The debate between Republican gubernatorial candidate Patrick Morrisey and Democrat Steve Williams Tuesday night had just ended. The microphones were turned off and the cameras shut down. The production crew was breaking down the set in Wallman Hall on the campus of Fairmont State University.
Morrisey and Williams had just spent an hour under the hot lights answering my questions. It was stressful, and I think both candidates and I were relieved it was over.
But notably, Morrisey and Williams did not rush away. They shook hands and started chatting off air. I eavesdropped and heard them complimenting each other for their performance. They joked about who was best dressed.
Then they exchanged their personal phone numbers and talked about staying in touch. They posed for a picture together. Both were smiling, and there appeared to be legitimate expressions of goodwill.
It was all very civil, as was the debate. Reporters and observers who participated in the post-debate analysis on MetroNews commented on how the candidates could disagree without being disagreeable.
The race in the state’s 16th Senatorial District covering Jefferson and Berkeley Counties is hotly contested between incumbent Republican Patricia Rucker and Democratic challenger John Doyle. The two have conducted a series of face-to-face debates in the weeks leading up to the election.
Their orderly and positive debates have given eastern panhandle voters the opportunity to compare and contrast these two candidates. From what I have seen, the Doyle-Rucker debates have been polite and professional, even though there are sharp differences between the two.
I hope there have been other debates like these around the state and across the country because we desperately need them. Public confidence in our elections is waning and polls show voters are increasingly disenchanted and even disgusted with the tone and tenor of our public discourse.
Thomas Jefferson said, “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as a cause for withdrawing from a friend.” Of course, we cannot all be friends and our sharp differences on deeply held beliefs will strain relationships, but we do not have to believe that the person we disagree with is our enemy.
Morrisey and Williams, Doyle and Rucker have set positive examples, and they have reminded us of how our political process can be informative and civil.