West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is calling his challengers in the state's 2024 gubernatorial election to the debate stage, saying debate decisions should not be left up to the media because they are intended to inform the electorate.
"I'm challenging major candidates running for WV Governor to a series of three debates after the legal filing deadline in January," Morrisey posted on X, Friday, including a video message. "West Virginia Republicans deserve to hear directly from candidates who have taken the serious steps of running for Governor and who have actually filed for office. We look forward to engaging with other candidates in debate in early 2024.
"We will gladly collaborate with other candidates, sponsors, the GOP, and media outlets to make that happen."
Morrisey added the candidates and not the media should set the parameters for the debate.
"Debate decisions shouldn't be left just to the media— the future of our state is at stake," he wrote in a statement shared on X. "Hard questions must be asked in a serious manner & debates between actual candidates serve voters best."
Morrisey is running to succeed Gov. Jim Justice, who is term-limited and is running to replace Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. Justice recently picked up the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
Morrisey's reported challengers include, according to the Metro News:
- Moore Capito, the son of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.
- Car dealer Chris Miller, the son of Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va.
- West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner, a military veteran.
Morrisey's campaign has previous been disenchanted with the Metro News, which underreported his polling figures in September and was forced to issue a correction.
"Errors of this magnitude are why West Virginians continue to lose trust in the media," Morrisey campaign strategist Jai Chabria told Metro News. "This is a total disservice to West Virginia voters who won't be deceived, misled, and taken advantage of by establishment institutions.
"Make no mistake about it, Patrick Morrisey is the conservative in this race and will be next governor of West Virginia."
West Virginia has a Democratic senator in Manchin, albeit an avowed moderate, and Justice is a former Democrat who has turned to the Republican Party, making it a battleground in politics.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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