Glenn Elliott (politician)

Glenn F. Elliott is an American politician, attorney, and real estate broker who was the mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia, from 2016 to 2024. Elliott is the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2024 United States Senate election in West Virginia, having been endorsed by outgoing Independent senator Joe Manchin. Elliott served two terms as Wheeling mayor, initially being elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Politico has described him as an "old-school Democratic moderate".

Early life and education
Born in Wheeling in 1971, Glenn Elliott spent the first six years of his life living in a mobile home in the Mar-Win Neighborhood of Wheeling, WV; it was after this time that Elliott's parents divorced and once his mom remarried, he moved away to Wintersville, OH until the age of 13. At the age of 13, Elliott returned to Wheeling to live with his dad and attend The Linsly School. He would go on to graduate from Linsly in 1990. Afterwards, he went on to earn a Bachelor's of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business in 1994 and a Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2001.

Career
He worked as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Robert Byrd from 1994 to 1999 in addition to his work as a real estate agent and attorney. After his graduation from Georgetown University Law Center in 2001, and up until his resignation to move back to West Virginia, Elliott worked for Baker Botts in Washington D.C. After moving back to his hometown, Elliott worked at Toriseva Law as an independent contractor attorney.

Elliott is the CEO of Market Street Now, LLC, which owns a total of three buildings in Wheeling as of April 2016.

Political career
Elliott was first elected as the Mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia in 2016, he served two consecutive terms.

Mayor of Wheeling
In the 2016 Wheeling mayoral election, Elliott defeated Eugene Fahey, winning 4,293 votes to Fahey's 3,041. During his tenure as mayor, Elliott has invested in the city's downtown, where he preserved historic buildings. In a 2018 poll, Elliott was voted as the best mayor in West Virginia, tied with Beverly Keadle of Romney and Steve Williams of Huntington.

He was re-elected in 2020. During his tenure as mayor, unemployment in the city fell from 6.6% in 2016 to 3.8% at the end of 2023. His term ended on June 29, 2024.

2024 United States Senate candidacy
On January 17, 2024, he filed to run for the United States Senate in his home state of West Virginia. Endorsed by the outgoing Senator, Joe Manchin, Elliott campaigned on protecting Social Security and Abortion Rights, as well as his tenure as Wheeling mayor. Glenn Elliott defeated Zach Shrewsbury and Don Blankenship to win the Democratic primary on May 14. In June, following Elliott's win in the primary, he was endorsed by Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman. Elliott will face the Republican Governor of West Virginia, Jim Justice, in the general election.

Personal life
Elliott is married to his wife, Cassandra. He previously served on the boards of Friends of Wheeling and Wheeling Heritage. In 2016, he was elected as the treasurer of the Rotary Club of Wheeling.

Awards
Elliott received honorary doctorate degrees from Wheeling University and West Liberty University while mayor. He was named “Mayor of the Year” in 2022 by the West Virginia Municipal League and earned the “James Hunt Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2023.