It appears that a conservative block will run for three Coeur d'Alene City Council seats, headed by incumbent Steve Adams, who has made a name for himself -- good or bad -- for opposing purchases or other expenditures that have federal money attached to them. Adams will be opposed for his council seat by former county clerk Dan English and Bruce MacNeil. In a last-minute surprise, Barbara Hedden filed against incumbent Dan Gookin, who may have lost social conservatives as a result of his vote in favor of the anti-discrimination ordinance but seems to have gained others by opposing urban renewal and McEuen Park. In the final contest, incumbent Ron Edinger will face relative newcomer Toby Schindelbeck. My guess is that Schindelbeck is running this uphill race against an admired council member to gain name recognition for a possible re-match with Rep. Luke Malek in the closed GOP primary next spring. (The county clerk provided a complete rundown of all the filings for office this fall here.)

Question: With opposition from the further right against him, does this mean that Councilman Gookin has become more mainstream?