The State Journal - Capito and Tennant Go Head to Head in Televised Debate

News Article

By Erin Timony

During the Oct. 7 televised U.S. Senate debate between Republican candidate U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. and Democratic candidate Secretary of State Natalie Tennant and moderated by Hoppy Kercheval of West Virginia MetroNews, questions, rebuttals and defensive challenges abounded.

According to Capito, West Virginia's "best days are ahead of us."

Some of the issues both candidates touched on that have been lesser talking points during the campaign included the current situation with the terrorist group ISIS and whether both would support sending "boots on the ground," as well as the snowballing effects from the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key point in the Defense Against Marriage Act.

When it comes to the issue of sending "boots on the ground" to combat ISIS, both candidates acknowledged the men and women wearing the uniform serve as the basis for the country's greatest defense.

While Tennant said she supports "whatever effort it takes to keep America safe while putting as few boots on the ground as possible," she's not "ready to go there yet."

"(America's) bedrock of security is the men and women in uniform," Tennant said.

Tennant's husband, West Virginia Sen. Erik Wells, D-Kanawha, served in Afghanistan.

Under President Barack Obama's "weak policies" in Iraq, Capito said the terrorist group "has been fermenting" and that the visuals of the ISIS beheadings is "just jarring to all of us."

"I find it frightening what could happen on our homeland," she said.

Capito said she did vote to have Obama train the Syrian rebels.

When it comes to the issue of same-sex marriage, Tennant said she is in favor of "everyone being treated equally under the law."

While Capito said it is her personal belief that marriage is between one man and one woman, she believes it will be treated as a state issue and that she will adhere to what the state of West Virginia wants.

Both candidates said they would not support Sen. Joe Manchin's III, D-W.Va., gun bill that would expand background checks when purchasing firearms.

Capito said the gun issue is not one of the gun itself, but more of a mental health issue and that most of the recent gun related tragedies involved a mentally impaired perpetrator.

"The main problem is mental health in this country," Capito said. "The mental health system has failed us tremendously."

Capito said she believes mentally ill individuals should not have access to firearms and that it is important to work closely with the mental health community to ensure no one "falls through the cracks."

"If you're a law-abiding citizen, you should be able to purchase guns," Tennant said.
Issues related to coal, "Obamacare," Medicare, minimum wage, health care and unemployment benefits were issues also discussed by both candidates.

John Buckley, the libertarian candidate, said he wished he would've been able to respond to some of the questions as well as put the candidates on the spot himself.

However, organizers said they set a standard for participation: the political party candidate must have received at least five percent of the votes in the last general election vote, if the party ran a candidate. For independent candidates, the individual must register at least five percent in voter support in public statistically significant polls conducted by news media or other independent organizations.

Buckley said if he would've been part of the debate he would've asked Capito about her job in Congress. He said she was putting Tennant on the spot about not doing her job as Secretary of State, but Capito was contributing to part of the problem Washington has continued to have with the deficit.

"I am the real Republican in the race, I'm closer to the Republican grass roots than Shelley Capito," Buckley said.

He said he was also surprised the Congresswoman was in favor of raising social security taxes and raising the minimum wage.

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