MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Outsider. Veteran. Non-politician.
Those are the words Tom Willis uses to describe himself. The 18-year veteran and U.S. Army Green Beret didn’t mince words when discussing Tuesday night’s FOX News debate in Morgantown.
“I was collateral damage, because I’m not an establishment candidate either,” he said. “I’m also a political outsider. When they polled the establishment, obviously Jenkins and Morrisey are going to look better.”
Wills told WAJR’s Morgantown AM on Thursday that the FOX News Poll didn’t give enough weight to new voters, claiming it focused too heavily on those who regularly vote in Republican primaries.
“Those are going to be establishment voters,” he said. “It was intentionally done that way, I believe, to hurt (Don) Blankenship. They wanted him to come out low. He came out at 16 percent in that FOX poll, which is well below where I know he is from my own internal scientific polling.”
Willis came out at four percent and in fourth place in the FOX News poll released last month, also claiming that number was comical.
“I had run a scientific poll the week before the FOX poll came out, and I was at 13 percent,” he said. “The leaders were around 25 percent.”
“That was before I won the debate in Wheeling and before Don Blankenship wore my campaign hat at a third debate in Huntington.”
When it came to the actual debate performance, Willis felt good about not being on the same stage as Morrisey and Jenkins — who were combative most of the night.
“It really seems to me that two out of the three candidates just were out of their leagues,” he said. “The stage was too big for them.”
Like many outside observers, Willis thought Blankenship won the debate.
“I thought Blankenship had the substance to be on the stage, but, of course, he has a lot of baggage,” Willis said.
Willis, a graduate of Georgetown University’s law school, has never held office — something he believes will inevitably help him next Tuesday.
“Not only will I beat (Joe Manchin), I’ll beat him soundly,” Willis said. “I am easily the best candidate to beat Manchin, because I’m what the voters are looking for. I’m a political outsider, I’m a veteran, and I’m a West Virginia business owner.”
Early voting is already underway. Election Day is May 8.