![\"\"](\"https:\/\/morgancountyusa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/cookmantrump.jpg\" "\\"cookmantrump\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe debate is being sponsored by the Hampshire County Tea Party and will be held at the Coca Cola Bottling Works in Romney.<\/p>\n
The debate will be moderated by Jim Van, news director of radio station WFRB.<\/p>\n
Cookman and Trump are locked in a tight race for a West Virginia Senate seat representing Berkeley, Morgan, Hamsphire and Mineral counties.<\/p>\n
The contest has been marked by negative campaigning.<\/p>\n
Last week, at a candidates forum in Berkeley Springs, Cookman leafed through a pile of negative direct mail ads attacking him and the Democrats — the ads coming from both the Trump campaign and from outside third party groups.<\/p>\n
On the stump, Trump has praised Cookman as a dedicated public servant. But in the mail box, third party groups have attacked Cookman directly and mercilessly.<\/p>\n
At the Berkeley Springs event, Cookman was especially agitated by a mailer put out by the National Association of Gun Rights.<\/p>\n
One side showed a woman on the ground, being threatened by a man wielding a knife.<\/p>\n “When seconds count, does Donald Cookman want to leave you defenseless?” the ad asks.<\/p>\n On on the other side, the ad asks — “Does Donald Cookman think you should be left vulnerable to armed thugs and rapists?”<\/p>\n Cookman has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Democratic State Senator Donald Cookman and his Republican challenger Charles Trump will debate Sunday at 4 pm in Romney, West Virginia. The debate is being sponsored by the Hampshire County Tea Party and will be held at the Coca Cola … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n