GOP "Meet the Candidate" event a 'resounding success' as 300 voters attend and hear 30 candidates speak

The Republican Party of Grayson County hosted a “Meet the Candidate” event on Saturday night with a crowd of 300 people and over 30 candidates in attendance at the Grayson County High School commons area.

The event, organized by Republican Party Chair Andy Cain (who also serves as chief of the Clarkson Fire Department), is a major GOP fundraiser as many, if not all of the candidates brought items that were auctioned off throughout the evening. It was also an opportunity for voters to mingle with candidates and listen to each aspirant speak from the dais, as each contender was given a liberally enforced two minute time limit to address the crowd.

In all, 25 candidates in contested races took to the stage with most offering background information, qualifications and reasons to vote for him or her.

Also speaking to the crowd were incumbent office-holders facing no challengers, including Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins and Jailer Jason Woosley.

With a multitude of local races being contested this election season, State Sen. Steve Meredith, who emceed the evening, said that, “Obviously, every election is important, but this one is particularly important because of all the challenges that we have ahead of us as a county, as a state, and as a nation. There are so many problems and so much polarization (in politics), that we really need to know where our candidates stand, what they believe in and what their values are so we can make the best decisions for the county and city moving forward.”

Sen. Meredith also noted that, although the event was a Republican-sponsored affair, all candidates regardless of party affiliation were invited to attend and speak to the crowd.

“Even though this was a Republican fundraiser, we invited both Democrats and Republicans,” Sen. Meredith said. “So this was democracy at its finest. It let people see the candidates and hear them firsthand. It’s just a tremendous success this evening.”

Cain was obviously pleased with the large voter turnout, as well as the number of candidates who chose to utilize the platform.

“I think tonight was a resounding success,” Cain said. “We had a tremendous crowd of over 300 people, and I think it was great that we had 30 candidates come to speak, and we appreciate them taking the time to come out.”

Cain also noted that when a presidential election does not coincide with a local election, voter turnout is often light. An ironic problem in Cain’s eyes, as local elections tend to more strongly influence the lives of voters.

“It was our hope to let the voters in attendance hear as many of the candidate’s platforms as possible,” Cain said. “As citizens of Grayson County, our local elections affect our day-to-day lives more than any other election, yet they have the lowest rate of participation. We hope that everyone takes advantage of one of the things that makes America great; the freedom to cast a ballot at the polls.”