Local Congressional Candidates Agree to Public Forums

A pair of U.S. House candidates bidding to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Trey Gowdy will appear together in two separate town hall-style forums next week.

The forums, open to the public, will feature Democratic challenger Deb Morrow of Spartanburg, and Jeff Sumerel, an independent candidate and filmmaker from Greenville loosely affiliated with the Green Party, which has nominated him.

The first forum will be held Monday, September 24 from 7-8 p.m. at the Greenville Main Library, and the second will be held Saturday, September 29 from 1-2 p.m. at the Spartanburg Main Library in the Barrett Room. 

Gowdy was invited to attend the events, but declined, citing scheduling conflicts. 

With just 46 days until election day, it remains unclear whether the two will have the chance to face off.

Morrow has centered her campaign around such issues as strengthening the economy, ridding Washington of big money and corporate influence, and protecting civil rights, women’s rights, and veterans. 

Sumerel is an interesting wild card in the race. Despite agreeing to the Green Party's nomination, he has eschewed allegiance to any political party. And, as part of his platform, he has vowed to accept zero donations, and has even gone so far to say that he does not plan to express any opinions at all in his quixotic campaign. Instead, he is advocating using an online voting system where a majority of citizens would dictate how he would vote in Congress. If elected, he has also vowed to only serve one term.

You can find more on Sumerel's unique campaign here.