The two major party candidates for governor of West Virginia described different ultimate goals during their closing statements at their one and only debate.
“My mission is not necessarily to be governor,” said the Democratic nominee, Steve Williams, who spent much of the debate describing the work he put in to help the City of Huntington flourish during his three terms as mayor.
Williams said his mission in this campaign “is to see that we transform our communities, transform our state.” And, he concluded, “West Virginia can be much better than it is right now.”
The Republican nominee, Patrick Morrisey, concluded by saying he does aspire to lead as the state’s chief executive.
“I do want to serve as your governor,” said Morrisey, who has served three terms as attorney general.
“I want every West Virginian to know that freedom is going to reign in West Virginia. We’re going to uphold the rule of law. We’re going to fight your standard of living, drive your educational attainment. We’re going to do all of that while we maintain West Virginia conservative values
The debate, which was hosted at Fairmont State University, by broadcaster Hoppy Kercheval of MetroNews, focused on a range of topics including abortion, in vitro fertilization, school systems, state benefits, tax cuts, stresses on the childcare system, the opioid epidemic and more.
Much of their interactions laid out different views of how state government should work.
Williams, relying on his experience as mayor, questioned whether state government funding has been flattened so much that it has strained the services it is meant to deliver.
Morrisey repeatedly described auditing state agencies in search of ways to trim spending, loosen regulations or allowing greater flexibility.
“Look, one of the things that I plan to do when I become governor is do an audit and review of literally every agency and every program. And I think we need to look at the cost structure of how much everything costs the performance of all of the agencies that are operating under the state to look at ways we can become more efficient and become more politically accountable,” Morrisey said.
Williams concluded that much of that talk sounded like it would end with privatization — whether that meant public education dollars flowing to private schooling or the insurance program for state employees being outsourced to a private company.
He said government leaders need to be careful to assure it’s actually making good on the services that citizens have been promised.
“There are real, real issues that we have to address, and we have to have the resources to be able to do that. That’s why we have to be real careful about going in and eliminating or cutting taxes,” Williams said.
“We’ve got foster care, we have PEIA,” he continued, referring to the Public Employees Insurance Agency. “We have public education, higher education. We have broadband that we pay for. We have water systems that we build.”
Early voting started Oct. 23, and voting is ongoing through Election Day on Nov. 5.
The most recent MetroNews West Virginia Poll showed Morrisey with a solid lead.
The poll released in late August showed Morrisey leading Williams, 49% to 35%, in the race for governor. The remainder preferred another candidate or were not sure.
Morrisey emerged from a bruising Republican primary where one of the most prominent issues was the participation of transgender athletes on sports teams.
Morrisey has received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who remains popular in West Virginia. He underscored his political alliance with Trump at several points during the debate in the West Virginia governor’s race.
“I’m scared about Kamala Harris, at the prospects of her being President. That’s why I’m all in for Donald Trump, and fortunately, he’s endorsed me in this race,” Morrisey said. “But I’m going to work with our next president so that big things happen to West Virginia.”
On other issues, Morrisey has described his advocacy for school choice initiatives, saying “West Virginia will always have the broadest school choice law in the country.”
He has also regularly touted a “Backyard Brawl” to assess West Virginia’s performance up against surrounding states. He has emphasized reducing taxes, regulations, and workforce rules to improve West Virginia’s economic standing compared to its closest neighbors.
Williams has also described a desire to compete, but has said the goal should be national — not just regional. He has said Fortune 500 executives are looking for a fair tax rate, a trained and educated workforce and predictability.
Williams has drawn attention during his campaign by advocating for a statewide referendum on guaranteeing access to abortion and reproductive healthcare. And Williams has said he would support legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use.
“Freedom is on the ballot,” Williams said during the debate.