OSKALOOSA — The Mahaska County Republican Central Committee agreed to have for state Rep. Danny Carroll as the master of ceremonies at its fundraiser later this month.
However, the choice of Carroll as emcee created some contention within the committee.
While some members wanted Danny Carroll, now the chairman of the Family Policy Center, to be the master of ceremonies, others thought he may be a bad choice.
That’s because Carroll and the Family Policy Center have announced their support for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats; Carroll and the organization also stated it may sit out the election if for Gov. Terry Branstad is the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee. Some party members therefore said Carroll should not be the emcee.
“The invitation was premature,” committee member Rusty Stout Jr. said. “We must remain neutral. Danny Carroll has divorced himself from the Republican Party.”
But committee member Mark Dolan argued Carroll has not left the Republican Party and that having him as master of ceremonies would not be considered an endorsement of one candidate over another.
Fellow committee member John Huggins agreed with Stout and said the event should focus on the candidates and that publicity surrounding Carroll’s recent declaration against Branstad on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” could be a distraction.
In the end, the committee voted 13-9 to invite Carroll to emcee the event.
The fundraiser will be held at 5 p.m. March 27 at the Oskaloosa Christian School gym and will feature Republican gubernatorial candidates, Republicans vying to challenge Democrat Leonard Boswell for this Third Congressional District seat and local candidates.
