Franklin County Republicans are encouraging residents to attend Monday night’s caucuses, saying the event is an important opportunity for education and local party organization.
Co-chair Kent Craighton tells RadioOnTheGo News attendees will learn about candidates running for offices at the local, state and federal levels, and help shape the party’s platform moving forward.
“You know, when you come to a caucus and I’m hoping that most of the listeners here have done that, but the caucus is where you’re going to get your first look at who the upcoming candidates are. They’ll see Republican candidates, you know, for the governorship, for our Fourth District Congressional Seat. And then, you know, if you look at the state of Iowa as a whole, all four congressional districts are up for reelection this year. We have a Senate seat that’s open this year as well. So hopefully they’ll have a lot of introduction to these candidates at the caucus. And a lot of times the candidate themselves may not be at the caucus, but a lot of them have representation there to give a short speech, maybe an introduction or a bio on that candidate. So, it’s a great place to come and get some education on who’s actually running for these different positions.”
Craighton also notes that issues such as taxes, education, and immigration are expected to be discussed, along with local concerns like property taxes and county issues.
“There are some hot button topics out there that seem to take to the stage. Taxes has been a big one that people have talked about. And I know that’s going to be a focal point for the legislation moving forward. We’ll see what they come up with on that. I know there’s going to have to be some balance because especially small counties like Franklin County rely on property tax money to operate and to fulfill their budgets. Education has been a big deal for our Republican party, making sure that our kids are not subjected to things they shouldn’t be at too early of an age. I know those topics still come up once in a while. Immigration is a big one as well that gets talked about quite often. There’s things being done on all of these at the federal and state levels that will impact our county. So I’m excited to see people show up for the caucus. We’ll have those discussions.”
He says the caucus will also include elections for precinct and central committee positions, which help guide party activities leading into the general election.
The Franklin County Republican caucus will be held at the Hampton-Dumont High School, with registration beginning at 6:00 p.m. and the meeting starting at 7:00.
RadioOnTheGo News also reached out to Franklin County Democratic Chair, Catherine Crooks, regarding Democratic caucuses, but did not receive a response as of Thursday.
