Pitting all eight Republican senators who opposed public schools chief Tom Luna’s education reforms against incumbents is the talk of the Statehouse this week. “We feel like we have targets on our backs,” said one of the Endangered Eight, who was spooked enough by the Republican legislative redistricting proposal to ask not to be identified. Said Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, “I’m content to put the best construction on it, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen in my 62 years that much coincidence.” Coincidence it is, said the author of the GOP plan, redistricting Commissioner Lou Esposito of Boise/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Is the Redistricting Commission another front for hardline GOP conservatives who are still trying to purge their party of any elected officials to the left of Atilla the Hun?