A county in West Virginia refused Monday to let Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign use its fire department facilities for visitations to the area while Clinton was in town, saying in an email that the former first lady and her husband are not welcome because of their "anti-coal messages."
"Bill and Hillary Clinton are simply not welcome in our town," Logan County officials wrote in an email to Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) after refusing to let Clinton’s staff use the city of Logan’s firehouse.
"Mrs. Clinton’s anti-coal messages are the last thing our suffering town needs at this point," the officials added, explaining their opposition to Clinton.
West Virginia CBS affiliate WVNS-TV 59 reported the story while covering Clinton’s trip to the Appalachian region to meet coal and steel workers to try and win over blue-collar voters in an area where Republican frontrunner Donald Trump enjoys strong support.
Located in southwest West Virginia on the Allegheny Plateau, Logan County is in the heart of coal country.
Clinton visited Ashland, Kentucky first on Monday and was met by protesters before arriving in West Virginia, where she faced more intense backlash from the local population for what they say is her strong hostility to the coal industry, which plays a fundamental role in the economies of the Appalachian region.
Many residents had harsh words for the former secretary of state and wanted to hear how she plans to help a coal industry that has suffered in recent years under the Obama administration, with tens of thousands of workers losing their jobs.
Clinton touted her $30 billion plan to assist coal workers and also promised to do more for the steel industry.
Clinton came under fire in March for saying that her presidential administration would "put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business."