The annual fundraiser dinner for a local Republicans group is set to include speeches and meet-and-greets with three Republican candidates for major 2024 Washington races, including a leading Republican candidate for governor and the area's former Congressional representative who lost in the 2022 primaries.
Lower Columbia Republicans United's catered candidate dinner will take place April 6 beginning at 5 p.m. at the McClelland Arts Center. The three guest candidates who will attend the dinner will be:
• Dave Reichert, former Congressman for Washington's 8th District and one of the leading Republican candidates in the crowded race for governor.
• Jaime Herrera Beutler, former Congresswoman for the 3rd District who is the most notable Republican running to be Washington's public lands commissioner.
• Leslie Lewallen, who is running for the 3rd District seat in Congress against Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican Joe Kent.
Lower Columbia Republicans chairman Roger Peters said the dinner would be a more serious event than some of the previous fundraiser dinners because of the visiting guests. The annual fundraiser is usually held on April Fools Day and includes a stump on the event stage where guests can give literal "stump speeches" during the dinner.
Lower Columbia Republicans United is a political group that supports Republican candidates running for office in Cowlitz County or Washington, but also advocates for "conservative diversity" among candidates. The group is not affiliated with the Cowlitz County Republican Central Committee, which runs the county's official Republican party events.
Tickets are $50 per person and can be bought at www.lowercolumbiarepublicans.org.
