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ELKINS -- West Virginia Democratic nominee Glenn Elliott spent the day in Elkins Tuesday as part of his "The Place Where We Belong" campaign tour for U.S. Senate.
Elliott, who will face Gov. Jim Justice in the November general election, started his local visit by making a stop on Second Street for the grand opening of the Randolph County Democratic Party's new Democratic Headquarters.
Later in the evening, Elliott held a Town Hall in the large pavilion at Elkins City Park. Prior to the event, the Randolph County Democratic Party and the Randolph County Democratic Women sponsored a Potluck Supper at the park. A fundraising dessert auction followed Elliott's forum, which had more than 70 residents in attendance.
Elliott's tour began on West Virginia Day and will run through Labor Day. The former Wheeling mayor will visit all 55 counties in the state as part of the tour, and plans to engage directly with residents through door-to-door canvassing and town halls.
"This is our 43rd county stop on our 55-county tour, and we are here today to do a little door knocking and to host a town hall," Elliott told The Inter-Mountain Tuesday. "The purpose of this tour is mostly to listen and to introduce myself to folks. I want to figure out the issues of concern in different parts of the state and different regions."
Elliott, who defeated Zach Shrewsbury in the Democratic Primary in May, said West Virginia deserves a senator who is going to show up and put in the work.
"Frankly, looking at my opponent in this race, based on the eight years he's been governor, there's a record of not showing up for work," Elliott said. "You can kind of get away with being a part-time governor, but you can absolutely not be a part-time senator and be effective. (There are) a lot of parts of the state he's never been to as governor, and people have brought that up to me."
Elliott said that even though he is a Democrat, he can effectively work with both parties if he's elected.
"I know that we are a center-right state and people see the R and D and they sometimes jump to conclusions about you," he said. "I've been the mayor of Wheeling the last eight years and yes, I'm a Democrat. But Wheeling is a conservative city, and if you look at my record as mayor, I've been able to work with several members of council who supported former President Trump, as well as a couple members of council who have been to my political left, and I have been able to work with them to get stuff done.
"I believe in building relationships, I believe in working across the aisle with people who you may disagree with, without being disagreeable. I'm not someone who lets parties get in the way of common sense and getting stuff done."
If elected, Elliott says is ready to immediately get to work and help West Virginia in any way that he can.
"I'm someone who can step into the Senate seat and hit the ground running, and ideally be in a position to bring resources and other attention back to West Virginia for years ahead," said Elliott.
"The Senate is a seniority based institution, it's hard to make a big splash as a freshman senator, you need to go there and put the work in and ideally get reelected so you can be in a position on the right committees to bring back resources. I think of the two candidates in this race, I'm in a much better position to be able to do that."
Elliott said is happy with how the ongoing tour and his campaign have been going the past several months.
"I really feel like the campaign has been very successful," he said. "When I get in front of people I feel like I can really make a connection with them. Our race hasn't gotten enough statewide attention yet, but I think that's starting to change now.
"Of course, my opponent in this race is keeping himself in the news for all the wrong reasons with the various aspects of his business that are failing. I think that the more people look at this race and they are willing to set aside that R and D and ask who is the best to step into this very important Senate seat and represent West Virginia, I think they are going to find me more times than not."
For more information on Elliott's campaign, visit www.elliottforwv.com.