State Supreme Court Justice talks about what to prepare for on the campaign trail

Over the past few weeks, listeners have heard from candidates on several levels posting their advertisements, speaking at events or even knocking door to door, and in all of those cases, you might get a sense for the platform that candidate is running on. However, something that doesn’t often get discussed is what the campaign trail looks like for a candidate.

For many considering running for a political office, whether a younger candidate running for the first time or an experienced local politician going into their first statewide race, the campaign can be a daunting but necessary part of that.

West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Gerald Titus III is running for a 6-year term on the seat left vacant when Justice Tim Armstead passed away. He's been serving on the bench of the state's highest court since his appointment to the role by Governor Patrick Morrisey.

Robert Fields | WVOW News

TOWN OF MAN WVOW News was invited to meet state Supreme Court Justice Gerald Titus III for a ride on the Hatfield-McCoy Trails, along with Town of Man Mayor and Hatfield-McCoy Trails Executive Director John Fekete. Earlier in the day, Titus was in the Chapmanville area helping with a food distribution at the Tracy Vickers Community Center.

Justice Titus and his campaign manager, Carter Davidson (left), preparing for their ride up the mountain with Man Mayor and Hatfield-McCoy Trails Executive Director John Fekete (right).

WVOW's Robert Fields traveled with Justice Titus out to the Almost Heaven Swing overlooking the Town of Man for an interview with Justice Titus. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia following the death of Justice Tim Armstead. He is running as a candidate to maintain the seat and says there are a few lessons he’s picked up on the road that could prove useful to someone who is thinking about getting into politics, the first of which is the importance of authenticity.

“It’s something I’m not sure you can prepare for until you jump in the arena and do it and become a road warrior, going all around the state, you really don’t know what it’s like. I would say the most important thing is you have to be yourself,” he said. “Number one, it’s just important to be yourself, but number two, you don’t have time to be anything but yourself. You’re going from one place to another place. Sometimes you walk in and there’s a great big group there that you didn’t expect. Sometimes you walk in and there’s media there, and you just have to be very comfortable being yourself and be very much at peace with who you are and being willing to share that with people.”

Justice Titus (right) and Mayor Fekete (left) standing at the Almost Heaven Swing overlooking the Town of Man below.

He said in many cases, if a candidate tries to put on a character, it’s something that the people they’re talking to will see right through. He also said an important thing to remember that, as a candidate, “it’s not about you.”

“It’s really about the people that you’re going to be asking for votes from, that are going to be looking to you for leadership. You really need to listen to them. They’ve got ideas – and every area of West Virginia is different, so you’re going to hear different ideas from different people in different places,” Titus said.

Being nervous is a natural part of public speaking or running for office. With that in mind, it can be tempting to get up in front of a big group of people and try to nail that perfect delivery of whatever it is you’re campaigning on or the message you’re trying to get across. Titus says perfection isn’t the goal.

“Politics isn’t about perfection,” he said. “I told someone the other day, and I think this is right, you’re painting an impressionistic painting of yourself. It’s not a perfect photograph. You try to leave people with the impression of who you are, and I think people appreciate what your intentions are. They’re not necessarily going to remember every word you said, so you don’t have to say it perfect.”

Overall, he says the campaign trail isn’t an easy one, but it is pretty straightforward if you’re willing to rough it.

“You’re going to have to work hard, you’re going to need to efficiently use your time, be willing to find the 24-hour Walmart if you need to, be willing to keep a jar of peanut butter in your car, keep some pepperoni rolls in your car – I certainly have done that. I feel like that’s a West Virginia staple and something we ought to do,” Titus said, “and not be afraid to ask for help, because you can’t do it on your own. I don’t think there’s anybody that ever just ran a campaign and by their selves and had one vote – you can’t win with one vote, so you’re going to have to go out and ask for help, you know, and try to get a vote.”

You can listen to the full interview with Justice Gerald Titus by clicking the play button below.

Gerald Titus is running for a six-year term on the seat previously held by the late Justice Tim Armstead. Other candidates in that race include Berkeley County Circuit Judge Laura Faircloth, Raleigh County Circuit Judge Todd Kirby, retired Raleigh County Circuit Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick and Wheeling attorney Martin Sheehan.

West Virginia’s Primary Election is on Tuesday.