West Virginia voters will get at least a couple of chances to see and hear the leading candidates for Governor on stage together. Democrat Jim Justice and Republican Bill Cole have come to terms with sponsors for two debates.
The West Virginia Press Association hosts the first debate Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Clay Center. The second hour-long debate, hosted by the West Virginia Broadcasters Association, is exactly one week later and also at the Clay Center. The Broadcasters debate will be on commercial TV and radio stations. The Press Association’s debate will be covered by the print media and also air on public television.
It took a lot of negotiating among the sponsors and the campaigns to finally reach agreement on the events, but all parties stuck with it. The Justice campaign, looking to protect a lead in the polls, was cautious about committing to multiple appearances, while the Cole campaign initially proposed seven debates.
Three debates would have been a preferred number, given the importance of the race and the unfamiliarity of the candidates among some voters, but two will suffice, and two is significantly better than just one.
The 2016 Republican presidential field was whittled down through a series of 12 debates. Last year, Democrat Jack Conway and Republican Matt Bevin had six debates/forums in the Kentucky governor’s race. Three were broadcast statewide.
The plethora of ads in a modern, well-financed campaign may have diminished the significance of political debates somewhat, but they still matter. Savvy voters who are suspicious of attack ads and interested in more than sound bites want to hear and see candidates on the same stage, answering tough questions.
Some voters who watch the West Virginia gubernatorial debates may be looking for a very specific position, but national political consultant Karl Rove says that more often voters are in search of something less tangible.
“Appearing confident, comfortable, reassuring and knowledgeable can be every bit as important as saying the right things,” said Rove. “Viewers are looking for a real person, not a performer.”
That’s best done through a narrative, a coherent story that explains in a meaningful way the issues and why he or she is best equipped to lead. “If they don’t have a narrative or do a poor job of sharing, that’s their fault, not the viewers,” Rove said.
Sure, the press and the opposition are always on alert for a flub, a misstep so severe that it changes the course of the election. They happen, but I suspect less often than we might think.
Committed voters will watch debates in hopes their candidate does well. Their minds are not changeable. But not everyone in West Virginia has made up their mind.
Justice’s own poll, which gave him a 10-point lead (47-37), said 15 percent were still undecided. That poll apparently did not include Mountain Party candidate Charlotte Pritt or Libertarian David Moran, so we don’t know the level of passion voters have for each of the candidates. Some of those voters may be willing to switch their support.
This election comes at a critical time for our state as we face significant economic and budgetary challenges. Voters deserve to see and hear the leading candidates go head-to-head to help them make their decision, and we’ll get two of those opportunities this election.