LAURENS — The University of South Carolina at Union, Laurens Location, will sponsor a congressional debate at the Newberry Opera House on from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. April 11 for candidates in the special election to fill South Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District seat.
Of the 15 candidates who have filed for election, nine candidates will attend the Newberry debate. Republican attendees will include Chad Connelly of Prosperity, Sheri Few of Lugoff, Ralph Norman of Rock Hill, Tommy Pope of York, and Chris Wampler of Indian Land.
The Democratic candidates include Alexis Frank of Rock Hill, Les Murphy of Indian Land, and Archie Parnell of Sumter. One third-party candidate, Rock Hill’s Josh Thornton of the American Party, will also be in attendance.
The evening will begin with a meet-and-greet reception with light refreshments at 6:30 p.m., followed by the debate at 7 p.m. The debate will be moderated by King Dixon, former Athletic Director at the University of South Carolina. USC-Laurens student William Corey Easterling will keep time.
Candidates who will not attend the debate include Republicans Tom Mullikin and Ray Craig; Libertarians Bill Bledsoe, Nathaniel Cooper, and Victor Kocher; and David Kulma of the Green Party. Bledsoe has also filed as a candidate for the Constitution Party.
The Fifth Congressional District seat was vacated by Mick Mulvaney of Indian Land, who in February resigned to become the Director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. Mulvaney, a Republican, was elected to Congress in 2010.