The Franklin County Republican Party held its annual fundraiser at the Franklin County Convention Center Thursday, April 9.
The event featured the Midwest Dueling Pianos and a number of candidates, including Jim Carlin, who is running for U.S. Senate; Abigail Maas, who is running for State Auditor; and gubernatorial candidates, Brad Sherman and Randy Feenstra.
Party Chair Larry Sailer tells OntheGoMedia that more than 200 people showed up for the event. He says it’s important they help educate the public while raising funds, which is why they brought in candidates.
“Our biggest job that we do is getting people to the polls. We just want people to vote. Get them out, get them to the polls and vote. We try to share information about candidates so people can get to meet them,” Sailer said that evening. “This is a great opportunity here. We have a lot of candidates walking around and talking to people. You can ask questions face to face. I think that’s the best way to meet a candidate.”
Sailer says they began holding the fundraiser within the last five to six years.
“We’ve had some really good speakers and really good events,” he said. “We probably started out, six or seven years ago, with zero dollars in the bank. And we just decided that we needed to do something. We’ve always had fundraisers, where we send out letters, that’s not personal. It’s so much nicer to get people here to talk and to learn, that’s what we try to do.”
According to Sailer, the local party takes donations throughout the year. They have yet to add up to the funds that they raised, but all proceeds from the event will go toward supporting the party’s upcoming projects.
The Franklin County Democrats will be holding their annual fundraiser event in September, according to Party Chair, Catherine Crooks.
Story and audio by Jennifer Burnham, Hampton Chronicle News Editor
Photo: Larry Sailer addresses the crowd Thursday night
