Greear
CHARLESTON -- Charleston attorney and Kanawha Circuit Court Judge candidate Dan Greear has announced his campaign team is beginning "a massive grassroots outreach initiative."
Greear's team has been going door-to-door in communities across the county and plans to reach every voter in the county between now and the Nov. 2 general election. Greear said many of the doors his team will reach twice.
"I've never been afraid of hard work," said Greear, a partner with the Charleston law firm Kesner, Kesner & Bramble. "We will be working diligently to reach every voter in Kanawha County, whether it's by going door to door, making phone calls or mailing letters; we will be contacting as many voters as we can. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to speak face-to-face with constituents when asking for their vote."
Greear said his team has prioritized the county's precincts based on voter registration and will campaign strongest in areas where the team has identified conservative Democrats and high rates of Republican and independent registered voters. Greear said he will be making contact with all voters, regardless of precinct, but the team's plan to effectively educate likely voters will remain a priority from now through the election.
"We have knocked on roughly 2,500 doors thus far, and our plan will take us to 20,000 more between now and November," said Greear, adding that he has enlisted a group of more than 50 volunteers. "I am humbled by the people who have signed up to help us. They're volunteering their evenings and weekends to help me.
"They aren't being paid, they're doing it because they believe I am the best candidate for Kanawha County. That means a lot."
Greear said it is essential to reach voters through tradition campaign efforts such as television and radio commercials, print media, direct mail and phone banking. He knows such efforts should be complemented with a grassroots campaign.
"The Greear for Judge Committee is raising money for an aggressive paid media campaign, which is very costly," said Greear for Judge Committee spokesman Ralph Jones.
Greear is running against current Kanawha Circuit Judge Carrie Webster, who was appointed to the position by Gov. Joe Manchin when Irene Berger left the Kanawha bench to take a federal judgeship.
"(Webster is) raising money from political friends who stand to gain personally if she is elected –- it doesn't quite make the playing field even," Jones said. "Dan is supplementing the fundraising gap with hard work."
Greear touted his experience as an edge in the race.
"When you're in this for the right reasons, people can identify with you and they want to help," he said. "I am the only candidate in this race who has been practicing law for over 18 years and has tried and resolved hundreds of cases in state and federal courts -– representing both plaintiffs and defendants.
"I will be working hard between now and November to spread my message about fair and impartial courts for West Virginia, and I humbly ask the voters of Kanawha County for their support."
Greear, 42, is a lifelong native of West Virginia, currently residing in South Charleston with his wife and two sons. He has been practicing law for 18 years.
He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Liberty University with a B.S. in Political Science in 1989 and obtained his law degree from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1992 where he graduated third in his class.
While a student at the WVU College of Law, Dan was recognized as a member of highly prestigious The Order of the Coif, he received the St. George Tucker Brooke Fellowship and served as the Associate Manuscript Editor of the West Virginia Law Review.
Greear served in the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1995 and 1996, representing the 30th District.