photo by: Dmitry Martirosov/Journal-World

Steve Jacob, left, Lauren Reinhold, and a makeshift sign of Rep. Tracey Mann at a candidate forum at the Lawrence Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026.

The invitation was sent, but the chair was empty.

About 70 showed up at the Lawrence Public Library on Saturday to hear Lauren Reinhold and Steve Jacob make their case for why voters should pick them to replace Tracey Mann, the Republican incumbent representing Kansas’ 1st Congressional District. Mann, as expected, did not attend.

Though Mann declined to attend the forum — a spokesman told the Journal-World on Wednesday that the Congressman had “other meetings scheduled” — the Lawrence-Douglas County Chapter of Women for Kansas, which hosted the event, still saved him a seat at the table.

Only in place of Mann, organizers taped a stick with his face to his chair.

A representative for Mann’s office in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday declined to provide more details about what meetings were taking precedence over the candidate forum.

Reinhold, a Democrat, and Jacob, a Libertarian, talked about affordability, immigration and foreign policy, among other issues.

The two candidates are trying to break a decades-long Republican grip on the 1st Congressional District, or “The Big First,” which had not been won by a Democrat since 1952, when Howard Miller became the first — and only — Democrat to represent the district. Republicans typically win the district with roughly 70% of the vote.

photo by: Dmitry Martirosov/Journal-World

Lauren Reinhold, a Democrat, speaks at a candidate forum at the Lawrence Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026.

Taxes and cost-of-living issues

Jacob, a former city employee, said his main priority is addressing the national debt, which he called a threat to national security. The national debt surpassed $40 trillion in August.

“We have no answers for it,” Jacob said. “We can’t spend our way out of it, and we probably can’t tax our way out of it.”

“It’s unsustainable,” he said.

Reinhold wants to make healthcare and housing more affordable, and advocated for stable social programs.

“One of the primary (issues) to deal with is the social security trust fund running out,” she said. “That is the pinnacle, the anchor of our social welfare system.”

Reinhold, an attorney, is a former federal employee of 16 years who worked for the Social Security Administration. Her career was disrupted when the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, implemented sweeping cuts across federal departments and forced her to resign after accepting a buyout.

Reinhold said she would raise taxes on the rich — touching on an issue that has bothered many Americans as the wealth gap continues to increase.

“We need a federal tax code overhaul,” she said. “It’s abominable where we’ve gone with this.” She agreed with Jacob that the national debt should be addressed.

Jacob called for bipartisanship to overhaul the national debt, but said he was skeptical of that ever materializing.

“People in government just don’t like major overhauls,” he said.

ICE and immigration

When asked about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — or ICE — Jacob did not mince words.

“In general, ICE is a terrorist organization and must be dismantled,” he said.

Jacob said that most people who cross the U.S. southern border are people who are looking for work.

“They are good people and they deserve a stay,” he said.

Reinhold also criticized ICE, saying their widespread arrests are not the answer. She said she would support a comprehensive immigration reform bill that places additional guardrails on ICE.

photo by: Dmitry Martirosov/Journal-World

Attendees listen at a candidate forum at the Lawrence Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026.

Reinhold practiced immigration law earlier in her career, she said, and did not like ICE because they were “taking my clients or threatening to.”

“The law says what ICE should be doing and ICE is not doing it,” she said. “ICE is way outside of its bounds and operating like a militia.”

ICE arrests have surged since President Donald Trump returned to the White House and have caused widespread condemnation for its tactics.

“It is completely out of control, Reinhold said.

Foreign policy and Iran

Reinhold agreed that U.S. presidents in general should have some leeway in making decisions about whether to go to war. But she did criticize Trump for pulling the U.S. out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the JCPOA, which placed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program.

“This is another case of the president not doing what the military experts have told him,” she said.

Reinhold also leveled criticism against Mann for supporting the war.

Mann has been vocal in his support for the war, frequently posting on social media that the move to invade Iran was justified.

Jacob pushed back against Trump’s claims that Iran is getting close to having a nuclear weapon, which, at least initially, was the reason that Trump touted as the cause behind the invasion.

“No country is stupid enough to commit suicide by using a (nuclear weapon),” Jacob said.

Instead, he said, Democrats and Republicans should stop funding wars and focus on domestic issues.

Election Day is Nov. 3, and advance voting begins on Wednesday.

photo by: Dmitry Martirosov/Journal-World

A makeshift sign of Rep. Tracey Mann is attached to a chair at a candidate forum at the Lawrence Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026.