By Paul Gable
The Horry County Republican Party will hold its midterm Straw Poll event Friday May 13, 2022 at the Conference Center at Barefoot Resort from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m.
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (USA-Ret.) will be the featured speaker. Other VIPs from the Clay Clark ReAwaken America Tour, which will be in Myrtle Beach over the weekend, are also expected to make an appearance.
Many candidates who will be on the upcoming June 14th Republican Primary ballot will be in attendance and straw poll balloting for these candidates will be the feature of the night.
However, even if you are new to the area and know nothing about local politics, this is an event to attend. It is retail politics at its best where you can mingle with the candidates and speak to them one on one throughout the evening rather than being subjected to a bunch of canned speeches that say nothing.
“This will be a great opportunity to meet the local candidates,” said Chad Caton, the host of the national podcast “I’m Fired Up”, a member of the HCGOP and one of the organizers of the event. “We will have the room set up for mingling and we have gone all out with the food for everyone’s enjoyment.”
“We are actually trying to do events now that will get more people involved in local politics,” Caton said.
Those of you who remember political events at the Conway Armory in the 1980’s and 1990’s will recall the festive air that those events presented. I believe this year’s straw poll will bring back that atmosphere for the first time in several decades.
Most importantly, while national politics may take up more of the news cycle, local politics is the area that most directly affects the everyday lives of citizens.
Come out, enjoy the evening, mingle with your neighbors and make new friends and meet the candidates who will be making decisions on taxes, infrastructure, public safety and schools over the next four years. Speak with the candidates who care enough about the views of local voters to spend the evening listening to their concerns.
Then, go to the polls and vote for your favorites on June 14th. Don’t let others make the important decisions that will affect your daily lives.
Speak Up…