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Kansas Congressional Candidates Discuss Education, Immigration At Public Q&A

Nadya Faulx
/
KMUW
Libertarian Chris Rockhold, left, speaks during Saturday's Q&A at Sunflower Community Action as Democrat James Thompson looks on.

Candidates for the Kansas 4th Congressional District race met with constituents Saturday during the first public event of the campaign.

Republican candidate Ron Estes was not there, but Libertarian Chris Rockhold, a flight simulation instructor, and Democrat James Thompson, a civil rights attorney, agreed on a number of issues, such as immigration reform and veterans issues.

But the two candidates diverged on the issue of school choice, something the new U.S. education secretary Betsy DeVos has championed.

Rockhold said he’s in favor of a market solution.

“I do believe that choice is important," he said. "I like the idea of vouchers to give people more choice.”

Thompson said vouchers are “horrible." He said he doesn't want public funds to potentially be used for religious schools.

“So we’ve got to make sure that we don’t allow such a system to be in play," he said.

All three candidates have been invited to a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters and Women for Kansas on Thursday, and one hosted by the Voter Empowerment Committee from 4-5:30 p.m. Sunday at Saint Mark United Methodist Church. A debate will also be broadcast on KWCH and KMUW on March 28.

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Follow Nadya Faulx on Twitter @NadyaFaulx.

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Nadya Faulx is KMUW's Digital News Editor and Reporter, which means she splits her time between working on-air and working online, managing news on KMUW.org, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. She joined KMUW in 2015 after working for a newspaper in western North Dakota. Before that she was a diversity intern at NPR in Washington, D.C.