The Idaho Statesman has listed seven legislative races to watch in Idaho, including the District 2 matchup between Republican Ed Morse and Democrat Dan English. The Statesman says this about that race:

“This is the seat that was held by Republican Phil Hart.  Hart’s years of not paying income taxes have caught up with him, he now faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and penalties, both state and federal, and has been in and out of court all year.  Hart lost his seat in the primary to Republican Ed Morse. Morse now faces Democrat Dan English, who is well known in North Idaho.  English originally got into the race thinking he would face Hart.  It's a Republican District, so English faces an uphill battle.” You can read what the Statesman says about the other 6 races to watch here.

Question: How much of a chance do you give Democrat English of winning a race in a solid Republican district?

(Phil) Hart's primary opponents include Ron Vieselmeyer, 71, an outspoken Christian conservative, ordained minister, former state lawmaker and current North Idaho College trustee; longtime Hayden real estate appraiser Ed Morse; and local firefighter Fritz Wiedenhoff. The winner of the four-way race will face Democrat Dan English in November. Vieselmeyer said issues aren’t as much at stake in this year’s race as people. “It’s either somebody else wins and represents them, or they continue to have Phil Hart representing them,” he said. “And that’s been an uncomfortable situation for a lot of people”/Betsy Russell, SR. More here.

DFO: I've been trying to figure out how former legislator Ron Vieselmeyer will affect this race. He attracts the same conservative crowd as Hart. Meanwhile, Reagan Republicans have endorsed Ed Morse. I view this as a three-man race with Fritz Wiedenhoff finishing a distant fourth.

Question: Will Ron Vieselmeyer pull votes away from Hart or Morse?

At the Tea Party speed-date event at the Greyhound Park Wednesday night, state Rep. Phil Hart emphasizes a point while opponents for his House Seat 2B seat listen. They are (from left): Fritz Wiedenhoff, Ed Morse, Hart, and Ron Vieselmeyer.

A Berry Picker reports: There seemed to be a pretty good crowd at the Greyhound Events Center when we got there at 5:20 or so.  Walked in & was immediately greeted by Luke Malek who was holding the door open for folks entering the venue.  There were lots of other people offering flyers and talking point cards of their candidates in the entryway.  The Recall booth was located just passed the bar (!) and next to the booth where people could register to vote. We were approached to sign the Recall petition several times and we declined, politely. More below.

Thoughts?

Via Facebook, former state senator Mike Jorgenson announces today: “I'm happy to announce that Mark Fisher and Ed Morse are joining me in a coalition of independent, intelligent conservatives running in the Republican primary. Hit 'like' if you think we need better ideas coming out of Boise.”

Question: How will the decision by Jorgenson, Fisher and Morse help/hurt them in the three Legislative District 2 races?

• Monday Poll: Hucks Nation believes the five-way race for the House District 2B GOP primary favors controversial incumbent Phil Hart. 43 of 113 respondents (38.05%) say Rep. Phil Hart will win the primary despite considerable baggage. 37 of 113 respondents (32.74%) says challenger Ed Morse will win. 14 of 113 (12.39%) say former legislator Ron Vieselmeyer will win, while 11 (9.73%) say Hayden Councilwoman Jeri DeLange will win and 8 (7.08%) favor Wiedenhoff.
• Today's Question: Do you think Richard Mack actually will speak at the Kootenai County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner?

Kootenai County Republicans continue to be the Political Gang That Can't Shoot Straight. They're about to botch a golden opportunity to send Artful Tax Dodger Phil Hart of Athol packing during the GOPrimary election in May by flooding the field with challengers. Yeah, yeah, I know that local party poohbahs can't tell candidates not to run. And, given the ideological makeup of the badly split local party, I wouldn't want them to do so. But someone should take the contendahs for Hart's throne aside — and let them know that the crowded field benefits the controversial incumbent. Give the nature of his starry-eyed, passionate disciples, Hart would be hard to beat in a one-on-one race. The candidacies of Ed Morse, Councilwoman Jeri DeLange, and possibly Fritz Wiedenhoff make this a three-on-one race, splitting the remaining vote. I've often wondered why challengers for elected positions don't realize that the goal for the overall good is to beat a controversial incumbent like Hart, not personal ambition. I predict Hart will win a four-way race, despite his mountain of baggage. Help us, Obi Wan Dan English, you're our only hope — DFO.

Question: Why don't challengers realize that a crowded field tends to benefit the incumbent?

Breaking! Fritz E. Wiedenhoff of Rathdrum told the Pachyderm Club this AM that he's filing for Phil Hart's House District 2B seat instead of Steve Vick's Senate seat b/c Mike Jorgenson wants to run against Vick.

The race for state Rep. Phil Hart's House District 2B seat just got curiouser as Hayden City Councilwoman Jeri DeLange (pictured) has filed. That means three people now running for the spot: Hart, DeLange and Ed Morse — as well as Democrat Dan English. Nothing else has changed in the race for spots now held by Hart, Vito Barbieri and Steve Vick (although, Huckleberries hears that former state senator Mike Jorgenson should file to challenge Vick for his old seat).

Question: Will Jeri's filing split the vote with Ed Morse, improving Hart's chances to survive the GOPrimary?

Two longtime Hayden-area businessmen have announced their candidacies against Idaho Reps. Phil Hart and Vito Barbieri in the GOP primary. Ed Morse, who is challenging Hart, is a real estate appraiser and consultant and board member of the Reagan Republicans group; Mark Fisher (pictured), challenging Barbieri, runs an employee benefits insurance and consulting firm and is a past president of the local Rotary Club. The two, who held a joint announcement last month at a Hayden deli, say they offer practical solutions to the North Idaho district's problems, from jobs to regulations, rather than ideological crusades with little impact/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Question: Can businessmen Ed Morse and Mark Fisher beat the hardline House District 3 team of Phil Hart & Vito Barbieri in the GOP primaries?

Two longtime Hayden-area businessmen have announced their candidacies against Idaho Reps. Phil Hart and Vito Barbieri in the GOP primary. Ed Morse, who is challenging Hart, is a real estate appraiser and consultant and board member of the Reagan Republicans group; Mark Fisher, challenging Barbieri, runs an employee benefits insurance and consulting firm and is a past president of the local Rotary Club. The two, who held a joint announcement last month at a Hayden deli, say they offer practical solutions to the North Idaho district's problems, from jobs to regulations, rather than ideological crusades with little impact. Hart is the tax-protesting lawmaker who's still fighting back state and federal income taxes; Barbieri, whom Hart recruited to run, is a first-term lawmaker who's pushed for nullification of federal health-care laws. You can read my full story here at spokesman.com.