Pinal District 5 Republican Committee hosts state representative candidates forum

The third candidate forum held by the Pinal District 5 Republican Committee brought together the six candidates vying for two state representative seats in Arizona’s Legislative District 7.

LD7 is one of 30 in the state, consisting of sections of Coconino County, Gila County, Navajo County and Pinal County.

The Pinal D5 forum line-up included: John Fillmore, former House representative seeking reelection; Walt Blackman, a veteran and former House representative hailing from the Snowflake area; Barby Ingles, from the Apache Junction area with a background in health care; David Marshall, the incumbent from the Snowflake area; Stephen Slaton, a small business owner from the Snowflake area; and Andrew Castanzo, from the Payson area with a background in finance.

Issues discussed at the forum ranged from election integrity to health care, water issues and a balanced budget. Candidates displayed a strong conviction toward patriotism, protecting rights and serving Pinal County.

At the forum, invited candidates were asked questions submitted by the audience in a round robin fashion and were given three minutes to respond. Using secret ballots, the audience then chose the candidate they are likely to vote for in 2024. Additionally, Pinal D5 committeemen rank candidates in order based on a conservative focus and ability to win in the 2024 election.

To round out the 2024 election cycle, planned Pinal D5 forums include: county attorney, county superintendent candidates (March); Arizona Corporation Commission candidates (April); county sheriff candidates (May); City Council, U.S. representative, U.S. Senate candidates (June/July).

The forum is open to the public; proceedings begin at 6 p.m. with a social gathering. Forums are held the fourth Thursday of the month at Avalon Elementary School, 1045 S. San Marcos Drive in Apache Junction.

Go to pinal5gop.com .