West Virginia gubernatorial candidates Patrick Morrisey and Steve Williams will participate in a debate later this month, they confirmed in separate news releases Tuesday morning.
West Virginia Metronews will moderate the debate at Fairmont State University on October 29 at 7 p.m. Talkline presenter Hoppy Kercheval will moderate.
“I welcome the opportunity to speak directly to the people of West Virginia and share my plans to improve our state,” said Morrisey, a Republican. “This debate will be an important opportunity to highlight our proposals to reduce taxes, create jobs, improve education and make West Virginia more competitive with the states we engage with.”
Williams, Morrisey’s Democratic opponent, said in his news release that he was grateful for the opportunity to discuss critical issues facing the state.
“This debate is an opportunity for us to have an open and honest conversation about the future of West Virginia, and I look forward to speaking with Patrick Morrisey about the issues that matter most to our citizens – jobs, health care, education and building a better future for all West Virginians,” he said.
Kercheval said in an email Tuesday afternoon that the event will be more like a forum than a time-honored debate. No third parties or independent candidates will participate. There will be no in-person audience, but the press can attend, he said.
The event will be broadcast on MetroNews stations and streamed on video https://wvmetronews.com.
Williams had challenged Morrisey to one debate last month. A debate was originally scheduled for October 30th was cancelled. A spokesman for Morrisey said at the time that details of that debate had not been agreed.
Morrisey, the attorney general, is the favorite to defeat Williams, the mayor of Huntington. According to a survey of registered voters in AugustMorrisey had a 14% lead over Williams, with 49% of respondents saying they supported Morrisey compared to 35% for Williams.
