Candidates for the 8th District congressional seat are invited to a forum in Evansville on Thursday, but the Republican candidate is expected to skip it. WNIN’s John Gibson reports:
The League of Women Voters says Democrat Erik Hurt of Evansville and Libertarian Richard Fitzlaff of Terre Haute have accepted invitations to attend the event at McCullough Library.
But Republican Mark Messmer of Jasper has not accepted the invitation and has, so far, refused to take part in forums or debates with his opponents.
Messmer left his seat in the Indiana Senate last month to focus on the November election and he’s favored to win the congressional seat being vacated by fellow Republican Larry Bucshon.
Messmer’s campaign has said voters already know his positions and he’s traveling the district meeting with potential constituents.
Messmer lists his top issues as illegal immigration, safeguarding liberties, protecting the unborn, balancing the federal budget, stopping what he calls the woke agenda, and growing jobs.
Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl accuses Messmer of “being happy to take millions from special interest groups yet has zero interest in an actual job interview with voters.”
The 8th District forum is set for Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at McCullough Library in Evansville.