Photo by Eric Ayres Teresa Toriseva of Wheeling, first vice chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party, addresses the crowd on hand Saturday during a Candidates Coffee & Cookies event Saturday at the Ironworkers Hall in Wheeling.

WHEELING – Several Democratic candidates from local and state races gathered together in Wheeling on Saturday to discuss key issues and meet with voters ahead of the May 12 primary election and the looming midterm election later this year on Nov 3.

The Ohio County Democratic Women’s Clubs of Ohio and Marshall counties hosted the Candidates Coffee & Cookies event at the Ironworkers Local 549 union hall on Main Street in Center Wheeling Saturday afternoon. A slew of candidates took part in the gathering, traveling from near and far to meet with prospective supporters and potential constituents.

Despite warm and sunny weather exiting for cooler temperatures and sudden rain showers during the session, dozens of people of all ages came out to listen to candidates and share their thoughts on important issues.

“Considering the weather, I think we had a decent turnout,” said Teddie Grogan, co-president of the Ohio County Democratic Women’s Club and vice chair of the Ohio County Democratic Executive Committee. “People need to know who they’re voting for, and the best way to do that is to have the candidate here to tell everyone who they are and what they stand for, and to give these people the opportunity to approach them, face-to-face, and ask them the questions that drive them to the polls.”

Barbara Scott, president of the Marshall Democrat Women’s Club and chair of the Marshall County Democratic Executive Committee, said local constituents rarely or never get a chance to speak face-to-face with U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) or U.S. Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va) at grassroots events like this.

On Saturday, voters got a chance to talk one-on-one with candidates in local and state races – including opposed and unopposed contests in the primary. Residents listened to what the candidates had to say, and candidates also got a chance to listen to ideas and concerns that voters wanted to share with them, Scott noted.

“They’re listening to what our membership and our community has to say – what they’re worried about,” Scott said. “And how often do we get that opportunity?”

Candidates who spoke Saturday in Wheeling and the races in which they are running included: Jeff Kessler, U.S. Senate; Ace Parsi, Steven Wendelin and Stephanie Tomana, U.S. Congress; Shawn Fluharty, W.Va. State Senate, District 1; and Chris Claypole, W.Va. State Senate, District 2.

Those on hand during the event who are seeking the Democratic nomination in W.Va. House of Delegates races included: Mike Robinson, District 3; Joe Jividen, District 4; Karen Shuler Stakem, District 5; Cody Cumpston, District 6; and Sarah Reggi, District 7.

Prospects in local races who took part in the Candidates Coffee & Cookies event included Leigh Ann Scherich, seeking a seat on the Marshall County Commission, and Andy Garber, running for a seat on the Ohio County Board of Education.

The event on Saturday ran long, with each candidate afforded time to take the microphone and express their views to those on hand.

“We ran over time, and people didn’t get up and leave,” said Scott. “I let the candidates speak longer because some like Steven Wendelin – he drove five hours to get here from Hardy County. I think he deserves to be heard, and I think all of the candidates deserve to be heard.”

Scott said the local organizations often collaborate to bring important events like this to the area, welcoming candidates from throughout the area and throughout the state.

“Ohio County and Marshall County work together on a lot of events, and we work together well,” she said. “Some of our districts, of course, encompass both counties for our legislature, and of course, for our Congress and Senate. We’re trying to make it easier for the candidates and easier for the constituents – one-stop shopping.”

West Virginia Democratic Party First Vice Chair Teresa Toriseva addressed the crowd about the importance of getting to know the candidates of the non-partisan judicial races. She encouraged local voters to support Bill Flanagan of Wheeling for Division 2 and Laura Faircloth of Martinsburg in Division 1 in their races to fulfill unexpired terms on the W.Va. Supreme Court of Appeals.

“The judicial races don’t get a lot of interest,” Toriseva noted. “They can’t talk about as many things or be as outrageous as other candidates because there are a lot of ticky-tack rules that they have to follow, because they are pretty important in our society, the judges are. And we do want them to be held to a higher standard, so I think that’s OK, but we have to help them.”

Toriseva said Flanagan and Faircloth would help make the Supreme Court of Appeals a “pro-labor court.”

Del. Mike Pushkin, chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party, was also in attendance during Saturday’s event, which he said is an instrumental means in helping West Virginia residents make important decisions when they go out and vote in the primary.

“We have competitive primaries on the Democratic side,” Pushkin said. “While the Republicans chose to shut out a third of the voters – saying independents and unaffiliated voters aren’t welcome in their primaries, Democrats are welcome to everybody, and it’s great that we have choices on the ballot and we have events like this where people can hear from their candidates. It helps them make a better decision. Events like this are great. This is what Democracy is all about.”