Conspiracy, Vitriol Fuels Road Candidate’s Social Media

The type of angry, vitriolic rhetoric that is a staple of national politics but less common in local races has emerged in Crawford County.

Randy Chandler, a candidate for District 2 commissioner, has used his campaign’s Facebook page to go on offense against two-term incumbent Jared Boast.

The Republican primary on Aug. 6 thus far features Boast, Chandler and David Gargus.

Chandler, a former District 2 employee, created a Facebook group last September to support his nascent candidacy.

Chandler’s Facebook page is a mix of the candidate’s plans for what he would do in office, pictures of what he deems is inadequate equipment at District 2 and potholes along county roads. 

The page also contains the kind of attacks that are usually reserved for national politics. Chandler's supporters throw out insults, accuse Gargus of entering the race to help Boast and make unfounded claims of corruption.

“Don’t know about you…But you’ve got to be better than the Worthless Pieces of (expletive) that are in there now !!!” wrote one user on Oct. 6, 2023.

“I don’t know you but I would like to get to know you,” Chandler responded. 

Many posts baselessly accuse “the county” of being corrupt. Chandler allows users to comment anonymously and some took the opportunity to make some extraordinary claims.

Read more on this story in the March 13 issue of the Independent News.