The State Senate race is heating up in District 16, and we’ve got some debates to look forward to. Senator Patricia Rucker (R) and her Democratic challenger John Doyle (D) have announced two upcoming debates. They made the big announcement at the historic Jefferson County Courthouse in Charles Town on Tuesday.
Senator Rucker wants to show everyone that you can argue about politics without acting like kids.
“We want to show our voters that we can talk about the issues in a nice way,” Rucker said. “John and I don’t agree on much, but we do respect each other and know how to work together.”
John Doyle, who used to be in the House of Delegates, agreed. He thinks these debates will help voters understand what’s going on.
“It’s important that the voters get the facts,” Doyle said. “Senator Rucker and I can talk about the issues so people really get what’s happening.”
Both candidates are fed up with all the name-calling and mudslinging in politics these days.
“Too many campaigns get nasty,” Rucker said. “They don’t even talk about the issues anymore.”
Doyle even suggested they might do the debates without a moderator, which means no one would be in charge of the discussion.
“We want to hear from the audience,” Doyle said. “We might just make short opening statements and then take questions. Without a moderator, we both have to be polite to each other.”
The first debate will be on October 1st at the Robert C. Byrd Center on Shepherd University’s campus. They haven’t set the second date yet, but it will be in Inwood in Berkeley County.
