Kelly Duke, left, talks with County Commission Chairman Jeff ‘Clem’ Clemons in March 2020.

With local and state races entering the home stretch ahead of this month’s primary election, the Cullman County Republican Party has scheduled a busy upcoming week in the hope of putting voters face-to-face with candidates.

On Tuesday, May 10, the Cullman County Republican Women will host U.S. Senate candidate Mike Durant, bringing the Huntsville-based businessman and former POW to the local VFW as the featured speaker for the group’s regular monthly meeting. The public is invited to attend regardless of party affiliation; a meal will be served at 6 p.m before Durant delivers his remarks beginning at 7 p.m.

Later in the week, the county GOP will host the last in its series of ongoing public events featuring candidates in locally contested races. On Thursday, May 12, aspirants hoping to fill open seats on the Cullman County Republican Party’s executive committee will introduce themselves to guests from the VFW stage beginning at 7 p.m.

This year’s executive committee race features 9 contested seats among an overall total of 25, with the remaining 16 seats fielding only a single candidate each. All 25 seats on the committee come up for reelection at once every four years, always coinciding with the quadrennial electoral cycle that selects Alabama’s governor.

Cullman GOP chair Kelly Duke said the candidate field will be too numerous to allow extended questions and answers from the audience, though candidates will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and share their goals with voters.

Duke also cleared up one commonly-held misconception about the county GOP’s executive committee members: They don’t receive any compensation for their service. “Executive committee seats are’t paid elected positions,” he said. “In fact, members have to pay annual membership dues of $120 just to serve.”

Both of next week’s GOP events will be held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2214, located at 112 Veterans Drive SW in Cullman. Each event is free for any member of the public to attend.