Chamber emphasizing primary election
The May 17 primary election will have more at stake than most previous primaries in Daviess County.
Partisan primary elections usually set the matchup for the general election, with Republicans and Democrats each choosing a candidate to advance to the fall election.
But several county races lack a Democrat candidate, which means this year’s Republican primary will decide who will be the county’s next sheriff, county clerk and property valuation administrator. Republican voters will also decide who will hold the west and east seats on Fiscal Court.
The Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce is emphasizing the importance of this year’s primary by hosting two candidate forums — including a springtime “Red White and Blue” campaign event, which will be held May 14.
“Since so many of our elections will be decided (by the primary), we felt it was important for us to offer the opportunity for Chamber members and the community … to hear from the candidates and what they stand for,” Chamber president and CEO Candance Castlen Brake said Wednesday.
The first Chamber event will be at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 21 at Owensboro City Hall, 101 East Fourth St. Brake said the event will be a forum where candidates for each of the offices to be decided in the primary will be asked questions by moderator Matt Francis, executive editor of the Messenger-Inquirer.
“We’ll have all the races that will be decided at the primary,” Brake said.
Invitations to candidates were sent out Tuesday, and Brake said Chamber officials had already received confirmations from some candidates.
For those who can’t attend the event, the forum will be posted on the Chamber’s Youtube page the next day, Brake said.
“Red, White and Blue” will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14 on the lawn of the Daviess County Courthouse. The event is a day when large crowds are expected downtown for the Bar-B-Q Block Party.
“We are going to have two ‘Red, White and Blues’ this year,” with the traditional event coming back in the fall, Brake said. The May event will feature primary candidates, while the fall event will for competitive races in the November election.
“It’s a stump speech format,” Bade said, “where each candidate will talk about who they are and what they stand for.”
The Chamber will be working to boost turnout for the upcoming primary through its “GO Vote” campaign, Brake said.
“Local government has such an impact on everyday life” and on the local business community, Brake said. “We hope this will build awareness of how important this primary is.”
By James Mayse Messenger-Inquirer