Five candidates vying for the Republican nomination to run for State Rep. Margaret Ann Ruhl’s Ohio House seat will debate on Feb. 4.

The debate, sponsored by the Eastern Delaware County Republican Club, will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, in the Big Walnut High School auditorium in Sunbury.

Ruhl, a Republican from Mount Vernon, will vacate her 68th House District seat at the end of 2016 due to term limits.

The five candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Ruhl’s open seat in the March primary are: W. Myles Bancroft of Westerville, who works in the insurance industry; Genoa Township Trustee Rick Carfagna, who was endorsed by the Delaware County Republican Party; Beth Lear of Galena, a legislative policy analyst; Patrick Quinn of Mount Vernon, who owns an Internet service business; and Jason Rogers, a member of the Centerburg school board who was endorsed by the Knox County Republican Party.

Co-sponsors of the debate are the Knox County 912 Project and the Republican Liberty Caucus.

The two co-sponsoring groups will supply two of the three moderators and the third will be a celebrity, organizers say.

Index cards will be given to the audience for questions to the candidates.

The debate is open to the public.