Fifth Congressional District candidates to take to debate stage Tuesday

The most prominent candidates hoping to represent Eastern Washington in Congress will meet on the debate stage Tuesday evening at the North Central High School central theater, fielding questions mostly generated by high school students in a format moderated by The Spokesman-Review and the Inlander.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday and will be recorded and broadcast by both Spokane Public Radio and Northwest Passages.

Due to time and space considerations, candidates for the 5th Congressional District had to have raised at least $10,000 by the last mandatory reporting deadline or have some major endorsement from a recognized political entity to qualify. Every qualifying candidate agreed to attend, including four Democrats and four Republicans: Bernadine Bank, Michael Baumgartner, Jonathan Bingle, Carmela Conroy, Ann Marie Danimus, Brian Dansel, Jacquelin Maycumber and Matthew Welde.

Republican Rene Holaday will also be in attendance. Holaday was extended an invitation before the qualifying criteria were determined and was later told she would not be able to attend as she did not meet those requirements. Two other candidates who have filed, including Republican Rick Valentine Flynn and Democrat Bobbi Bennett-Wolcott, were also disqualified and not invited.

Holaday took to social media accusing North Central staff of excluding her because she’s “a threat to the Communist programmers in the schools” and threatened to attend regardless and videotape a confrontation at the event. Because she was previously extended an invitation, she was reinvited to the debate.