For those sitting on the edges of their seats waiting to hear news that U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., has begun his signature drive to get on the November general election ballot as an independent candidate for governor of West Virginia by the Aug. 1 deadline, please don’t hold your breath.

This Thursday, Manchin will be co-headlining a fundraiser for Huntington Mayor and Democratic candidate for governor Steve Williams with former one-term Democratic governor Bob Wise in the lobby of the Hotel Frederick in downtown Huntington.

Much as I stated in a previous column, Manchin’s party switch the day before a key deadline that could allow him to get on the general election ballot as a different party candidate was more about getting attention than about mounting a 13th hour run for office in West Virginia.

Actively fundraising for Williams is probably the least Manchin can do for Williams, who was politically injured by the rumors in May that Republican and Democratic moderates with money were trying to pressure Williams to drop out of the race for governor to be replaced by Manchin — rumors Manchin tried to have it both ways with.

On one hand, he said he wasn’t running. On the other, he said he doesn’t close doors. And while switching to independent shut the door on the switcheroo rumor, changing to independent before the state deadline created new rumors that Manchin might start collecting signatures. Again, he denied he would challenge Williams. But again, he said he doesn’t close doors. As long as the new rumors were flying, it was going to hurt Williams, especially with fundraising.

Williams knows he has an uphill battle. The Republican nominee for governor — Attorney General Patrick Morrisey — has plenty of money, the support of third-party groups with big pocketbooks, and a more conservative voter base in the state. Williams’ current strategy appears to be ensuring that as many registered Democrats come out to vote for him in November and appealing to registered independents and some Republicans who are not fans of Morrisey.

The path for Williams is narrow, but there is a path.

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Wheeling Mayor and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Glenn Elliott hasn’t had to worry about Manchin jumping into his race, thanks to very public endorsement of Elliott during the primary. Manchin has also been pretty clear he is done with the U.S. Senate. After watching Congress turn into a glorified greenroom for partisan cable news programs, who can blame him?

Elliott — who won in a three-way race in May, including against controversial former coal magnate Don Blankenship after a surprise party switch from Republican to Democrat — can also now focus more on his U.S. Senate race against Republican Gov. Jim Justice. Elliott’s final council meeting as Wheeling mayor was last week.

In fact, Elliott is doing just that, launching a 55-county tour over the weekend with a town hall in Welch Friday. The tour will take him through every West Virginia county by the end of August, with town halls scheduled in between. The next town hall is scheduled for Monday, July 1, in New Martinsville.

In many ways, the race between Justice and Elliott is interesting. Both are businessmen. Both have been chief government executives. This gives voters plenty of ways to contrast and compare the two men. Sure, being governor is different from being a mayor, even a mayor of one of the state’s largest cities. But both are leaving their local governmental service with different things to show for it.

In fact, one tactic Elliott is using is commenting on Justice’s and the state’s actions regarding multiple controversies, including the issues with the Department of Human Services and Department of Health Facilities. Judging by the number of emails I keep getting from people, there is a lot of dissatisfaction with Child Protective Services.

There isn’t much a U.S. senator can do about state-level criticisms, but Elliott is using those criticisms to show voters that Justice isn’t cut out to solve major problems. Then again, Justice has been like Teflon, with criticisms over the years largely unaffecting his political campaigns.

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Elliott was also endorsed last week by probably one of the most interesting people in Congress — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.

There was a lot of concern in the beginning about the hoodie-and-shorts-wearing Fetterman, who campaigned hard as a progressive and had a stroke that some thought would cause him issues during his first term. But Fetterman has since become one of the many senators to bear the title of “maverick.” As opposed to strictly staying to a political position, Fetterman appears to be a thoughtful moderate.

Will this endorsement help Elliott? I certainly don’t think it will hurt except with progressives in the state stuck in their political bubbles who think Fetterman’s pro-Israel stance in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas is a political liability. It isn’t and won’t be among most voters in this state.

Remember, Elliott and Williams cannot win in November if they don’t do things to appeal to unaffiliated voters and yes, even Republican voters.

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Finally, I hope you all had a wonderful West Virginia Day last week. Take advantage of the Department of Tourism’s Summer Bucket List and check off some fun summertime activities across the state. You won’t regret it.