Douglas County GOP 8th district forum

I'd heard about a "meet and greet" type-event for GOP candidates for the 8th Congressional District to be held in Ava, Mo., sometime this week when I was in Salem Thursday night, but it looks like it has now turned into a full-blown forum.

Kaleb Luna, who is on the 86-member Republican committee that will choose a candidate to run in a special election to replace Jo Ann Emerson, sent me details today. Please see an excerpt from his email below.

"The Douglas County Republican Committee will be hosting a forum for candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the 8th Congressional District. This will take place at the Ava Victory Academy auditorium in Ava, Missouri on January 15th at 7PM. (Ava Victory Academy is located just east of the junction of MO-5 and MO-14 in Ava. Entry is through the metal doors on the West side of the building, not the glass doors on the front.)

The current list of attendees (9):

Wendell Bailey

Jason Crowell

Bob Parker

Pedro Sotelo

Lloyd Smith

Sarah Steelman

Clint Tracy

John Tyrell

Jeffrey Ward

"Maybes" (4):

Peter Kinder

Todd Richardson

Jason Smith

Wayne Wallingford

The current format is intended to allow each candidate a few minutes to speak openly about themselves, as well as asking them to give a brief definitive answer and up to a 2-minute explanation to each of 7 questions. This format may change somewhat to help streamline or shorten the proceedings.

This event is open to the press and public."

A third event (which is said to be one of two officially sanctioned events--I'm not sure why the Ava forum may be unofficial) is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Concourse building in Cape Girardeau. The forum will be hosted by the SEMO Pachyderms.