On October 19, West Virginia Public Broadcasting and the Associated Press will hold a gubernatorial debate, at which all three ballot-listed candidates will participate. The three candidates are Mountain Party nominee Jesse Johnson, Democrat Joe Manchin, and Republican Russ Weeks. This will be the first televised gubernatorial debate in West Virginia that includes a minor party nominee since 2000.

Johnson had earlier sued in state court to get into the October 13 gubernatorial debate, which is sponsored by the West Virginia Broadcasters Convention. Johnson had argued that since the debate was being held in the Clay Center, which receives government financial support, that it violates Equal Protection to exclude him. However, the court ruled that the Clay Center wasn’t the sponsor of the debate.