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Early last week, it appeared there would be at least one debate between the candidates hoping to become West Virginia's next governor.
Just as quickly as it had been announced, though, it was learned the debate, which was to have been hosted by WOWK-TV in Charleston, had been canceled.
In addition to Democrat Steve Williams and Republican Patrick Morrisey, this year's gubernatorial race includes S. Marshall Wilson of the Constitution Party, Chase Linko-Looper of the Mountain Party and Erika Elier Kolenich of the Libertarian Party. All were invited to the WOWK debate, which, the station said, would have been broadcast on the five Nexstar-owned stations in West Virginia, but, apparently, an agreement could not be reached with all of the candidates.
To date, the closest West Virginians have come to seeing any kind of debate was when Williams and Morrisey made separate appearances on the stage of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce's annual business summit held in September at the Greenbrier.
The Nov. 5 election is a little more than a month away, and West Virginia's in-person early voting period begins in a couple of weeks, so there's still time for a debate to happen.
It's important for West Virginians to be able to hear directly from those who wish to represent them as elected officials. There are critical issues which should be addressed, from taxation to economic development opportunities, homelessness, the continuing opioid epidemic, infrastructure advancement and more.
Residents of the state deserve to know where the candidates stand.
The same holds true for Republican Jim Justice and Democrat Glenn Elliott as they seek to replace the retiring Joe Manchin, an independent, in the U.S. Senate.
Voters in Ohio are in the same position -- there has been plenty of talk about arranging a debate between incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Bernie Moreno in their Senate race, which polls indicate is a toss-up -- but nothing has been done to make that happen. It's considered to be a key race in the country -- one that could very well decide which party will control the Senate.
Early voting in Ohio begins one week from today.
And, this discussion comes as Republican J.D. Vance and Democrat Tim Walz are preparing for tonight's vice presidential debate in New York City.
Everyone involved has to continue to work to make debates in Ohio and West Virginia happen. Those who want to be our leaders should welcome the opportunity to let voters hear their thoughts on major issues, listen as they defend their positions and see how they perform and react in pressure situations.