When Saturday morning’s candidate forum unfolds in Iola High’s lecture hall, Bob Grant and Scott Barnhart may feel like outsiders.
They are the only Democrats among 16 candidates who will speak in a marathon session scheduled to run 3½hours.
Grant, a Frontenac incumbent, is seeking to return to the Kansas House to represent District 2, which now includes the east third of Allen County. He is unopposed in his party.
Barnhart, Ottawa, is one of three Democrats seeking his party’s nomination to oppose Lynn Jenkins, the only GOP candidate and incumbent, for the U.S. House 2nd District seat. He also is the only congressional candidate who will be at the forum. Jenkins deferred because of other commitments, as did two other Democrats, Robert Eye, Lawrence, and Tobias Schlingensiepen, Topeka.
Two Allen County Commission candidates, Tom Williams, 2nd District, and Jim Talkington, 3rd District, will not attend because of prior commitments. Both are Republicans.
The event will start at 8 a.m. with a short welcome from Dr. Darrell Monfort, representative of the forum’s sponsor, Allen County Farm Bureau.
The three Republican candidates for 9th District Kansas House, an open seat with redistricting, all will attend.
Judy Brigham, former Iola city administrator, will speak at 8:17; Bud Sifers, an independent Iola oilman, at 8:53; Ed Bideau, Chanute attorney and former representative, at 9:41.
Candidates seeking the GOP nomination for Allen County sheriff will appear successively, Undersheriff Bryan Murphy at 10:29 and Jared Froggatte, a former deputy, at 10:41. The Aug. 7 primary winner likely will have an opponent on Election Day, Nov. 6. Skyler Clark, former Iola police officer, told the Register he had been accumulating signatures on petition to file as an independent candidate, which he may do until the day before the primary election.
DEBBIE BEARDEN, Farm Bureau county coordinator, said she had allotted each candidate 12 minutes.
During the morning all will be available in the high school’s commons area for one-on-one conversations.
The schedule for other candidates:
8:05, Bob Grant, D-Kansas House, 2nd District; 8:29, Caryn Tyson, R-Kansas Senate, 12th District; 8:41, John Coen, R-Kansas Senate, 12th District; 9:05, Scott Barnhart, D-U.S. House, 2nd District; 9:17, Wade Bowie, R-Allen County attorney; 9:29, Jeff Locke, R-Kansas House, 2nd District; 10:05, Rob Francis, R- county commission, 2nd District; 10:17, Don Bauer, R-county commission, 3rd District; 10:53, Sherrie Riebel, R-county clerk; 11:05, Darolyn Maley, R-county treasurer; 11:17, Cara Barkdoll, R-register of deeds.
