Republican Paul Espinosa and Democrat John Doyle, both running for the 16th Senatorial District, answer questions during Thursday evening’s “By Students for Students” town hall in the Storer Ballroom. Tom Markland

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Political candidates from all around Jefferson County came to Shepherd University’s Storer Ballroom on Thursday night to answer questions from students at Shepherd University, hoping to earn votes for the upcoming elections in May and November.

The panel, hosted by Shepherd University’s Student Government Association and the Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications, offered Shepherd students a chance to ask each candidate about topics that are important to them.

“It’s part of an initiative here on campus for students to become more civically engaged,” SGA President Paul Teter said.

Throughout the three-hour event, the students asked questions about a range of topics, including food insecurity, access to health care and gun rights, to the 11 candidates in attendance.

Several issues came up multiple times throughout the night, like access to reproductive care, which proved divisive as answers from candidates varied.

“It is not the business of the (West Virginia) Legislature or politicians to be legislating what women can or cannot do with their bodies,” said Lucia Valentine, a Democratic candidate for the 97th District of the House of Delegates.

While several of the candidates throughout the night agreed, many disagreed, including her opponent in the 97th District, Republican S. Chris Anders, who argued that West Virginia’s abortion law should’ve gone further.

“Unfortunately, the West Virginia bill did not go far enough, in my humble opinion, because they still allow children conceived by rape to be murdered if their father committed the crime,” Anders said. “I believe that life begins at conception, and as such, it is a separate life.”

Another topic that came up several times throughout the night was how West Virginia can encourage young people to stay in the state, rather than leaving once they complete their education.

Multiple solutions to the problem were brought up, ranging from locality pay to loosening regulations on businesses. Mario Russo, a former schoolteacher in Jefferson County and candidate for the 100th District, said the state needs to pay more to keep up with bordering states.

“When I returned back home to West Virginia, I did take a pay cut to come home,” Russo said. “But that’s not a choice we should have to make. Our young people, our people who are here in the community, who want to contribute to this community, should have opportunities to do so that are equal pay to any community around us.”

Throughout the night, each candidate was asked in some way if they would support funding for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs throughout the state. Opinions on the topic varied, with several expressing support for DEI programs and some saying they’d take funding away.

Paul Espinosa, a current Republican member of the House of Delegates, who’s running in the 16th Senatorial District, erred on the side of caution, saying that such programs could have unforeseen effects that lead to further discrimination.

“While I support the goal of making sure that people are being treated fairly and equally, I do have concerns when you try to implement measures that are going to, in effect, discriminate against folks despite the best efforts of those programs,” Espinosa said.

In response, John Doyle, Democratic candidate for the 16th Senatorial District, referenced President Harry S. Truman’s desegregation of the military.

“When you hear this stuff that DEI means doing a favor to somebody, it’s doing a favor to all of society,” Doyle said. “There’s a tremendous amount of talent out there that is being missed, and Harry Truman figured that out.”

At the end of the night, the students walked away with a better understanding of the candidates. Each candidate also reflected on their experience, many expressing thanks for the opportunity to spread their message.

“I think this is my favorite memory of Shepherd University,” said Republican Mike Allers Jr., a candidate for District 99 of the House of Delegates.