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May 20
M
A story in
Idaho
BOISE – Good grief – it’s happened again. It turns out that it’s not only up north that one warring GOP faction has tried to hijack another one’s name, as in Kootenai County Reagan Republicans vs. Kootenai County Reagan Republicans Inc. It’s happening in Twin Falls, too. Down there, the chair of the Twin Falls GOP Central Committee, Gretchen Clelland, sent out a press release the day before Tuesday’s primary election warning that election materials being distributed by Rick Martin, who was challenging an incumbent precinct committeeman, said, “Paid for by Republican Central Committee of Twin Falls County, Inc.”
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When the dust from candidate filing week settled at the close of business Friday, there were a few surprises in who is running for what. But the biggest surprise was who isn’t running. For the first time since 1996, a Spokane primary election ballot will be printed without Barbara Lampert’s name on it.
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May 17
M
A story in
Idaho
BOISE – Tax-protesting Idaho state Rep. Phil Hart’s legislative career appears done. Hart was defeated in a four-way Republican primary Tuesday, according to unofficial results, edged out by Ed Morse, a longtime real estate appraiser from Hayden. Morse will face former longtime Kootenai County Clerk Dan English in the Nov. 6 general election.
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Among the fallout from Tuesday's primary election: Tax-protesting Idaho state Rep. Phil Hart's legislative career will end this year. Hart was defeated in a four-way GOP primary, edged out by Ed Morse, a longtime real estate appraiser from Hayden. Now Morse will face former longtime Kootenai County Clerk Dan English in November.
Despite high-dollar attempts by interest groups and even other lawmakers to target various legislative incumbents around the state for defeat, Hart and eastern Idaho Rep. ...
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Tax-protesting Idaho state Rep. Phil Hart's legislative career will end this year, Idaho voters decided on Tuesday.
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Idaho Gov. Otter endorsed seven candidates in yesterday's GOP primary for legislative seats; all but one won. The exception: Former Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, who lost a rematch with Sen. Steve Vick, R-Dalton Gardens, who unseated him two years ago.
The others: Sen. Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson, who defeated Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, in a redistricting-forced face-off; Todd Lakey, who defeated Rep. ...
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Gov. Butch Otter told the Associated Press today that he expects GOP leaders at their state party convention in June to debate the merits of the party's new closed primary election, after Tuesday's record-low turnout. "It will be, 'What should we do? Should we make any changes?' " Otter told AP reporter John Miller; click below for Miller's full report. Otter was among those who opposed closing the primary, but the Idaho Republican Party sued the state and won, overturning the previous open primary system. ...
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Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Larry Grant has issued a post-primary election statement calling on Idahoans to vote Democratic in November. “In many Republican races, voters saw a choice between someone they were angry with versus someone they were scared of,” Grant said. “Republicans who prevailed, by and large, are the same people who cut education funding and who have treated state government like it is their own private club.” You can read his full statement here.
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Idaho Republican Party Chairman Norm Semanko has sent out a post-primary message, pleading for Republicans to come together after yesterday's bitterly divisive primary election. "2012 brings a great opportunity for Idaho Republicans - we must not, and we will not squander it," Semanko writers. Of the primary he said, "Some would argue that this competition damaged the Party; I argue the opposite. ...
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Continuing the statewide trend of more-moderate Republicans winning in yesterday's GOP primary, Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, defeated Bonner County Commission Chairman Cornel Rasor, and Broadsword will become a Bonner County commissioner, as no Democrats filed for the seat. Rasor is the current chairman of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee. Broadsword, a log home company owner, is a fourth-term state senator.
Rasor is a tea party backer and property rights activist who declared on his re-election website, "Zoning and owning are incompatible." As commission chairman, he hired local tea party leader Pam Stout to coordinate a controversial county "Property Rights Council." As central committee chairman, he sent a letter to Arizona Gov. ...
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And now, well after midnight North Idaho time (and after 1 a.m. Boise time), Kootenai County has its final results, and they show an upset: Rep. Phil Hart has lost to challenger Ed Morse in the GOP primary. Hart had 1,746 votes, 31.2 percent, while Morse had 1,984 votes, 35.34 percent. Trailing were Ron Vieselmeyer with 1,116 votes, 19.94 percent, and Fritz Wiedenhoff, 751 votes, 13.42 percent. ...
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Idaho’s inaugural closed primary election Tuesday turned into a nasty internal squabble for the state’s dominant Republican Party, as GOP leaders, factions and interest groups turned on each other in a bid to take control. Still, state Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, and state Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, held off tea party challengers in the primary, as did moderate Republicans across the state. Tax-protesting Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, was vying with three GOP challengers, but the vote-counting was to continue well into this morning. For up-to-date results, go to www.spokesman.com.
