Rockdale Citizen

CONYERS -- Republican candidates for the 4th Congressional District will square off in a forum Saturday hosted by the Rockdale County Republican Party.

Liz Carter, Cory Ruth and Larry Gause are scheduled to appear at the forum, which will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Holiday Inn Express, located at the intersection of Green Street and Dogwood Drive. Breakfast is available for $5, and the public is invited to attend.

Don Williamson, GOP third vice chairman and organizer of the event, said the forum offers a unique chance to see the Republican candidates together in one place as voters begin thinking about the July 20 primary election.

As of Thursday, it was uncertain whether a fourth Republican candidate, Victor Armendariz, would be allowed to participate in the forum. Williamson said proof of campaign filing with the Federal Elections Commission is required and Armendariz had yet to provide that to the local Republican Party.

Armendariz said by e-mail that he had filed his campaign papers but federal election officials apparently had not processed his filings.

The forum will be held in two rounds and have a three-person panel, who will ask questions of each of the candidates. The candidates will have two minutes to respond to a question. They will also have one minute for an opening statement before the forum begins and two minutes for a final statement at the end.

Williamson said if time allows, candidates may have the chance for rebuttal to another candidate's response to a question at the end of each round.

Carter operates a business consulting firm in north DeKalb County. Gause, a retired Naval officer, lives in Tucker and is an airline hangar manager at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport and manages property on Lake Oconee. Ruth is an ordained minister from Decatur who works as a contractor in the information management industry.

Armendariz is the latest candidate to announce his run for Congress. He is a publishing executive from Atlanta. He has also served local Hispanic groups and organizations over the years including the Hispanic American Center for Economic Development.

For more information, go to www.rockdalegop.com.