THATCHER —The five Republicans running for Congress in the district serving Graham and Greenlee counties were on stage together at the Lee Little Theater at Eastern Arizona College on Thursday night.
The candidate forum was put on by the Graham County Republican Committee.
“We need to listen to what they say, and understand why they are here,” said Kip Kempton, Graham County Republican Committee chairman. “We need to see which one of them will come back and visit us again, and help us protect what is important to each and every one of us.”
Taking part were Juan Ciscomani, of Tucson; Lucretia Free, of Vail; Brandon Martin, of Sierra Vista; Young Mayberry, of St. David; and Kathleen Winn, of Tucson. They were each asked to weigh-in on seven topics.
On the issue of inflation, Winn said the government needs “to stop printing money.”
“Washington needs to stop spending money like they are a drunken sailor on leave,” she continued. “Our government is bloated, we are spending and giving away money to foreign countries, we are not protecting our own.”
The candidates were then asked on which committees each would prefer to serve if elected. Mayberry said he would prefer Agriculture and Armed Services.
“I’m a 25-year Arizona farmer, I understand agriculture. Not only have I farmed, I have a degree in agriculture and I’ve taught it,” he said. “The other is Armed Services because I’m a 28-year Air Force veteran. I know what it is to serve.”
The candidates were asked what they could do in the ongoing battle over water rights in Graham and Greenlee counties.
“I had the pleasure of speaking with Neil from the Gila (Valley) Irrigation (District), and he shared with me what happens when he communicates with the (San Carlos Apache) Tribe, and the tension that’s there,” Free said. “The idea of getting the right folks in the room — and leaving the lawyers out of the picture if possible — is not something I aspire to do, but it’s something I’ve been doing for the past 20 years.”
When discussing military readiness, Martin said America must be a leader on defense.
“We have to make sure our 350-ship Navy is meeting the requirements it needs to. We have to lead on America’s oceans, we have to be able to extend our power to the world,” he said.
When it comes to the border, Ciscomani said President Biden “has created that border crisis.”
“Our plan has to be an all-of-the-above approach in terms of border security. We have to, absolutely finish the wall, we have to add the proper resources, add more agents, we have to have the right technology and the right policies,” he said. “I‘ve spent my career working on trade and commerce issues at our ports-of-entry; legal trade and commerce that our state thrives on by the job creation from that.”
They were also asked about the military pull-out in Afghanistan, the country’s energy policy, who their heroes are, and were given a three-minute closing to make the case for being the best person for the job.
Moderators for the event were Jennifer Griffith, former secretary of the county party, and Graham County Supervisor John Howard.
Early voting has started for the Aug. 2 primary.
