<!– space fix –>

WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — How did an unemployed coal miner who identifies as a Republican break through the by-invitation-only world of presidential campaign round tables?

It was a classic case of connections made in a life in a small town, Bo Copley told reporters after he became an unexpected star here Monday.

“We coach three soccer teams, and Dr. Beckett’s son and his daughter played soccer for me, and so we’ve gotten fairly close,” Copley said, tearing up as he spoke. “They approached me Saturday and said they thought of me. They were looking for an out-of-work coal miner because being close to us and seeing us, they knew our situation.”

Dr. Dino Beckett is the chief executive officer at the health and wellness center where he hosted Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III in Mingo County, which is being devastated by the collapse of the coal economy.