Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, left, and former Wheeling mayor Glenn Elliott, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, talk prior to Tuesday night’s candidate forum in Charleston. (Photo by Steven Allen Adams)

CHARLESTON — With just over a week until the general election ends on Tuesday, Nov. 5, two Democratic candidates have no intention of being ignored, and they want to raise up those who also feel ignored by those in Charleston and Capitol Hill.

Speaking last Tuesday before a group of people representing the Black community, those in poverty, women, and other marginalized groups, Democratic candidate for governor Steve Williams and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Glenn Elliott understood there is an uphill battle to fight.

Williams, the three-term mayor of Huntington, and Elliott, the former two-term mayor of Wheeling, spoke Tuesday night — the day before the start of early voting — at a Meet the Candidates event put on by the West Virginia NAACP at the First Baptist Church on Shrewsbury Street near downtown Charleston.

A decade ago, Williams’ resume would have made him a top-tier candidate for a major political party. He is a native West Virginian; a graduate of both West Virginia University and Marshall University, where he played on the famous Young Thundering Herd football team; a successful businessman; and a former member of the House of Delegates.

Williams took office as mayor of Huntington in 2013, turning around a significant city budget deficit. A city once racked by the opioid crisis with 28 heroin overdoses recorded in a four-hour period in one day, Williams created teams to quickly respond to overdose issues, worked to implement treatment options, and then joined Cabell County in filing an ongoing lawsuit against major opioid manufacturers and distributors.

Democratic Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, center, enjoys some conversations with attendees of a Tuesday night candidate forum hosted by the NAACP in Charleston as he makes his case to be the next governor of West Virginia. (Photo by Steven Allen Adams)

During his tenure as mayor, the city has since been awarded with a $3 million prize for being selected as one of America’s Best Communities. The city’s budget now ends in modest surpluses, bond ratings have improved, and essential services are funded. Huntington now leverages its monies for additional city improvement grants. And while the substance use disorder crisis continues in the state, the city has a good handle on the issue.

“I’m running for governor because I know if I can do it in Huntington, we can do it in West Virginia,” Williams told the crowd Tuesday. “My mission is not to become the governor of the State of West Virginia. My mission is to see that this state is transformed. If becoming governor enables me — with you — to do just that, then God will look down upon us and He is going to give us an opportunity to be able to do wonderful things.”

But despite Williams’ resume and his optimism, he continues to lag behind in financial support to Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, the Republican candidate for governor. Morrisey has out-raised Williams 10 to 1. In the most recent WV MetroNews West Virginia Poll released at the end of August, 49% of respondents said they would vote for Morrisey, while 35% said they would vote for Williams, with 5% preferring another candidate and 11% unsure.

In that same poll, Williams had the lowest name recognition of a number of political leaders listed, with a 25% favorable rating, an 18% unfavorable rating, and 57% not sure.

Back in May, rumors were swirling that Williams — who was unopposed in the primary — was being pressured to drop out in favor of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin throwing his hat in the ring. But Manchin finally denied such a move shortly before switching from a Democrat to an independent.

Democratic Huntington Mayor Steve Williams makes his case before attendees of a NAACP candidate forum Tuesday night on why he should be the next governor of West Virginia. (Photo by Steven Allen Adams)

Williams is aware that he is the underdog in the race for governor, but he is not letting Morrisey win without a fight. Williams’ first TV ad went on the air Wednesday. And Tuesday, Oct. 29, Williams will go head-to-head with Morrisey in a debate at Fairmont State University moderated by WV MetroNews Talkline Host Hoppy Kercheval.

“The reality…is that this state needs leadership; leadership that will make sure there is opportunity for everyone in the State of West Virginia, not just individuals who have the money changers supporting them,” Williams said. “It doesn’t matter what color you are, what sex you are, who you love, what you do, the whole bottom line is making sure that everybody has an opportunity to be able to serve each other.”

Morrisey may be treating Williams as a serious opponent, but Glenn Elliott is not receiving the same level of respect from Gov. Jim Justice, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate to succeed Manchin next year. Not only is Justice refusing to debate his Democratic opponent, but he is also now leaving the state to campaign in Pennsylvania and North Carolina for Republican former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential contest with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I’m Glenn Elliott running for U.S. Senate running against Jim justice who – of course like many candidate events – is not here tonight,” Elliott said. “I would challenge you to find a senate candidate who’s worked harder over the last year than I have.”

Elliott, who was limited to two four-year terms as Wheeling mayor, told the crowd about efforts during his tenure to strengthen the city’s Human Rights Commission, being the first government in the state to recognize Juneteenth, passing the Crown Act prohibiting discrimination because of hair styles, and adopting a resolution recognizing racism as a public health crisis. Elliott said he accomplished these goals in a bipartisan way.

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, left, and Charleston attorney Rico Moore, discuss issues Tuesday night following the NAACP candidate forum in Charleston. (Photo by Steven Allen Adams)

“I said these things because Wheeling is a very culturally conservative the city, much more conservative culturally than maybe here in Charleston,” Elliott said. “We were able to get things done by 7-0 votes on city council – including three or four members of my city council who are very far to the right politically – but we talk to each other. We listened to people and we actually met people where they are and found a way to come together for these consensus issues to move our city forward.”

Other groups participating in Tuesday’s forum included the members of various Black fraternities and sororities, the Tuesday Morning Group, West Virginia Can’t Wait, West Virginia Citizens Action Group, West Virginia Citizens for Clean Elections, Rise Up West Virginia, the ACLU, Moms Demand Action, the Black Voter Impact Initiative, and The Links, Incorporated.

“We have really joined up together because this is a serious matter,” said Karen Williams, a retired educator and community organizer who served as emcee for Tuesday’s event. “What I found out through the years is that we must collaborate because one group may have 30 members and another group may have 50 members, but when we come together, we are power. We have to do something and we’re going to vote.”

“We have said that this is the most important election of our lifetime, and it is,” said Barbara Cary, a retired staff member of West Virginia State University, one of West Virginia’s two historically black colleges and universities. “We’re not only voting for ourselves; we’re voting for generations to come.”

All candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor, state constitutional offices, legislative candidates, and candidates for county offices were invited to Tuesday’s event. But other than a surrogate for Republican Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt and a Republican candidate for Kanawha County Commission, there were no other Republican candidates in attendance.

Tuesday’s forum was not just about giving candidates an opportunity to speak, but also an opportunity for people to raise issues with the candidates to consider. Williams was asked about issues of protecting the reproductive rights of women, the state’s abysmal health statistics, and appointing members of marginalized groups to open circuit court judge seats.

Ultimately, Williams told the crowd Tuesday night that nothing can change for the issues they care about unless they can get people motivated to vote, make their voices heard at the ballot box, and make those who will be in power after the Nov. 5 election will not forget them.

“It’s been said a couple of times here tonight that somebody needs to do something,” Williams said. “Well then, what each of us has to do is we have to look in the mirror and identify what is our responsibility going to be? What’s the assignment that is given to each of us to do this?

“Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the way that we approached things in Huntington, and we did turn things around,” Williams continued. “That’s exactly what we will do here in West Virginia to make sure that we create prosperity within our state… We’re looking to create prosperity in our state, and we will set standards that the rest of the nation will seek to follow. West Virginians will lead the way.”

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com