With Joe Manchin too scared to face Jim Justice and run for reelection, it was only a matter of time before his machine got behind— at least half-heartedly— another conservative Democrat to combat Zach Shrewsbury, the progressive in the race. It looks increasingly like that corporate Democrat will be Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott. Asked last month if he’s considering a run, Elliott, who has already taken out FEC paperwork that allows him to collect donations, answered, “The short answer is yes... I have been giving it my full consideration and hope to make a final decision in the coming weeks.” A career politician, he’s term-limited out of his major job so is looking for his next paycheck. He’s expected to officially file tomorrow in Charleston, although that may be pre-empted by the predicted 9” of snowfall.
Shrewsbury, a Marine vet running on a working class platform told Real WV that “You have one candidate who actually wants to help people, who understands their struggles, and is a part of the working class— that’s me. The other candidates will never be able to say the same thing. Someone has to stand up for other people. We don’t have that currently in our federal politics. I don’t see Alex Mooney, Shelley Moore Capito, Carol Miller, or even Manchin, for that matter— none of them seem to care about West Virginians. Maybe they started out caring, but they’ve left that behind somewhere. They’ve chosen money and their own interests instead of sticking with their people here… I decided to stand up and run myself, and we’ll see where we land. I have a very pro-working class message that crosses party lines. I’m playing the long game. I’m trying to build something here. Even if I don’t take this race, I’m not done. With Manchin retiring, this is now one of the few chances West Virginia has to actually get a genuine, working class person into this office. For the longest time, we’ve had the choice of millionaires or millionaires. Now, you have a person like myself— I understand choosing between rent and groceries, gas and bills, how expensive insurance is— I get that. A lot of politicians, they come from very wealthy backgrounds and wealthy families. I come from coal miners— I come from people making ends meet. What it comes down to is I understand how things work here, and I understand what people go through. We don’t have representation that actually represents people’s voices here.”
He shared some of his policy ideas with the writer: “‘I think we should also lower the retirement age, and protect Social Security,’ Shrewsbury noted. ‘My parents are in their 60’s. I watch my dad— he has to worry about Social Security, and Social Security barely pays anything to survive. That bothers me. Me being young, I’m trying to take the fight to the system,’ Shrewsbury added. ‘We need younger voices who have experienced these times, and who understand what’s going on.’ In addition to his pro-labor stance and wanting to lower the retirement age, Shrewsbury is also an advocate for universal healthcare. If elected, Shrewsbury’s hope is that he can work to transition the Affordable Care Act into a system which guarantees coverage regardless of one’s ability to pay– a daunting task given today’s political climate.”
A couple of weeks ago, Morgan County USA took a look at Shrewsbury’s candidacy. They liked what they saw.
Two candidates for political office took the stage at the Star Theater in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia Wednesday night in what was billed as a candidate forum.
Both call themselves Democrats.
Both are ex-military.
But on issues that will be central to their 2024 campaigns, they differ significantly.
Steve Wendelin is running to replace Congressman Alex Mooney in the House of Representatives from the second Congressional district— which covers the northern half of the state.
Zach Shrewsbury is running to replace Senator Joe Manchin in the U.S. Senate.
Wendelin is what you might call an MSNBC corporate Democrat. He calls himself a Blue Dog Democrat, which might be similar— pretty mainstream inside-the-beltway on issues of the political economy and war and peace.
Shrewsbury is a labor candidate putting the needs of working people above corporate interests.
On the political economy of health care, for example, Shrewsbury would convert the entire system into a Veterans Administration-like health care delivery system— everybody taken care of from cradle to grave, funded by the federal tax system and cuts to “the bloated and wasteful military budget.”
Wendelin, on the other hand, said he would let government set prices in the system to “a fixed rate that is affordable” and then leave the health care system up to the market.
“We’ll still have health insurance to help us pay, but it will be reasonable,” Wendelin said. “All they have to do is fix that and the free market system will take care of the rest.”
Wendelin would also follow the American Legislative Exchange Council’s corporate playbook and impose additional caps on malpractice awards.
Shrewsbury comes right out and says we need universal health care where everybody is covered under one taxpayer funded medical system.
“We have a for-profit health care system that preys on working class people,” Shrewsbury said. “I’m against our current system that when you get sick, you think— how am I going to pay my bills and am I going to have to file for bankruptcy when I get out?”
Shrewsbury would insulate the health care system from market forces.
On immigration, Wendelin said that the system is too complex, that we have to scrap the whole system and start over.
But Shrewsbury went to the core issue and placed the blame for the rush of immigrants from Mexico on corporate America.
At the Star Theater, he reiterated a recent posting he made on social media.
“If our elected representatives truly worry about the current immigration crisis then address the root of the problem— U.S. corporate foreign policy,” Shrewsbury wrote on his Twitter account. “The military industrial complex has ruined nations to our south and the subject is often ignored. The embargo on Cuba, the crippling sanctions on Venezuela, the coups in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama. the constant meddling in Mexico’s affairs. The defense industry and large corporations ruin nations and then our politicians have the gall to look us in the eyes saying ‘immigrants are coming to take your jobs.’ No, immigrants are coming because they have no other options left— thanks to United States foreign policy.”
Suggestion: consider contributing what you can to the Shrewsbury campaign here. Don’t worry about us asking you to do thee same with Elliott or Wendelin, not now, not ever.
