Republican candidates gunning to be the next representative from Mississippi’s Third Congressional District gathered at the Oktibbeha County Courthouse on Monday for a candidate forum hosted by the Oktibbeha County Republican Party.
The forum featured all six candidates running on the Republican ticket to replace U.S. Rep Gregg Harper, who announced in January he would not seek a sixth term on Capitol Hill.
The slate of Republican candidates includes: Sally Doty, Morgan Dunn, Michael Guest, Whit Hughes, Perry Parker and Katherine Tate.
“I was very impressed with the candidates, we covered a host of issues and they were all well-versed on it and it was impressive,” said moderator Keith Heard, former chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran and president of the lobbying firm Key Impact Strategies.
Topics included: How each candidate planned to vote for the next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; committee assignments; foreign affairs and the crisis in Syria; international trade and tariffs; immigration and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA); health care; veterans affairs and workforce development.
When asked how he judged the candidates and who he thought was the frontrunner, Heard said he would let the people decide.
“I’m the moderator, so I’m neutral in this,” Heard said with a laugh. “I’m Switzerland.”
Oktibbeha County Republican Party Chairwoman Marnita Henderson expressed her gratitude to the candidates and the dozens of people who attended the event.
“I’m just delighted with our turnout and with the candidates response,” Henderson said. “They did a wonderful job and any one of them would make us a great representative. We appreciate them.”
Henderson also declined to say who she viewed as the leader of the pack.
“Until the people make their choice, I don’t have a candidate,” Henderson said.
The winner of the June 5 Republican Primary will face off against Democratic challenger Michael Aycox or Michael Evans.
To watch the forum in its entirety, click here http://starkvilledailynews.com/content/watch-republican-candidates-squar...