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(ADAM VOGLER) [Order this photo]
More than two-thirds of an 86-member committee that will select a candidate to run in a special election to represent Missouri's 8th Congressional District listened to potential nominees answer questions on topics ranging from their position on a federal farm bill to how the Republican party can be united and supported during a nearly three-hour session at the Concourse Building.
Participants were:
* Wendell Bailey, a former congressman.
* Dan Brown, a state senator.
* Jason Crowell, a former state senator.
* Peter Kinder, Missouri's lieutenant governor.
* Bob Parker, a former candidate for the district.
* Todd Richardson, a current state representative.
* Jason Smith, who is Speaker Pro Tem in the Missouri House.
* Lloyd Smith, former executive director of the Missouri Republican Party.
* Sarah Steelman, a former state senator and former state treasurer.
* Clint Tracy, presiding commissioner of Cape Girardeau County
* John Tyrrell, a Mountain Grove, Mo., attorney
* Wayne Wallingford, a state senator.
Brown, who was selected to speak first, did not attend last week's forum in Salem, Mo., because of a family illness, he told the committee.
Pedro Sotelo, a Kansas City businessman and military veteran, dropped out of the contest Thursday and did not participate. Scott Lipke, an associate circuit judge, did not participate because of special rules that apply to judges.
The field drew names to determine the speaking order. Earlier this week, the committee and members of the SEMO Pachyderms Club, which hosted the event, came up with six questions for the forum. One that brought answers that made candidates stand out, according to committee members, was related to the farm bill -- a federal program that provides crop insurance and subsidies for farmers.
A problem for some candidates, said Holly Lintner, committee vice-chairwoman, is that not all the candidates seemed to understand a farm bill's importance to the region as well as others.
"I think that's huge, because this district relies so strongly on agriculture. It's really essential that they understand what can be available to the farmers and that it could be tweaked to be a better program."
Crowell and several other candidates called for some government subsidies -- food stamps -- to be separated from the farm bill, which brought much agreement from the 200-plus member audience.
"Every agricultural bill is now a food stamp bill," Crowell said. "We're being held hostage on agricultural issues for food stamps."
Jason Smith criticized Congress' most recent handling of the reauthorization of the farm bill before he knew the question was coming. He spoke about it while answering a previous question from the moderator.
"We really need to address a lot of the issues with USDA and EPA that are affecting the farmers within the farm bill, and first start out by getting all the environmentalists out of the EPA, and out of the corps, and also by getting all the animal rights' activists out of the USDA. That's a great way to start with the farm bill," he said.
Also asked of candidates was how they would support and unite the party.
"I think to build the Republican Party we need to build on what we are already doing. We need to find good candidates, we need to support them, and we need to equip them with the kind of things that they need," said Lloyd Smith, who has been leading the GOP in the state since 2009 as the executive director of the Missouri Republican Party. Smith announced his resignation from that position Tuesday so he can spend more time focusing on his bid for the 8th district, he said.
Parker answered that the party is "fractured."
"People haven't followed the Constitution like they should," Parker said.
Candidates were asked about their positions on funding for FEMA and Army Corps of Engineers given the district's vulnerability to disasters and the "current funding crisis."
On the corps' budget, Kinder said the corps need to be able to handle their duties, but also need accountability in their budget. He wants to see more listening to those affected by the corps' actions, he said.
Thursday was the last of two officially sanctioned forums for GOP candidates. The committee will meet in February in Van Buren, Mo., to select a candidate.
A Democratic committee is going through its process of selecting a candidate to run in the 8th District to replace Jo Ann Emerson, who will resign from Congress soon to become president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
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Comments
IMO: 1. There is one of these candidates that cannot be defeated in an election in the 8th district by any Democrat. hint: he's the reason the Emersons always won for 30 years and 8th district voters know it.
2. There is one Democrat that can defeat any/all of the other potential Republican candidates. hint: Her daddy is an attorney in Kennett.
Dividing the Farm Bill ensures neither part would have the votes necessary to become law.
For those who believe food stamps are a serious problem and wouldn't vote to reauthorize, what if anything would they do to prevent hunger in America?
Not just specific to the food stamps program - but any program that is needed should be able to stand up to a vote. It's the attaching of all kinds of special interest items to bills that are sure to pass that's got us so far in debt.
I choose.....NONE OF THE ABOVE !
Wallingfor wants to take the party to the extreme right, so he said. We need moderates in both parties. To take an extreme position by either party is a catatrophe at best.
I was in attendance last night at the forum and it was quite telling that most of the candidates knew nothing about farming. Take Mr Crowell saying we should separate the food stamp and ag bill. Well that sounds great but you would never get a farm bill past then for sure because urban legislaures will not support it. He is not dealing with the state here. Things work very different in Washington. He would be a little fish in a big pond
The 8th District of Missouri is one of the poorest districts in the US. Food Stamp, Medicaid and Welfare recepients vote Republican in this district. In fact, I believe that if all recepients of government programs including farm payments, veterans benefits, medicaid, social security, medicare and others; all voted Democrat in this district - the Repbulicans would hold few if any elected positions.
I commend any one that runs for a public office these days democrat or republican. Good luck to all of the candidates of both parties.
People need to go to work. Do away with food stamps and use the food banks for those who truly need it. No more
Prime Rib for those on food stamps.
I'm starting to think that these articles are just a focus group for those who would like to engineer a desired outcome at the nominating committee meeting.
I see there was a run on dark grey suits. Clones and clowns.
....what do we have in a moderate Democrat?
grandma73 I understand there is a conservative democrat from Festus seeking the nomination on the democratic side. Small Business owner
It is too bad that one of their candidates, Mr. Sotelo, dropped out. I heard him speak in Salem and he was the best of the bunch. He speaks from his heart and not as a "clone clown"like most of these guys.
Our district needs someone new that has no ties to the old regime or is currently serving in a seat their were voted in.
Someone needs to tell Eddy Justice to call him back...