A Republican Party debate featuring the candidates hoping to replace Rep. Candice Miller in the Macomb County-based 10th Congressional District has finally been scheduled and it features a rather odd panel of media representatives who will be asking the questions.
The event, sponsored by the Macomb GOP and announced this afternoon, will be held Tuesday in Shelby Township with all five candidates receiving questions from moderator Charlie Langton of Fox 2 News and four additional panel members.
Among those posing questions will be J.J. Johnson, a longtime radio disc jockey in the Detroit area. Johnson is best known for his stints on rock stations WRIF-FM and WCSX-FM. After a 3-year absence from the airwaves, Johnson took a job at WOMC-FM in 2011. It’s unclear how Johnson, who has a bit of a checkered past, fits into a congressional debate format.
Another panel member is Henry Payne of The Detroit News who is an auto writer and editorial cartoonist with a conservative bent. The News’ website describes Payne this way: “A 30-year newspaper veteran, his auto column appears twice a week in The News. He also produces a weekly video and “Car-toon.” The lifetime “motor head” is a Pulitzer-Prize-nominated cartoonist, has published three books, and is an active race car driver.”
A third panel member is Rocky Raczkowski , a Republican from Farmington Hills, who served in the state House 14 years ago, from 1997-2002. He lost races for the U.S. Senate in 2002 and for the U.S. House in 2010. Since then, he has appeared periodically as a guest commentator, mostly on the Fox 2 News show “Let It Rip.” Curiously, Raczkowski’s political career is not mentioned in the GOP press release announcing the debate. Instead he is described as a conservative commentator and a retired colonel for the Army (Reserves).
The panel is rounded out by Kathy Hoekstra, CEO of Kathy Hoekstra Communications, whose media background includes writing numerous Op-Ed columns for the News and guest-hosting for WWJ-AM’s Frank Beckmann. Langton will be a familiar face as he has moderated many candidate debates in Macomb County.
The candidates are: retired businessman Paul Mitchell of Dryden, state Sen. Phil Pavlov of St. Clair, former state senator Alan Sanborn of Richmond Township, state Rep. Anthony Forlini of Harrison Township, and business executive David VanAssche of Shelby Township, who is described by the debate organizers as Major VanAssche, USAF (U.S. Air Force), retired. The 10th District reaches from the industrial areas of northern Sterling Heights, into the upper middle class subdivisions of northern Macomb County, and through the farming areas up to the tip of the Thumb Area.
The winner of the Aug. 2 Republican primary will be a heavy favorite in the Republican-centric 10th District in the November general election.
“I am excited to host this debate for the community and for the Republican primary voters,” said Linda Torp, chairwoman of the Macomb County Republican Party. “This is a great panel asking questions. One of these candidates will succeed Congresswoman Candice Miller who is returning home to Macomb County to run for Macomb County public works commissioner.”
The event is slated for 7 p.m. at the Palazzo Grande, 54660 Van Dyke, just south of 25 Mile Road, in Shelby Township. The debate is on July 12 th and will begin at 7 P.M. Tickets are required and can be obtained via email at jaredgop@gmail.com.
