Republican or Republican-supported candidates for local and state offices showed up in Hockinson earlier this month during a “meet the candidates” barbecue and picnic put on by the local GOP.
On Sept. 17, numerous candidates for positions ranging from Clark County Council, the Washington State Legislature and other offices on the November ballot in Clark County took part in the event on a property off of Ward Road. The event brought in more than 150 attendees and raised thousands of dollars for the candidates ahead of the midterm general election, a release from the Clark County Republican Party stated.
The candidate seeking the highest office at the event was Tiffany Smiley, the challenger to Democrat Patty Murray for her U.S. Senate seat.
Serving as keynote speaker, Smiley spoke at length about retiring Murray, the release stated. She said Murray was a key politician supporting President Joe Biden’s agenda “and steering our thriving economy into high inflation and restrictions,” the release stated.
Clark County sheriff’s candidate Rey Reynolds spoke about recent increases in crime, the release stated, while Clark County auditor’s candidate Brett Simpson argued for greater scrutiny of local election practices, the release stated.
Several candidates for state Legislature seats spoke, including Greg Cheney, who is seeking to replace fellow Republican Larry Hoff for the 18th Legislative District Position 2 seat. Hoff declined to run for a third term this year.
Cheney and other statehouse hopefuls pledged to reverse “extremely radical” laws passed in the last two years dealing with education, elections, taxes and police reform, the release stated.
Don Benton, who is running for the nonpartisan Clark County Council District 5 seat, also took part in the event.
Local Republican volunteer Cecil Anderson said the event was about “getting back to basics.”
“Politicians in Washington have made a habit of hiding from voters behind masks and Zoom calls,” Anderson said. “Saturday, we saw the power of face-to-face politics and the need for accountability. Voters desire a change and events like this barbecue are so rare these days.”
