Photo Provided Local representation at the Democratic National Convention included delegate Teresa Toriseva, center. Also pictured, Hollerwood House Co-Owner Chris Stanley, far left, and West Virginia Democratic Party Executive Director Ryan Frankenberry, right of center.

West Virginia delegates from around the Northern Panhandle — who added to the Mountain State’s vote total for Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention — believe the party has united around Harris despite her unconventional path to the ticket.

Former Wheeling mayor and current United States Senate nominee Glenn Elliott said he saw the “most unified Democratic Party” during the convention since President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. This year’s DNC was the first Elliott attended as a delegate, attending the 1992 DNC as a congressional intern.

Elliott added that he felt the party’s momentum not only nationwide but in the energy among the West Virginia Democratic Party during the convention.

“It was a very interesting experience getting to meet Democrats from across the country and talk about my Senate campaign in West Virginia and the efforts the Democratic Party in West Virginia has taken to rebuild its brand, which has taken a hit in recent years,” Elliott said. “I think the convention will help Democrats up and down the ballot in West Virginia get more of their Democratic voters who have been sitting out of elections because they think their vote doesn’t count.”

Elliott noted the “bump in the polls” the Harris-Walz ticket would receive from the convention would also affect national and state Senate and House races. Elliott expected the momentum of the Harris-Walz ticket to carry over into his Senate campaign. Elliott faces Gov. Jim Justice, the Republican nominee, in November for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va.

“I think this ticket will get some more people out to vote on the Democratic side,” Elliott said. “If you combine that with all the hits to his reputation that my opponent, the governor, has taken in recent weeks with all of his financial failures, it makes my race much more competitive than I think that national media and the state media were going to say back in May after the primary.”

Another local delegate also running for political office, West Virginia House of Delegates District 2 nominee Olivia Dowler, felt the momentum amongst younger attendees to the conference.

The 22-year-old Weirton resident hopes the convention will energize many others her age to vote in this year’s election.

“A lot of times, young people are registered to vote, but they’re just not voting,” Dowler said. “Getting young people engaged and seeking them out is important, and a lot of the marketing at the convention is targeted towards Gen Z.”

Dowler’s roommate during the convention, Wheeling native Kathryn Prather, served as the youngest representative for West Virginia during the convention. The 18-year-old delegate joined the state’s oldest delegate, Jean Evansmore, 83, of Mount Hope, in reading West Virginia’s vote total during the DNC’s ceremonial roll call on Tuesday.

“Kathryn and Jean were both phenomenal,” said Dowler. “I think it’s really important, too, that they went out there and represented the diversity in West Virginia.”

Wheeling Middle School teacher Jenny Craig, secretary of the West Virginia Democratic Party, served as the “communications captain” for the West Virginia delegation. This role included communicating with West Virginia delegates about the process for nominating Harris and the virtual roll call for selecting Harris as the nominee.

Craig said Harris’ nomination was a “no-brainer,” as no other person filed a petition with “enough signatures or the intent to be nominated.”

According to Craig, there were 24 West Virginia delegates who “all voted unanimously to confirm Harris” both during the virtual nominating roll call and during the ceremonial roll call that took place on Tuesday.

“No other candidate met the threshold on a primary ballot,” Craig said. “It was a no-brainer that we carried out the nomination process early to ensure that the Harris-Walz campaign had more time to organize and plan for the convention before Harris officially accepted the nomination.”

Apart from serving as the communications captain for the West Virginia delegation, Craig said she spent much of her time attending various caucus meetings and workshops during the convention.

One “really powerful” speech for Craig was Emily Candrelli’s, as the Morgantown native will be the first West Virginia woman to go to space onboard a New Shepard flight.

“It was compelling to have her here as such a champion for women and girls in science and STEAM and as a role model,” Craig said. “That was the highlight of the week here.”

As president of the Ohio County Education Association, Craig said she was focused on “soaking up as much information” as she could during the event, including attending National Education Association training sessions. She noted that on Thursday evening, she was able to hear speeches from NEA President Becky Pringle and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.

“They (Pringle and Weingarten) spoke to all the issues that teachers are facing across the country, whether it’s freedom from gun violence in our schools to ensuring that our teachers and their students have the autonomy to access the curriculum they want,” Craig said. “We discussed book bans across the country, pushing back against those in the name of education and fighting for what we know our kids need.”