Both Keith Hutcheson and Ben Wolfinger have outraised Tea Party candidate John Green in the three-way GOPrimary race to replace Kootenai County Sheriff Rocky Watson. Hutcheson (who is supported by Reagan Republicans & Reasonable Republicans) had a warchest of $21,652 including donations, in-kind contributions and a personal loan, exceeding the amount raised by Wolfinger and Green combined. Top contributors to Hutcheson's primary campaign are Sound Industries, $999; John Grimm, $750; Cliff Findlahy, Idaho Veneer and Kevin Rogers, $500 apiece. Hutcheson has spent a combined $10,443 with the Strategery Group (and received $587 in in-kind services from Strategery). You can read see his campaign finance report here.

• Ben Wolfinger (who is supported by Reasonable Republicans, too) started with a warchest of $10,896. Top contributors are: Doug Parker, $1000; and Donald Gross, $600; Empire Airlines, Ann Ragan, Michael Wolfinger and Ken Smith, $500 apiece. You can read Ben Wolfinger's campaign finance report here.
• John Green (who is supported by United Conservatives of North Idaho) had a warchest of $7,107. Top contributors are: Lorna Finman, $999; and Brent Regan and Mitch Wright, $500 apiece. You can read Green's campaign finance report here.

Question: What surprises you most about these campaign finance reports for sheriff?

The Phantom Photographer of Huckleberries Online snapped this shot of the three Republican sheriff's candidate during the “speed-dating” event staged by the local Tea Party at the Greyhound Park: (from left) sheriff's Mayor Ben Wolfinger, Keith Hutcheson and John Green.

Question: Why is Ben Wolfinger looking at the microphone offered to him by Keith Hutcheson, like it is a dog turd? And why is John Green sweating?

After nearly three decades with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department, Ben Wolfinger said he is ready to tackle the county's highest law enforcement position. “It's time to step up and be a leader,” said Wolfinger, a major with the sheriff's department who has filed to run for sheriff. Wolfinger pointed out that since starting with the sheriff's department in 1983, he has worked in every branch, including jail, patrol and detectives. He was promoted to captain in 1995, and appointed to major in 2009/Alecia Warren, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: The Reasonable Republicans rank Wolfinger and Keith Hutcheson as qualified. Hutcheson also has backing of Reagan Republicans. John Green is endorsed by local Tea Party. Who wins?

I was watching a replay of wannabe John Green's rant from the sheriff's candidate forum in February about the “cowards” who hide in the dark “spreading hate & dissension” online, when the thought hit me: Bob Foster was wise to file as an Independent. Foster? He's the Coeur d'Alene code enforcement officer who took part in the Republican forum with Green & three others. And then decided to run as an Independent. Foster has the schooling and law enforcement background to be a good sheriff. But he would have been lost in the crowd of candidates in the Kootenai County GOPrimary race. Green has the backing of the Tea Party/United Conservatives crowd. Keith Hutcheson has the backing of the Reagan Republicans. And Ben Wolfinger has the backing of mainstream/chamber Republicans. Foster would likely have finished fourth in that race. However, as an Independent, he has 6 more months to make himself known to the public. Should he be an Independent facing Green (and that could happen depending on the primary split), he can bank on support from Republicans who individuals who backed Wolfinger & Hutcheson, as well as Independents & Democrats shut out by the Republicans closed primary. Of course, two other men have filed as Independents — Tom Dickson, a former sheriff's captain, and Joe Bodman, the former Post Falls councilman. No matter how the race plays out, Foster has improved his chances — DFO.

Question: Who do you think will win the sheriff's race?

Keith Hutcheson, former Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police chief (left), and sheriff's Major Ben Wolfinger mull a question at the candidates forum for the Kootenai County Republican sheriff's nomination at Coeur d'Alene Library Wednesday night. I consider these two the most qualified of five-man field.

Observations:

• Wolfinger wasn't a hit with several Constitutionalists in the crowd when he described the sheriff's office as a “paramilitary organization.”
• Foster was the only one to answer question re: who he'd vote for if he wasn't running — Hutcheson.
• Green answered question re: how long he's lived in Kootenai County carefully, stating that he has owned land here for awhile.
• Wolfinger is the only candidate who said the county needs to build a new jail.
• Green didn't score points with some when he said the county might be arresting too many people at a time when 77 percent of the inmates in the county jail are there for felonies.
• Wolfinger posed the $64,000 question to Johnson when he asked how Johnson's candidacy had credibility since he has no police background but does have a criminal record as a result of a guilty plea last year for heroin possession. Johnson was also involved in a downtown Coeur d'Alene incident in which he shot two men from Moses Lake.

• Monday Poll: Keith Hutcheson, chief of the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police, was the clear favorite in the five-way race to succeed Kootenai County Sheriff Rocky Watson. Hutcheson attracted 189 of 320 votes (59.06%) to beat sheriff's Major Ben Wolfinger, who was second with 97 of 320 votes (30.31%). Others attracting votes were John Green, 23 (7.19%), Adam Johnson 6 (1.88%), and Bob Foster 5 (1.56%).
• Today's Question: Is ex-Arizona sheriff Richard Mack a good choice to speak at the Kootenai County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner?

John Green, a Kootenai County sheriff's candidate, was present at the first meeting of United Conservatives of North Idaho, the re-invented Rally Right group, but was the only candidate to miss the sheriff's forum sponsored by the Reagan Republicans Thursday.

Jail expansion, unionization, deputy retention and gun rights. Three of the four Republican candidates for Kootenai County sheriff fired off reasons Thursday why they are the best officer for the job. Bob Foster, Keith Hutcheson and Ben Wolfinger each have decades of law enforcement experience and each is vying for the department's top post. Something should be done with increasing the jail if the demand calls for it, the candidates said, though they differed on what option they would support. “I'm not opposed to tents,” said Foster, a code enforcement officer with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, who began his law enforcement career in 1967 in California. Exploring cheaper options, if they meet regulations, should be the first choice, he said, referring to the tents Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio set up in Arizona/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Should the Kootenai County sheriff use tents to house prisoners more cheaply, like controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio does?

At the sheriff's candidates forum, sponsored by the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans, sheriff's Major Ben Wolfinger talks with Bob Balser.

HucksOnline received this report from sheriff's forum staged by Reagan Republicans at noon today: “Ben Wolfinger's theme seemed to be Wolfinger's experience.  Most Conservative Republicans said that Keith Hutcheson was their man.  Someone stated how great it was to have a collection of Conservatives running for the job. Bob Foster is a supporter of the Second Amendment.  He would like to shake the hand of the man who stopped the knife assault at Goodwill. Keith Hutcheson recounted how he picked up some illegal aliens once in this area and held them for ICE officials.  He said he almost got in trouble go that one. … Keith Hutcheson had printed letters and envelopes, so people could contribute to his campaign.  The others just had business cards. Ben Wolfinger passed out business cards which (didn't have) the word 'Republican' on them but there was a “(R)” on the card this time.  Some privately criticized Wolfinger for having contributed money to Democrats in the past.”

• John Green, the favorite of the Far Right, was a no-show.
• Tom Hasslinger's preliminary report for Coeur d'Alene Press here