West Virginia MetroNews is announcing a debate among the state’s candidates for governor at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 to be broadcast on statewide radio with a video stream. Other state media will be invited to cover.
Candidates Moore Capito, Mac Warner and Chris Miller, Republicans, have all agreed to participate.
Broadcaster Hoppy Kercheval, host of MetroNews’ “Talkline,” will moderate the debate in Morgantown.
“This is an early opportunity for West Virginia voters to get to know more about the candidates and issues in what is already a high-profile race to be the next chief executive,” Kercheval said. “We are pleased that several of the candidates have already agreed to participate and look forward to what should be an informative, engaging event.”
The race for governor is wide open because incumbent Jim Justice is up against a term limit and is running for U.S. Senate. Republicans have been dominating West Virginia political races in recent years. Mayor Steve Williams of Huntington has said he intends to run for governor on the Democratic side.
The West Virginia Primary Election is May 14, 2024. Early, in-person voting begins May 1.
The campaign for Patrick Morrisey, the three-term Attorney General now running for governor, has declined to participate in the MetroNews debate — saying he would prefer to debate after the January 27, 2024,filing deadline.
“During debates, serious questions must be asked between actual candidates who file and demonstrate some level of support. If you don’t even plan to file, why should you be at a debate,” Morrisey wrote in a letter that his campaign addressed to Capito, Warner and Miller.
Morrisey made similar remarks in a recorded video on X, formerly Twitter.
Morrisey’s letter and recorded statement pushed for three debates around the state starting in February.
“I believe the campaigns of the candidates who successfully file for the office and reach a certain level of strength in their performance should come together and negotiate the dates and terms of the debates so voters can learn about our visions directly from us. The media should not solely control how candidates are vetted for the nomination of our gubernatorial candidates,” Morrisey wrote in the letter.
“Candidates should control or at least have some influence over how debates are conducted. Certain media outlets should not solely dictate how the Republican Party conducts debates or determine exactly who gets to participate or who gets excluded.”
Morrisey concluded by telling the other three campaigns, “I look forward to your timely response and to your willingness to agree to three officially sanctioned debates during the campaign where the candidates, not just the media, help make the rules.”
Meanwhile, the Capito campaign accused Morrisey of dodging the debate.
“Voters need to know that Morrisey’s ‘letter’ is a bad faith stunt meant to distract from the fact that he is in bed with a Never Trump SuperPAC and he doesn’t want to answer questions about it on camera anytime soon,” said Kent Gates, Moore Capito for Governor spokesperson. “There is a debate scheduled for December that Moore, Warner and Miller have all agreed to participate in. Morrisey is ducking for good reason. Morrisey knows voters are anxious to hear him answer this simple question: Why is Morrisey taking $10 million from a SuperPAC that is spending a fortune trying to stop Trump from becoming President again? And more importantly: Why won’t Morrisey demand this special interest group stop spending their anti-Trump money in West Virginia?”