Natalie Tennant in 2014 WV Senate debate

On War & Peace: We should consider ground troops against ISIS

On Civil Rights: Treat gay couples equally, but no mandates on churches

Capito: "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I have a long history of that dating back to when I was in the West Virginia legislature but I believe the decision that's been made is basically saying that the states will make their own decisions and I will abide by what the state of West Virginia decides in this matter."

Tennant: "I think that under the law that people should be treated equally and fairly. Now does a church go against its doctrine? No, not at all. A church should not go against its doctrine and it should not be forced to, but I think that we as West Virginians know about fairness and we know about freedom. Mountaineers are always free."

On Immigration: Secure the borders first, then send illegals to back of line

Capito: "I do not support amnesty, plain and simple. I believe that it is incumbent upon us to secure our borders before we move forward into any other comprehensive immigration plan."

Tennant: "We need to address this piece of (immigration reform) legislation that was bipartisan and worked on so hard by so many senators but first off, we have to secure the borders. We must secure the borders. We must make those who are in this country (illegally) get to the back of the line, learn English and pay taxes."

On Jobs: Raise payroll cap to $240,000; and raise minimum wage

Capito: "We should bust the cap on the social security taxes and I'd be willing to take it above the $200,000 number."

Tennant: "I am supportive of raising the (payroll) cap to $240,000. Not quite that far, yet, then we'll work on a number. Another way that we can keep social security solvent is, quite simply, raise minimum wage. If you have more people getting paid, they're going to pay into social security more."

On Drugs: Federal registry to prevent "doctor shopping

On Energy & Oil: All-of-the-above energy approach, with priority on coal

Tennant said that she envisions West Virginia employing an "all-of-the-above energy source" in the future. "The vision I have for West Virginia is an economy that is built on many different job opportunities, whether it's coal, natural gas (or) water. We're not going to replace coal; it is too important. But that doesn't mean we can't have an all-of-the-above approach."

She sees the technology and manufacturing industries as potential economic winners, and she feels they could play a dual role by serving to facilitate coal's continuing role in the future. "We have to advance coal so it continues to be a strong part of our future."

On Government Reform: I learned "make-do" attitude via my upbringing on a farm

During her tenure in that job, Tennant says she has worked to make the office more efficient and also improved services for voters and business owners. "I think that we have to use all the resources we have. I've streamlined & cut red tape. I've cut wasteful spending, and that translated into doing more with less. It's the same thing I learned on the farm, and I saved $3 million in the secretary of state's office and gave it back to the taxpayers."

On Government Reform: 18-month investigation into stolen election: 3 convictions

On Principles & Values: 55-county "Talk with Tennant" tour: represent W.V., not D.C.

She visited Raleigh County last week, and Tennant said the most common issue she is hearing across the state involves increasing flood insurance rates, which she largely blames on Rep. Shelley Moore Capito's actions. "What we've been seeing as we head around all 55 counties [is that] people recognize there is a clear choice between someone who represents West Virginia and someone who represents Washington."

As a notable example of standing up for West Virginia interests, Tennant said she played an instrumental role in ensuring justice was served when three elected Democratic officials tried to steal an election. As the chief election official, Tennant said her office conducted an 18-month-long investigation into the matter.

On Government Reform: OpEd: Suppress voting by requiring change-of-address cards

"The Secretary of State's Office is committed to protecting the integrity of those processes and keeping our voter rolls clean," Natalie Tennant said. "Most of the people receiving notifications will just have to fill out the notification and send it back."

If a voter receives a notification and does not fill it out and return it to their county clerk they will be placed on the list of "inactive" voters. These people are still registered to vote and may vote in 2014. Voters who remain inactive for two federal election cycles will have their voter registration.

On Gun Control: Vehemently disagrees with Obama administration on gun rights

"It is critical because we all know that it's not enough to elect Barack Obama President if we don't give him a Congress that will help him keep moving this country forward. We know that now. We've experienced it," the First Lady said. That's an applause line in Manhattan, but not so much in Mingo County.

When I asked the Tennant campaign for her reaction to Obama's comments, a spokeswoman said, "Natalie Tennant has been clear that she is an independent voice who vehemently disagrees with the administration on a number of issues that are important to West Virginians, including gun rights, supporting the coal industry and the roll out of the Affordable Care Act."

On Health Care: Supports access to insurance for all

Take ObamaCare for example, which is losing popularity due to the mismanaged enrollment process. Tennant wants to find the right balance on ObamaCare. During a recent appearance on Talkline, when asked directly whether she would have voted for or against ACA if she were in the Senate, Tennant equivocated. "We need to have West Virginians have the ability to have access to health care," Tennant said. "I am going to vote for West Virginians, the 270,000 (uninsured), to be able to have access to health care, to not deny these individuals."

It was a way of supporting the concept of insurance for all, particularly those with pre-existing conditions, without actually saying she supports ObamaCare.

On Health Care: FactCheck: GOP says 147,000 lose insurance; really 8,800

The National Republican Senatorial Committee sent out a press release attempting to tie the Affordable Care Act to Secretary of State Natalie Tennant. The NRSC claimed 147,000 West Virginia residents "are at risk of losing their health insurance," but a health care analyst for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, said that figure is far above any estimates he's seen, which are around 28,000.

An NRSC spokesperson said the group obtained its numbers from census data, although the Daily Mail could not find that number on the census website.