Republicans running for county and statewide offices got to introduce themselves Thursday night to fellow Republicans in Cole County.
The Cole County Republican Central Committee hosted a candidate forum at the VFW in St. Martins, and candidates were given a couple of minutes to tell why they were running for their particular offices.
Among those speaking were Jefferson City Municipal Judge Cotton Walker and Attorney Tim Anderson who are running for the Cole County associate circuit judge seat in the Aug. 7 primary.
"I want to continue to see that victims of crime have their needs addressed, and for those who are victims of circumstance, I want to make sure they have the tools to get them the help they need," Walker said.
Anderson said: "I served 30 years in the Missouri Attorney General's Office and was involved in prosecuting all levels of crime, so I feel I have the experience and understanding needed to be a judge."
In the race for Cole County prosecutor, incumbent Mark Richardson asked the crowd they return him to office, saying with his 12 years of experience as prosecutor, he can continue to successfully deal with the difficult cases he has seen in recent years.
"I see this as a team effort, working closely with law enforcement," he said. "Public safety depends on experienced law enforcement officials."
Richardson's opposition in August's primary is attorney Locke Thompson.
Thompson said during his time as an attorney with the Attorney General, he has dealt with many illegal drug cases, and he wants to bring that experience to the office.
"We've heard much about the opioid crisis and how that's affecting so many lives," he said. "I want to work to make sure Cole County does not have to deal with what we've seen in many other places."
"What we've heard from the candidates as they talk with citizens is that people are somewhat disheartened by the mood of the country and a lot of our candidates are looking to reach out to the other side of the isle," Cole County Republican Central Committee President Penny Quigg said. "Our new governor (Mike Parson) wants to reach out to the big cities, the small cities and wants to try and bring everyone together to have less stress in our government. People are yearning for transparency and honesty in government."
Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer said July 11 is the last day to register to vote in the Aug. 7 primary. He added he is expecting a 35 percent voter turnout and will probably hire extra staff to be at the polls.