West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has agreed to debate Democratic challenger Ben Salango before they face off in the November elections, the incumbent…
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has agreed to debate Democratic challenger Ben Salango before they face off in the November elections, the incumbent Republican’s campaign said Wednesday.
The announcement comes after Justice declined to debate his GOP opponents ahead of the June primary elections, calling it a “waste of time.”
A statement from the Justice campaign said the debate will be hosted by the West Virginia Broadcasters Association and will take place in October.
Salango, a lawyer and Kanawha County Commissioner, narrowly defeated progressive community organizer Stephen Smith to win the Democratic nomination. Salango said he is excited to debate Justice.
Three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for governor of West Virginia debated Tuesday night, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to spread globally and across the Mountain State.
The virus loomed large throughout the hour-long debate hosted by WVVA between attorney and Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango, physician and Boone County state Sen. Ron Stollings and child advocate Stephen Smith.
Each candidate tailored their pitch to showcase their background. Stollings, who has served in the state Senate for 14 years, said his legislative experience would give him a leg up as the state’s leader.
“I have the record, not just a plan on paper,” he said. “I have 14 years of experience as a state legislator and the relationships that can get things done.”
Salango, who has racked up endorsements by prominent labor organizations including the AFL-CIO, touted his business and public service record.
“I’ve proven I can get things done,” he said. “I’ve stood beside working families. I’ve stood up for the little guy. I’ve fought for those who’ve been ignored, those who’ve been forgotten.”
While repeatedly offering his cell phone number to connect with constituents, Smith highlighted the accomplishments of his grassroots campaign, which does not accept corporate donations and has traveled to each of West Virignia’s 55 counties at least twice over the past 15 months.
“Never in West Virginia’s history has one politician been the solution to our problems. We are the only ones who can save ourselves,” Smith said. “We want a government by and for the people.”
The Democratic hopefuls also took jabs at former Democrat and current governor, Jim Justice, for both his leadership during the current outbreak and his ties to business and industry. Justice is West Virginia’s wealthiest citizen, and his family owns more than 100 businesses including numerous coal companies and the luxury resort, The Greenbrier.
“After this pandemic subsides, we need a leader who can step up and rebuild our economy,” Salango said. “We need a leader who can step up and rebuild our workforce. We need a governor who actually wants this job rather than the title.”
On many issues the candidates often aligned. All supported tackling the state’s opioid and substance use disorder crisis through boosting treatment, growing jobs in the state and were all adamant against repealing the state Business and Occupancy Tax.
But on the details, the candidates offered different policy suggestions. Both Salango and Smith urged viewers to look at their campaign platforms and plans posted online. Stollings citing many of his past legislative accomplishments.
Smith offered a more radical vision for the Mountain State, which includes ending all tax breaks for corporations. And on working with Republicans, he offered a different take from his colleagues, who urged cooperation. His campaign has worked to recruit dozens of other political candidates running in races across the state.
“And finally, we disagree about what the real fight is,” Smith added. “We don’t think the real fight in West Virginia is Republican and Democrat, and left versus right. We think it’s the good old boys versus everybody else. And we have to be willing to fight that fight, not against our own interests.”
The West Virginia primary is currently set for Tuesday, May 12. Voters may now request an absentee ballot due to the coronavirus.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Salango says he’s divesting from the parent company of The Charleston Gazette-Mail ahead of the 2020 election.
Salango told the newspaper on Tuesday that he is in the process of selling his shares of HD Media, which owns the Gazette-Mail, The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington and other newspapers in West Virginia.
The move comes after the state Republican party called for the news outlets to disclose Salango’s stake in stories about the candidate. The Gazette-Mail story about Salango entering the race last week included a sentence about his investment in HD Media.
Salango says owning part of the company as he runs for governor wouldn’t be fair to its journalists, the public or other candidates. He owns less than 5% of HD Media.
Kanawha County Commissioner and Charleston attorney Ben Salango has announced he is running for governor of West Virginia as a Democrat.In a Thursday…
Kanawha County Commissioner and Charleston attorney Ben Salango has announced he is running for governor of West Virginia as a Democrat.
In a Thursday speech announcing his campaign, Salango repeatedly took aim at incumbent Republican Gov. Jim Justice for legal woes involving his businesses.
“We need a governor that we can be proud of — one that’s not buried in judgment liens and controversy and ethical scandals, Salango said. “We need someone who actually wants the job, not the title.”
He also criticized Justice for not residing in the state capital of Charleston.
“You will never have to file a lawsuit to get me to go to work,” he said, referencing pending litigation against Justice brought by Del. Issac Sponaugle, D-Pendleton.
Salanago was appointed to the Kanawha County Commission in 2017 and was elected to a full-term in 2018. The 46-year-old attorney is a founding member of Preston & Salango, PLLC. He’s also an investor in H-D Media, the company that owns The Herald-Dispatch and The Charleston Gazette-Mail.
Salango joins state Sen. Ron Stollings and community organizer Stephen Smith as Democrats vying for the party’s nomination.
Gov. Justice, businessman Woody Thrasher and former Del. Michael Folk are on the Republican ticket in the May 2020 primary election.
