With the midterm elections approaching, Us & Them takes the Dinner Party to Huntington, W.Va. where eight West Virginians from different generations and political perspectives gather around the table. Half the guests are under 30, and while they disagree on immigration, foreign policy, the media and the direction of the country, they also discover some unexpected common ground.

West Virginia continues to lose young people. In the past five years, the state's population has dropped by nearly 1.5 percent — the largest decline in the nation. Only two of the state's 55 counties saw population growth, and demographic projections from West Virginia University anticipate further population loss in the years ahead.

In the second of two Us & Them episodes exploring young West Virginians considering their future, host Trey Kay talks with those looking beyond the state's borders — along with some who remain deeply conflicted about leaving.

In some cases, Kay talks with people who don’t see a way to follow their chosen career path in West Virginia. Others are looking for greater social, cultural or political diversity. And some love the state deeply but question whether the infrastructure, opportunities and communities they will need are available to them.

Their choices raise a larger question: What would it take for West Virginia to convince its young people they are needed here?

For this episode of Us & Them, it’s time for another Dinner Party. Host Trey Kay brings together a group of West Virginians from both sides of the political aisle to break the number one rule of entertaining: they talk politics. Over a potluck meal, the guests share their views on some of the issues shaping the conversation ahead of the midterm elections, with the hope of understanding their differences a little better and perhaps even finding some common ground. This gathering took place in Charleston just a few weeks before the election and brought together a mix of Dinner Party veterans and first-time guests. It is the first of three Us & Them Dinner Parties planned across West Virginia this fall, with another gathering in Huntington before Election Day and a third in Morgantown just after the votes are cast.