Published: May 14, 2008 11:26 pm         

Weeks anxious to debate Manchin

Look for Gov. Joe Manchin and Republican challenger Russ Weeks to square off sometime in the months ahead for a showdown before a live audience.

Just how many times this will happen, and exactly where, are unknown in the aftermath of Tuesday’s primaries.

Weeks, a former state senator who ran unopposed in the Republican primary, is insisting on a series of seven regional debates.

“There are important issues in this campaign and voters have the right to hear and consider for themselves the differences between the two candidates,” Weeks said Wednesday.

Communications director Lara Ramsburg made it clear Manchin intends to meet face-to-face with Weeks.

“At this point, I don’t believe the details of all that have been worked out,” she said.

“It’s too early to tell exactly when and where all that is going to take place. But the governor has said he will debate him. Where and how, the campaign will work all that out later.”

Manchin coasted to victory in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, beating freshman Delegate Mel Kessler, D-Raleigh, by a 75-25 percentage divide.

Weeks said he wants to see Manchin asked about “cronyism and corruption” in state government and the diploma scandal that saw the governor’s daughter get an unearned degree at West Virginia University.

Other issues should focus on immediate tax relief to individuals and businesses, “rather than the slow and ineffective approach exhibited by the governor, which precludes bringing about the growth and prosperity West Virginia needs,” the challenger said.

Weeks, elected in 2002 on a strong pro-life platform, challenged Manchin on the issue of eliminating all tax-paid abortions.

Manchin has traditionally been endorsed by West Virginians for Life, but there have been rumblings of late the governor paid only lip service to anti-abortion legislation and did nothing to pursue the Medicaid funding bill in the last session.

“We shouldn’t settle for two or three debates at the end of the campaign,” Weeks said.

“Let’s get started now and allow West Virginians from every region to attend and participate in the discussion of these important issues, and the clear differences between the candidates,” he said.

For now, Manchin is savoring the first hurdle of re-election with a decisive defeat over Kessler.

“He’s very pleased,” Ramsburg said. “I think any governor who has been in office for one term and can get 75 percent of the vote will take that. He had a good night. He’s ready to keep going.”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com