A debate moderated by WOWK-TV between gubernatorial candidates Patrick Morrisey and Steve Williams will not take place, according to a statement sent out Tuesday by the Williams campaign team.
The cancellation announcement came one day after Williams’ campaign confirmed West Virginia Watch said via email Monday that a debate would be held on October 30. Further details about the debate were not provided.
In an email behind schedule Monday night, a Morrisey campaign spokesman said: “[no] Debate has been concluded or confirmed.”
“We are in talks with sponsors to plan something, but the details are not yet finalized,” Taylor Van Virk of the Morrisey campaign wrote in the email.
In his Tuesday press release, sent around 11:30 a.m., Williams said publicly for the first time that the debate would be hosted by WOWK, saying he was “ready and willing” to debate Morrisey, the state’s Republican attorney general, “as many times as possible” before the general election.
He also rejected the notion that the debate had not been agreed upon by both campaigns.
“…We agreed to the WOWK debate and would agree to other debates hosted by other reputable media outlets,” Williams wrote. “It doesn’t sound like Patrick Morrisey wants that kind of free exchange of ideas.”
Jonathan Ewing, Morrisey’s campaign manager, contradicted that claim in a text message statement around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“[Attorney General] Morrisey looks forward to debating his Democratic opponent in the fall,” Ewing wrote. “We will finalize the details in the near future.”
In addition to Ewing’s statement, three separate sources familiar with the situation unofficially confirmed to West Virginia Watch on Tuesday that another debate between the candidates is planned before the Nov. 5 election.
The uncertainty surrounding a debate on October 30 comes after Williams, a Democrat and mayor of Huntington, challenged Morrisey for a debate on September 12. Morrisey, through a statement to the press and an interview told radio station WAJR at the time that he was more than willing to debate Williams.
“Patrick Morrisey has always made it clear that he will debate and discuss his strong record of fighting for West Virginians,” the campaign wrote in a Sept. 12 press release. “Our campaign looks forward to showing voters the clear contrast between Patrick’s bold vision for the Mountain State and a politician associated with the failed policies of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
According to a report from August Opinion poll In the poll of registered voters, Morrisey led Williams by 14 percent, with 49 percent of respondents saying they supported Morrisey compared to 35 percent for Williams.
(*30*), five people have filed to run for governor with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office. Other candidates include Constitution Party candidate S. Marshall Wilson, Mountain Party candidate Chase Linko-Looper and Libertarian Erika Klie Kolenich. Whether third-party candidates will be included in the debate depends on the terms set by the participants.
The winner of the gubernatorial election will take the place of Governor Jim Justice, who is running as a Republican for Senator Joe Manchin’s (IW.Va.) congressional seat. Manchin announced last year that he would not run for re-election to the Senate.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5. Early voting begins October 23, and the last day to register for this year’s general election is October 15. To find your polling place and check your registration status, visit the Secretary of State’s website. website.
