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.