GOP debate party comes to Copper Sky

An unabashed fan of Dr. Ben Carson, Maricopa’s Paul Farrell wants to hear from all corners of the Republican presidential race.

It’s why he is willing to organize the Presidential Debate Watching Party, the first event of its kind in Maricopa. The Aug. 6 event will be an evening of watching the GOP debate on a big screen television at Copper Sky Multigenerational Complex and then hearing from local representatives or adherents of the array of candidates.

“Republicans can get a close view of where the candidates stand, discuss the issues and tout their candidate,” Farrell said.

That includes representatives of presidential hopefuls who don’t make the debate slate. Fox News Channel is hosting the debate and is selecting the 10 participants by averaging five national polls.

Right now, according to the 2016 Election Central website, the likely debaters are Gov. Jeb Bush, Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Marco Rubio, Carson, Donald Trump, Dr. Rand Paul, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Rick Perry and Gov. Chris Christie. But Sen. Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina and Gov. John Kasich could climb into the mix by the night of the debate.

The event at Copper Sky starts at 5 p.m. for some meet-and-greet, and the debate is scheduled for 6-8 p.m.

Farrell said the idea is to have a good environment in which “to watch the democratic process.”

The watching party will be in multipurpose/dry room A. The capacity is 93, so Farrell is requesting RSVPs at 520-233-8249.

Candidate representatives will have a chance to hand out information and answer questions about each contender. Farrell expects it to be a learning experience for himself as well as everyone else who attends.