DAVID DAYEN, THE AMERICAN PROSPECT
Marlinton, W.Va. – You enter this part of West Virginia under an enveloping green canopy. Known as “Nature’s Mounain Playground,” Pocahontas County is made up of 62 percent state or federal land, dominated by the Monongahela National Forest and the headwaters of eight separate rivers. While a gorgeous backdrop and a delight for tourists (and the timber industry), just 8,414 people live here.
It’s the kind of sleepy, empty place that politicians don’t see much value in paying attention to. Stephen Noble Smith has been here twice.
On this August evening, around 50 Pocahontas County residents have met at the public library in Marlinton, the county seat. Smith, a 39-year-old Democratic candidate for governor, is holding his 108th town hall, 15 months out from the 2020 election. And during a two-hour event that features a potluck dinner, breakout discussion groups, and an interactive game, he says something I’ve never heard from a U.S. politician.