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Two bomb scares disrupted voting Tuesday in Idaho. In Coeur d’Alene, voting was temporarily delayed at Woodland Middle School, the polling place for two Idaho precincts in Tuesday’s primary election, after the building was evacuated for fear of a bomb. Officials did not say what prompted the scare.
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Finally, at long last, the first set of numbers from Kootenai County: In District 2, Sen. Steve Vick is leading former Sen. Mike Jorgenson, 59.4%-40.6%; Rep. Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens, is leading challenger Mark Fisher, 53.1-46.9; and Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, is trailing challenger Ed Morse. Morse has 38.1%, Hart 31.1%, Ron Vieselmeyr 17.9% and Fritz Wiedenhoff 13%.
Meanwhile, in the District 3A race, Jeff Tyler leads Ron Mendive, 55.5-44.5; in 3B, Rep. ...
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Votes still are being tallied, but all three District 1 GOP incumbents appear to have easily held off challenges from tea party candidates. Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, had 70 percent of the vote over GOP challenger Danielle Ahrens, with 41 percent reporting. Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, had 66 percent over Pam Stout, and Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, garnered 61 percent of the vote in early returns while holding off two primary challengers. ...
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Election results are starting to flow in, though it's just a trickle to start with. No big surprises as of yet, with Reps. Mike Simpson and Raul Labrador easily defeating their primary challengers - 71%-29% for Simpson over Chick Heileson, and 82%-18% for Labrador over Reed McCandless - and Democratic hopefuls Nicole LeFavour and Jimmy Farris also easily defeating their primary challengers. ...
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At the Idaho Republican Party's election-night watch party at the Riverside Hotel tonight, party Chairman Norm Semanko led off by introducing Gov. Butch Otter. There are very few election results in yet; just a smattering of numbers from a few counties. Otter talked about the race for the White House and California's problems - repeating his earlier comment that "if California were my horse, I'd shoot it, it is so sick," and forgot to introduce his wife, Lori. ...
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Initial reports are suggesting a light turnout for today's first-ever closed primary election in Idaho, though that could still change, since the 5-8 p.m. time is the heaviest voting period of the day. "From 5 to 8, you either make it or break it," said Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa. "We just don't know."
When I voted around 2:30 p.m. (non-partisan ballot only), things were anything but busy, and the poll workers said they'd only seen about 100 people so far, a turnout comparable to the Greater Boise Auditorium District election last year. ...
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Idaho voters go to the polls today for the first election under the state’s new closed-primary system. That means for the first time, Idaho voters must register by party. And while they can choose to register as a Republican, a Democrat, a Libertarian, a Constitution Party member or unaffiliated, only those who register as Republicans can vote in the GOP primary. Republicans dominate Idaho politics; in Kootenai County, there aren’t any Democrats running for local county offices.
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Idaho voters go to the polls Tuesday - they're open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. - for the first election under the state's new closed-primary system. Idaho's legislative districts have been redrawn since the last election, and many polling locations have changed. To check districts and where to vote, go to the Idaho Secretary of State's voter website, www.idahovotes.gov. ...
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Idaho voters go to the polls Tuesday - they're open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. - for the first election under the state's new closed-primary system.
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Good grief. It turns out that it's not only up north that one warring GOP faction has tried to hijack another one's name (see this post from last week). It's happening in Twin Falls, too. Check out this press release from Twin Falls Republican Central Committee Chair Gretchen Clelland:
PRESS RELEASE
DATE: May, 14, 2012
FROM: Gretchen Clelland, Twin Falls County Republican Central Committee
TO: All Media
MISLEADING ADVERTISING CLAIMING TO BE FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
In the last several days leading up to the GOP Primary election material falsely claiming to represent the Twin Falls Republican Party has been distributed. ...
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More last-minute campaign contributions, funneling of money between interconnected PACs and independent campaign expenditures are being reported today, the day before the primary election, with most coming from the same players. Here's today's roundup, updated as of 5 p.m.:
The Free Enterprise PAC reported spending $5,301 on an independent-expenditure campaign against Republican Lee Staker, who's running for re-election to the Bonneville County commission (Idaho Falls); and in favor of Brian Farnsworth, who's running in a three-way GOP primary for the Jefferson County commission (Rigby). ...
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In messages ahead of tomorrow's first-ever closed Republican Party primary in Idaho - and the Democratic primary, which remains open to everyone - the chairmen of Idaho's Democratic and Republican parties have issued statements. Idaho GOP Chairman Norm Semanko defends the closed primary, declaring, "We will have the right to select candidates who represent our values without interference from other parties or special interest groups for the first time in nearly 40 years." You can read his full statement here.
Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Larry Grant, meanwhile, is urging against calls for Democrats and independents to register as Republicans and vote in the GOP primary. ...
