By CASSANDRA MICKENS / Associate Editor

NORTH SHELBY — The Eagle Forum of Alabama and the Shelby County Republican Women’s Club will host a forum for the candidates running for retiring Rep. Spencer Bachus’ Sixth Congressional District seat March 21 at 6:30 p.m. at The Westminster School at Oak Mountain.

Seven GOP hopefuls — Scott Beason, Will Brooke, Paul DeMarco, Chad Mathis, Gary Palmer, Robert Shattuck and Tom Vignuelle — will square off in the Republican primary set for June 3. There is no Democratic candidate for the seat. A runoff, if necessary, is set for July 15.

The forum’s format will allow the candidates to talk about their qualifications and why they would best represent the Sixth Congressional District in Washington, D.C. Questions from the audience will follow. The event, which is free and open to the public, will last about 90 minutes.

“We think this will be a great opportunity for voters to see and hear the candidates on the same stage,” said Joan Reynolds, secretary of the Shelby County Republican Women’s Club. “It is rare for this congressional seat to become open, so Republican voters have an important choice to make in June. We believe this format will allow voters to hear the candidates give unscripted answers to issues that are important to them.”