Well, this should be interesting.
The Mayor of Wheeling, Glenn Elliott, made it official this week – he’s running for U.S. Senate to take the seat of Senator Joe Manchin.
And so did Zachary Shrewsbury, the self-described working class candidate.
The primary is less than four months away on May 14, 2024.
Elliott versus Shrewsbury.
Corporate Lawyer versus Community Organizer.
Establishment versus Insurgent.
In November, the winner will likely face Jim Justice, the outgoing Governor, who is crushing his Republican primary opponents in the polls.
Elliott was born and raised in Wheeling.
In 1994 he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree.
Upon graduation, he worked five years for Senator Robert C. Byrd. He graduated from Georgetown Law Center in 2001.
at the Secretary of State’s office in Charleston
He began his legal practice at the multinational corporate law firm of Baker Botts in Washington, D.C. in 2009, but returned to Wheeling in 2013.
In 2016, Elliott was elected to the first of his two terms as Mayor of Wheeling.
“For far too long, our leading export has been our young people seeking opportunities elsewhere,” Elliott said. “Too many West Virginia natives only come home on holidays and long weekends. This mass exodus has left us with an aging population that continues to rank among the poorest and most unhealthy states in the nation.”
(Forbes Advisor recently ranked West Virginia as the least healthiest state. See Jim Justice’s State of West Virginia – We’re Number One, Morgan County USA, January 11, 2024.)
“And while some of our state’s leaders talk about the view from the top being breathtaking, the views from too many of our Main Streets, neighborhoods, and ‘hollers’ remain bleak,” he said. “I have seen firsthand in Wheeling what is possible when you challenge the status quo. Across the state, we have abundant resources, resilient communities, and hard-working people. As your Senator, I will never stop looking for opportunities to help every West Virginia community reach its full potential.”
While Elliott filed his paperwork to run for office at the Secretary of State’s office in Charleston, Shrewsbury, a Marine Corps veteran and community organizer, filed his at the Secretary of State’s satellite office in Martinsburg.
at the Secretary of State’s office in Martinsburg
“I am running because it is beyond time for the working class people of West Virginia to have true representation in Washington,” Shrewsbury said.
“For generations, career politicians have lined their pockets and advanced their careers on the backs of the people of this state,” Shrewsbury said. “We have been taken advantage of, manipulated, and exploited for long enough and our campaign aims to change that.”
“I am cut from the same cloth as the working people of this state. I live the same hardships and face the same impossible situations as many Mountaineers and I’m ready to take my experiences to Washington and fight to help my neighbors thrive.”
Shrewsbury said his commitment to the people of West Virginia is as deep as his roots.
“As a multi-generation West Virginian, a Global War on Terrorism veteran, and the grandson of a coal miner, I understand the struggles faced by the working class people of our state,” he said.
If Shrewsbury defeats Elliott in the primary in May, it’s gonna be cats and dogs in the general in November.
While Jim Justice has his Babydog, Shrewsbury has his newly rescued 7 week old Siamese cat.
The cat is white.
The cat’s name?
Blue.
“Blue is a sweet, smart, spunky boy and Zach is already his absolute favorite person,” said Shrewsbury campaign manager Brandi Reece. “He likes to curl up under his beard.”