A date has not yet been set for a debate between West Virginia gubernatorial candidates Huntington Mayor Steve Williams and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. (Left photo: Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography. Right photo: Amelia Ferrell Knisely | West Virginia Watch)
A debate that would have been hosted by WOWK-TV between gubernatorial candidates Patrick Morrisey and Steve Williams will no longer be happening, according to a statement from the Williams campaign sent Tuesday.
The cancellation announcement came one day after the Williams campaign confirmed to West Virginia Watch via email on Monday that a debate would be held on Oct. 30. No other details were shared regarding the debate.
In an email late Monday evening, a spokesperson for the Morrisey campaign said that “[no] debate has been finalized or confirmed.”
“We are in talks with sponsors to get something scheduled, but details have not been finalized,” Taylor Van Virk, with the Morrisey campaign, wrote in the email.
In his release Tuesday, which was sent around 11:30 a.m., Williams said for the first time publicly that the debate was to be hosted by WOWK. He said 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 pushed back on 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 legitimate media outlets as well,” Williams wrote. “It doesn’t sound like Patrick Morrisey wants to have that kind of free exchange of ideas.”
Jonathan Ewing, Morrisey’s campaign manager, disagreed with that assertion in a texted statement around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“[Attorney General] Morrisey is looking forward to debating his Democratic opponent this fall,” Ewing wrote. “We’ll be finalizing details in the near future.”
In addition to Ewing’s statement, three separate sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed off the record to West Virginia Watch on Tuesday that another debate between the candidates is in the works to occur before the Nov. 5 election.
The uncertainty around an Oct. 30 debate comes after Williams, a Democrat and the mayor of Huntington, challenged Morrisey to a debate on Sept. 12. Morrisey, through both a statement to press and an interview to WAJR radio station, said at that time that he is more than willing to debate with Williams.
“Patrick Morrisey has always made it clear he will debate and discuss his strong record of fighting for West Virginians,” the campaign wrote in a news release on Sept. 12. “Our campaign looks forward to showing voters the clear contrast between Patrick’s bold vision for the Mountain State and a politician tied to the failed policies of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
According to an August poll of registered voters, Morrisey held a 14% lead against Williams, with 49% of those polled saying they supported Morrisey compared to 35% for Williams.
Statewide, there are five people who have filed with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office to run for governor. Other candidates are 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 any debate will depend on terms set by those participating.
The winner of the gubernatorial race will take the place of Gov. Jim Justice, who is running as a Republican for the congressional seat held by Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va. Manchin who announced last year that he would not be running for reelection to the senate.
Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Early voting starts Oct. 23 and the last day to register to vote in this year’s general election is Oct. 15. To find your polling place and check your voter registration status, visit the Secretary of State’s website.
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