Congressional District 1 candidates keep it civil
By Brian Wright | Casa Grande Dispatch
Familiar and not so familiar faces made their case to be the next Republican representative in Congressional District 1 on Monday night.
The forum, unlike a debate format, was entirely cordial. No one challenged any of their counterparts or even openly disagreed on the issues.
There was near 100 percent consensus on a variety of topics including jobs, border security, government spending, the Affordable Care Act, the role of the EPA, the VA health care system and the treatment of veterans in general.
Six of the eight Republicans running for the open seat attended the forum at Central Lutheran Church, hosted by the Western Pinal County chapter of the Arizona Republican Assembly. About 75 people attended the event.
In Casa Grande, familiar faces included Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett and rancher and oilman Gary Kiehne. Three others, perhaps not as well known in Casa Grande, also participated, including state Sen. Carlyle Begay, R-Ganado, retired Air Force Col. Wendy Rogers and Navajo businessman Shawn Redd.
Two others running for the seat did not attend; Arizona Speaker of the House David Gowan was at the Legislature working on finalizing a budget. Thomas Whipple, a network security engineer and the most recent candidate to enter the race, was also not present.
