VIDALIA — At least eight of the area’s aspiring statewide leaders will gather early next month to give area voters the chance to meet the men whose name will be on the ballot in November.

The Concordia Republican Party Executive Committee will host a meet-and-greet for all Republican candidates from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 5 at Comfort Suites in Vidalia.

Thus far, two candidates for Lieutenant Governor, one for U.S. Senate, one for Public Service Commissioner and four for U.S. Congress have confirmed they will attend, CRPEC Chair Susan Rabb said.

The committee decided to host the meet-and-greet in order to give area residents a chance to meet candidates that they often wouldn’t get, Rabb said.

“The reason we started  this in the first place is Concordia Parish kind of gets left out of any kind of meeting like this,” she said. “I told (the candidates) the closest we can get to somebody is to drive two hours to Monroe, an hour-and-a-half to Alexandria or two hours to Baton Rouge. The closest we get is somebody driving through.”

The meet-and-greet will not be a debate, Rabb said, though candidates will be given time to give a short speech before they mingle with the crowd.

Republican committee member Liz Brooking said the meeting is not just for members of the Republican Party.

“I think this is a wonderful opportunity becacause there is so much cross-party voting these days,” she said. “We are not as by-the-party as we used to be in this country, we are voting for the person and their ideology.

“In meeting these candidates, people can judge for themselves their character and ask specific questions that are on their mind.”

Those candidates who have agreed to attend include candidates for lieutenant governor Billy Nungesser and Sen. Elbert Guillory; for U.S. Senate, Col. Rob Maness; for public service commissioner, Keith Gates; and for the U.S. Congressional Fifth District, Dr. Ralph Abraham, Ed Tarpley, Zach Dasher and Congressman Vance McAllister.

While attendance at the meet-and-greet does not require an RSVP, Rabb said organizers would like to know how many people plan to attend. For more information, contact Rabb at 318-481-5632.