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May 13
M
A story in
Idaho
BOISE – Among the weirdest things that emerged from campaign finance reports in Idaho this week – which showed that House Republican leaders were funneling money from their leadership PAC to another PAC that then was targeting one of those same House leaders for defeat – was the purported purpose of that second PAC. It’s called GunPAC and claims to be all about promoting gun rights. But of the three House incumbents it’s targeting, one owns a gun store; the second is a Vietnam veteran who’s championed military and gun issues; and the third is House Majority Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, the treasurer of the very House Leadership Victory Fund whose money GunPAC is using to try to defeat the three.
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Everyone thinking about running for political office this year, take note: You have less than a week to make up your mind. Everyone talking about running and acting like they’re already full-fledged candidates, take note: It’s not official until you file your paperwork and pay your fee. Candidate filing week starts Monday morning and ends when the office where that paperwork and fee must be deposited closes on Friday. Here’s a tricky part – because of budget cutbacks, some county elections offices close as early as noon on Fridays, others at 4 p.m., and some stay open until 5 p.m. Anyone planning to wait until the last minute to build suspense would be wise to make a phone call to the appropriate office and check when that last minute is.
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There's been a bumper crop this afternoon of reports of last-minute campaign contributions and independent expenditures filed with the Idaho Secretary of State's office. Among them: IACI's Idaho Prosperity Fund reported spending another $18,000 on independent mailings and ads supporting Reps. Joe Palmer, Mike Moyle, Reed DeMordaunt, Sens. John Tippets and Patti Anne Lodge, Senatehopeful Rep. ...
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The thousands of dollars funneling between a web of affiliated PACs to target certain Republican incumbents has prompted some lawmakers to call for campaign finance reforms, the Twin Falls Times-News reports today. Times-News reporter Melissa Davlin reports that Magic Valley lawmakers like Reps. Fred Wood, Maxine Bell, Jim Patrick and House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke are decrying the transfer of money from the House Victory Fund, traditionally used to help incumbent Republicans, to GunPAC, which is targeting their colleagues, including House Majority Caucus Chair Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly.
"That’s not the only finance issue making some Republicans uncomfortable," Davlin writes. ...
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BOISE – In the hard-fought GOP primary races in North Idaho’s Legislative District 2, campaign finance reports show that challengers have outraised two of the three incumbents, including tax-protesting Rep. Phil Hart. Hart has raised $6,738 for his campaign, while challenger Ed Morse has raised more than twice as much – $16,479 – and challenger Fritz Wiedenhoff has raised $7,748. That GOP primary also includes Ron Vieselmeyer, who trails with $3,791. Hart also reported a $31,827 outstanding debt to himself.
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In the hard-fought GOP primary races in North Idaho's legislative District 2, campaign finance reports show that challengers have out-raised two of the three incumbents, including tax-protesting Rep. Phil Hart. Hart has raised $6,738 for his campaign, while challenger Ed Morse has raised more than twice as much - $16,479 - and challenger Fritz Wiedenhoff has raised $7,748. That GOP primary also includes Ron Vieselmeyer, who trails with $3,791. ...
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In the hard-fought GOP primary races in North Idaho's legislative District 2, campaign finance reports show that challengers have out-raised two of the three incumbents, including tax-protesting Rep. Phil Hart.
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Avista Corp. issued a statement today saying it was "disappointed" in my article in today's Spokesman-Review on how the utility is spending thousands to target two North Idaho GOP lawmakers for defeat in Tuesday's primary, suggesting the article was misleading because it lacked greater examination of the entire scope of the utility’s political activities, including its activities in the state of Washington. ...
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Ron Paul's national campaign is disavowing efforts by Idaho supporters to use little-noticed precinct committee races as part of a strategy to overturn the results of Idaho's presidential caucus, which Mitt Romney won with 62 percent support. "In Idaho, isolated instances of grassroots activists working toward an ostensible 'hostile takeover' of the GOP are not sanctioned by the Ron Paul national campaign," national campaign manager John Tate said in a statement. ...
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BOISE – Avista Corp. is spending thousands of dollars trying to unseat two longtime North Idaho legislators, throwing its support behind tea party-backed challengers in next week’s Republican primary. Being targeted is state Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, who supported unsuccessful efforts to establish a consumer advocate to review utility rate requests, and state Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, who advocates greater diversity in Idaho’s energy supply. Avista opposed both proposals.
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Avista Corp. is spending thousands of dollars trying to unseat two longtime North Idaho legislators, throwing its support behind tea party backed challengers in next week’s Republican primary. Being targeted is state Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, who supported unsuccessful efforts to establish a consumer advocate to review utility rate requests, and state Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, who advocates greater diversity in Idaho’s energy supply. ...
