photo by: Steven Allen Adams

Former Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks with a homeowner on Washington Avenue in Parkersburg about his race against Republican Gov. Jim Justice.

PARKERSBURG — Former Wheeling mayor and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Glenn Elliott is more than halfway through his 55-county tour of West Virginia, bringing him into contact with a wide range of voters in the former Democratic stronghold.

Elliott spent part of his day Thursday meeting with businesses owners in downtown Parkersburg, then spending part of the afternoon knocking on doors along Washington Avenue with Parkersburg City Council candidate Jeff Fox. Elliott wrapped up his day with a town hall meeting with voters at the Worthington Golf Club.

The last home Elliott visited was the home of a supporter of former Republican President and current GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. Despite Elliott running as the Democratic opponent to Republican Gov. Jim Justice, the conversation was cordial.

“I’m not telling you not to vote for Donald Trump, but I hope you would consider voting for me,” Elliott told the homeowner before shaking hands and walking down to the next house.

Wood County is Elliott’s 33rd county on his 55-county tour. The voter registration total in Wood County is 25,100 registered Republicans as of the end of June compared to 13,016 registered Democratic voters. Elliott is aware of the changed demographics and the popularity of Trump at the top of the ballot, but that hasn’t stopped him from having conversations.

“We’ve knocked on well over a thousand doors now,” Elliott said. “I’ve talked to a lot of people, including some who have Trump flags waving in the front yard. Only one person so far has been demonstrably rude to us. Honestly, I think everyone else has been pretty cordial. Listen, clearly there is a lot of support for the former president in West Virginia. That’s not a surprise to anyone reading the news or writing the news.”

Elliott believes his work ethic compared to the governor’s can sway voters to give him a chance. While Justice and his English bulldog have captured the attention of the public and even some in the media, Elliott said he believes the governor’s support is shallow and can be chipped away at when pointing to Justice’s several issues running the state and his own businesses.

“What I found — especially from knocking on doors — is that the support for the governor is broad, but it’s not very deep when you peel away the fact that he doesn’t always show up to work, when you add to the fact that he doesn’t always pay his bills and doesn’t always pay his taxes,” Elliott said.

Elliott pointed to the news that broke Thursday morning that a lender to the governor for the historic Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs had published in a local paper that the hotel would be auctioned at the end of August due to defaulting on a loan.

“When you see news like this morning, where his signature property is up for auction now, I think a lot of people are asking the question: Is this a guy we want to represent us in Washington?” Elliott said. “I’ve had several people who say they are Republicans that they liked that he got to speak at the (Republican National Convention), but they thought he did a big disservice by making it about his dog.

“I remind folks there’s a reason he wants to talk about his dog — because he doesn’t want to talk about his record,” Elliott continued. “He doesn’t want to talk about his taxes, he doesn’t want to talk about his bills or his creditors or any other issues that have plagued state government while he’s been there. The dog is a great distraction. I think the media needs to recognize that and stop talking about the dog and move on to what really matters.”

Elliott is seeking the U.S. Senate seat held by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., since 2010 and the seat held by the late Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, who held that seat for 51 years until his death in the summer of 2010. Elliott’s first job out of college was working in Byrd’s Senate office in Washington, D.C., before getting his law degree. Elliott wants to continue that legacy of service.

“For 65 years, this particular Senate seat has been filled by primarily two men,” Elliott said. “Whether you like their politics or don’t, they showed up to work every day and they put in the work. I don’t think anyone could doubt that about Joe Manchin or Robert Byrd. You need someone to be stepping into the seat who’s going to put in the work, period.

“I don’t see the governor putting in that level of effort,” Elliott continued. “This is more of a vanity campaign than anything else. I don’t think he intends to serve a full six-year term. And quite frankly, I’d like to see him come out and say whether he intends to move to Washington and actually go there, or if he’s going to treat this the same way he’s treated being governor.”

In his travels, Elliott said he is hearing about regional issues, but there are other issues that are more universal to the entire state, including reversing population losses and providing opportunities for younger people to live, expanding high-speed broadband more quickly to all parts of the state, protecting reproductive freedom on a national level, and ensuring that Social Security and Medicare benefits are there for those who need those services.

“Some of the concerns are regional, but we’ve been in every corner of the state so far, and some issues are kind of almost ubiquitous,” Elliott said. “There’s really no one issue, but those are just some of the themes I encounter over and over again.”

Elliott’s next stops this weekend include Wirt, Ritchie, Pleasants and Tyler counties.