Tag: Viewpoint 2016

The W.Va. Governor's Race Heats Up after First Debate

On this episode of Viewpoint, West Virginia’s two major party candidates for governor squared off in their first of two televised debates Tuesday, focusing in on the state’s economic and budgetary issues.

Reaction to the candidates’ performances from the Chair of the West Virginia Republican Party Conrad Lucas and retiring Sen. Bill Laird, vice chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party.

Charlotte Pritt’s name may be familiar to some West Virginians. Pritt first ran for governor in 1992 as a Democrat and, in 1996, defeated Joe Manchin in the primary to become the party’s candidate for the office. 

Pritt is back this year on the Mountain Party’s ticket as the progressive looking to make a change in the state.

The Debate Begins for Presidential, Gubernatorial Candidates

Monday night marked the first presidential debate of the 2016 election cycle. Democrat Hillary Clinton joined Republican Donald Trump on the same stage for the first time, and the same is about to happen in a West Virginia.

Tuesday, Republican Bill Cole and Democrat Jim Justice will meet in Charleston for their first of two televised debates focused on the top issues facing West Virginia- a struggling economy, a high unemployment rate, and a less than effective education system, just to name a few.

Bill Cole sat down to discuss his debate preparations and his focus this election cycle- jobs.

Jim Justice has been invited to sit down with us for an interview on this podcast, but has not yet responded to those requests. 

Dr. Robert Rupp is a former member of the State Election Commission and a professor of political science at West Virginia Wesleyan College. This week, he discusses the first presidential debate and what West Virginia’s candidates for governor can take away from it. 

Donald Trump told an oil and gas industry conference in Pittsburgh last week that if elected, he’ll “unleash” America’s fossil fuel sector– more fracking, more drilling, and fewer regulations. But the oil and gas industry has shown less commitment to Trump than previous Republican candidates. The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier reports that’s because Trump is a Republican of a different stripe. 

Editor’s Note: The original version of this post said the Dr. Rupp is a member of the State Election Commission. It has since been updated to show that he is a former member.

Judge Restores 18 Names to West Virginia Ballot

This week on Viewpoint, a federal judge has ensured that 18 third-party candidates’ names will appear before voters on November’s general election ballot. Over the course of a week, those names were included, eliminated and then restored to the ballots because of two consecutive court rulings. 

Chris Christie, the Fraternal Order of Police, and Kid Rock have thrown their weight behind Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential race. The Obamas, the AFL-CIO, and Meryl Streep, they’re going with Hillary.

But as a voter, does who these politicians, unions, or celebrities say they’re backing matter when you head to the polls?

We turn to two members of the academic world for the answer– David Jackson, a political science professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and Sean Kelly, a political science professor at California State University Channel Islands. 

Eric Trump Attends W.Va. Fundraiser, Libertarian for Governor Wants Change

Donald Trump is still working to raise money in West Virginia, this week sending his son to a joint national/state finance committee event. State Republican Party Chairman Conrad Lucas what Eric Trump told supporters in Charleston. 

In Appalachia, the presidential candidates’ differing stances on coal is a major concern this election cycle. Donald Trump has of course promised to bring the industry back, but has given few details about how he’ll accomplish that feat.

Hillary Clinton has said she’ll put miners out of work, but is pushing a big plan to reinvest in coal communities. State Impact Pennsylvania’s Marie Cusick visited one of those communities just across the border from West Virginia in Green County, Pennsylvania, to get the local take on the race.

In statewide races, David Moran is not a new name for some West Virginia voters. The Libertarian is running for governor for a second time after finishing fourth in the polls in 2012. Moran is running on platforms that include abolishing the state’s personal income tax, cutting state boards and programs that he sees as a waste of taxpayer dollars, decriminalizing marijuana and increasing access to substance abuse treatment programs.

Moran discusses his platforms, his politics and the importance of having an alternative voice in the gubernatorial race.

The Presidential Race from the Viewpoint of West Virginians

On this week’s episode of Viewpoint, host Ashton Marra talks presidential politics with West Virginia native Paige Lavender, senior politics editor with The Huffington Post. 

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Lavender discusses the Wednesday evening NBC forum where both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton appeared on the same stage, although separately, to discuss national security and their qualifications to be the next command-in-chief.

Reporter Anne Li brings us the latest from the courtroom as the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals hears oral arguments in a case involving a former state senator who now wants to be placed on November’s ballot as an independent running for Kanawha County Clerk.

The Pew Charitable Trusts updates its Election Performance Index, or EPI, after every major election, and the 2014 results show West Virginia is actually improving when it comes to the administration of its elections. MIT Political Science Professor Charles Stewart, who has worked with Pew on the project since its creation in 2008, talks about the importance of West Virginia’s improvements.

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