After four months of planning, approximately 90 people attended the GOP Gubernatorial Meet and Greet and Issues Forum Wednesday, hosted by N.C. State College Republicans.

Justice Bob Orr and Sen. Fred Smith, two of the three Republican candidates for governor, met in Riddick Hall and discussed issues ranging from toll roads to affirmative action.

Brittany Farrell, a senior in economics and political science, said she felt the meet and greet was a success, even with one candidate absent.

“I thought [the meet and greet] was really good. … I’m so excited that people came,” Farrell said.

An issue both candidates stressed was a need for openness in state government.

“I’m committed to transparency and openness of negotiations,” Smith said. “The back room is where all the deals happen.”

One subject Orr was open to discuss was education.

“Public education will always be a primary issue, but a critical component [of being governor] is restoring confidence in the state government,” Orr said. “Restoring openness … would be my biggest priority.”

Jonathan Greer, treasurer of College Republicans, said some of the issues that were discussed hit close to home for him.

“I was impressed that they addressed the issue of the presence of Google in Caldwell County, which is where I’m from,” Greer, a sophomore in political science and economics, said. “Bob Orr took a decisive stand against it.”

Orr, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and the only candidate for governor to attend a public university in North Carolina, appreciated the welcoming atmosphere that NCSU offered.

“Both my daughter and her husband attended N.C. State,” Orr said.”The school does a wonderful job, and I’m always delighted to come here.”