The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Editorials

September 7, 2010

Meet the candidates

The Register-Herald

BECKLEY — Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., and his Republican challenger this November, Elliott “Spike” Maynard, will square off tonight before a live audience in Bluefield for the first of two televised debates in West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District contest.

Sponsored by The Register-Herald, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph and WVVA in Bluefield, admission to the debate at the Bluefield High School Performing Arts Center is free. The actual debate gets under way at 7 p.m. and will be televised live by WVVA.

A second debate between Rahall and Maynard will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at Carter Hall on the campus of Mountain State University in Beckley.

Both debates will be open to the public. Questions will be asked by two moderators.

Area residents interested in the future of the 3rd District should consider attendance at tonight’s debate mandatory. It’s not every day that a debate for a high-profile election is held in Bluefield. We are hopeful that area residents will take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet and see the candidates debate.

We applaud Rahall and Maynard for agreeing to debate in Bluefield and Beckley before live audiences. There are a number of issues of critical importance to southern West Virginia, including the economy and the future of coal, which will most likely come up at tonight’s debate. It will be interesting to see how the candidates respond to these all-important questions for our region.

Tonight’s forum is a great opportunity to meet and learn more about the candidates and the issues facing the voters of the 3rd District.

There is a lot of interest across the nation in the upcoming midterm elections. West Virginia’s 3rd District contest, in particular, is generating a lot of buzz. The district is located in the heart of the historic coalfields of southern West Virginia, and the future of coal has been threatened in recent months, thanks to stringent new regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency and the controversial climate change, or cap-and-trade, legislation proposed by lawmakers in Washington.

The voters of the 3rd District will ultimately have the final say on which of the two candidates is best suited to guide southern West Virginia through the still challenging days ahead. We should learn a lot about the candidates and the issues beginning tonight.

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