefront of his campaign headquarters in downtown Wheeling, the northern Panhandle city of West Virginia, which he led from 2016 to 2016. “No, but I always knew there was a chance.” June. “Maybe I’m naive, but I believe West Virginia voters can see the contrast between me and Governor Justice in the way we’ve conducted this campaign.”
Elliott may be on to something, but there’s no indication it will be enough to win the race. In an interview with the Guardian, the man in the blue shirt, who did not want to be named but said he is a registered independent and a supporter of Donald Trump, revealed that he hates politicians, including Justice. did.
“Jim Justice is for those who are against us,” he said. While holding a flyer for Elliott, he said he would consider voting for him.
In August 2017, Jim Justice announced he was switching to the Republican Party in Huntington, West Virginia, with Donald Trump standing nearby. Photo: Justin Merriman/Getty Images
Given Trump’s strength in West Virginia, political forecasters expect no surprises in November. Although Republican candidates are expected to take over the governor’s mansion and federal offices, the party’s fundraising and campaign organizations have sent little money to Mr. Elliott or other candidates.
“I think that was absolutely a mistake,” West Virginia House of Representatives Delegate Sean Fluharty said. said Sean Fluharty, who has managed to hold on to his Wheeling representative seat for the past 10 years, even as West Virginia has become increasingly Republican.
“I don’t think Jim Justice is as well-liked as he was probably when voting for that election started two years ago, and I believe he had a chance. If Glenn had the full backing of the DNC, This race would have been much closer than current polls suggest.
Mr. Justice, a businessman with interests in coal and agriculture, was a Democrat until 2017, when he switched parties to become a reliable ally of Mr. Trump, championing anti-abortion legislation and transgender athletes. Signed a bill banning public school girls from participating in sports.
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But West Virginians have also grown accustomed to hearing about his company being sued or not paying its bills. Last year, the Department of Justice sued the governor, alleging that his family’s companies owed him more than $7.5 million in unpaid fines, and this year, the Department of Justice accused the governor of over $7.5 million in unpaid fines owed by his family’s companies, and this year, the Department of Justice accused the governor of paying more than $7.5 million in unpaid fines. A helicopter owned by was put up for auction. mining company.
“I knew there were weaknesses there, and frankly, as a sitting governor with an ‘R’ next to his name, I could outdo him and overcome what would be a pretty built-in advantage for him.” I thought I could work hard to do that,” Elliott said.
Polls in the Senate race show a solid majority of voters don’t know much about Mr. Elliott, who has centered his campaign on issues such as health care, abortion rights and support for organized labor. Hoping to change that, he has visited every county in the state since winning the May primary, but he has also visited West Virginians who are certain to vote for Trump to win. He was well aware that he needed to convince people to vote for Trump.
“The former president definitely captures the attention of a lot of voters who feel like they’re being ignored,” he said. “I’m not fighting him, I’m fighting Jim Justice.”
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, he followed the highway that curves south along the Ohio River from Wheeling, went door-knocking in Moundsville, and arrived at the front door of 86-year-old retired coal miner Bob Parsons. When Parsons learned that Elliott was a Democrat, he asked the former mayor to name one good thing that Biden and Harris had done.
Elliott said the president’s policies helped pay for new wastewater infrastructure in Wheeling. “They definitely missed an opportunity and messed up the border,” he added.
Parsons was an avid Trump supporter who had a sticker on the bed of his pickup truck’s camper that read, “It’s not my fault, I voted for Trump,” but the ticket was split 50/50 between the parties. Justice was not impressed.
“You don’t see Jim going to Washington, D.C. very often,” he said.
Further down the street, Elliott encountered Melody Vuselic, a Democrat whose faith in the party was waning. Vucelic said she was “completely against” Harris, saying Biden had disappointed her with his handling of immigration.
“I really want President Trump to intervene to close the border,” the 71-year-old retiree said in an interview. “In a small town like this, I worry about my safety when I’m alone.”
But this time, Elliot doesn’t have to worry. Buselic said he plans to support Democrats in all remaining spots on the ballot and wants them to vote.
