OAK HILL, WV (WOAY) – Fayette County Democratic Executive Committee (FCDEC) kicked off the upcoming election season by opening its campaign headquarters in Oak Hill.
They welcomed local candidates, along with Glenn Elliott who is running for that ‘special Senate seat.’
“Going back really 60 years, you’ve had Senator Byrd and Senator Manchin there really for all but a couple of months of those 60 years,” Elliott said. “So it’s a seat where we’ve had someone who stands up for West Virginians, who works hard for West Virginians, who built relationships, gets on the right committees. It’s so important we get this race right.”
FCDEC Chair Pam Garrison says we need good people in office who will look out for West Virginia and our fair share of the money that could still come to Fayette County — bills that have been passed, infrastructure, inflation reduction.
“That know about what we can get and get it for us,” she said. “After the coal mines collapsed and Democrats were in power during that time.”
According to Elliott, his opponent in this race has a proclivity not to want to show up to work in Charleston, so he doesn’t think he is going to show up to work in Washington.
“If you look at my record as Mayor of Wheeling (I) changed the conversation about what’s possible in Wheeling in my eight years as mayor,” said the Senate candidate. “Just because I show up to work; because I’m willing to have conversations across the aisle with people who don’t agree with me. You know, I will be a senator for all West Virginia.”
As for why we lost Fayette County, Garrison says rhetoric and propaganda and people who voted straight Trump for two elections.
“Industry was changing, innovation was coming in. I think a lot of people put the blame on the Democrats,” said the tri-chair.
A seventh-generation West Virginian, under Elliott’s leadership as former Wheeling mayor
— the city’s economy was recognized as one of the fastest-growing in the Mountain State. He says he will fight and believes he is the right choice for this Senate seat.
“We started a little bit down in the polls, but I think things are closing right now. The governor’s been keeping himself in the news for all the wrong reasons,” Elliott said. “So I really think I’m the best candidate right now. I hope West Virginians are willing to look past ‘our’ versus ‘he’ and look for our ‘right versus wrong.'”
The Fayette Dems look forward to everyone getting to know the candidates: Glenn Elliott, and locally Jerry Allen in the 50th district and the 51st’s Melissa Colagrosso.
“It’s the reason it is so important that you put people in there that are going to write good policies and are going to fight for West Virginia,” said Garrison.
Stop by the Fayette County Democratic Headquarters for signs and information, if you need help registering or checking your voter registration.
