Democrats seeking northern exposure

BOISE – If money is an indication, North Idaho’s hottest legislative race is in its northernmost district, which stretches up to the Canadian border.

According to the latest campaign finance reports, water resources scientist Steve Elgar has raised more than $56,000 for his campaign, the most of any legislative candidate in North Idaho. The Democrat is in a three-way race for an open state House seat, against Republican Eric Anderson and Libertarian Frank Reichert.

Anderson, a Priest Lake businessman, has raised nearly $24,000. The race is in a district that just a decade ago was represented entirely by Democrats in the state Legislature, and now is represented entirely by Republicans.

Idaho political historian Randy Stapilus called this one of Idaho’s “battleground legislative districts,” and said the outcome of the open-seat House race could determine whether Democrats can regain a foothold in a former area of strength.

“I’m campaigning remarkably hard,” Elgar said. “I have been knocking on doors almost every single day since the first of April. I’ve knocked on almost 6,000 doors.”

Interestingly, Elgar and Anderson both are elected members of the local Northern Lights Electric Cooperative board, where they serve together even as they are campaigning against each other for the Legislature.

“We get along fine,” Elgar said. “Once in a while there’s a joke.”

Anderson, 47, said he’s a supporter of retiring Rep. John Campbell, R-Sandpoint, who “always anticipated that I would throw my hat into the ring” when Campbell left office. Anderson has been elected to the local fire commission and the sewer board.

Elgar, 54, is a former University of Idaho engineering professor who said he wants to bring his knowledge of water and budgets to the Statehouse. “North Idaho needs some hard-working, intelligent people in the Legislature to be a strong voice,” he said.

Reichert, of Naples, has raised a little over $850 for his Libertarian campaign, much of it his own money. He reported spending $120 since the primary election, for Internet advertising.

Though Elgar’s campaign may be seen as a bellwether for Democrats in the district, he’s raised a large chunk of his ample campaign funds from friends and relatives outside the district.

“I have students and colleagues all over the place, they all know me and they think I’ll do a good job,” he said. “They live in different states, but they care about me, and they all think having good people in government is important.”

Elgar also has received campaign donations from individuals in the district, and from traditional Democratic sources, including the House Democratic Caucus and Restore Representative Government, which each gave $1,000.

Anderson’s campaign war chest, though substantial, is less than half the size of Elgar’s. His money was drawn mostly from individuals in the district, plus some PAC donations and Republican committees, like the House Republican Caucus ($1,000) and Sen. Mike Crapo’s Freedom Fund ($500).

Elgar said he doesn’t see party as the biggest factor in the campaign. “If I didn’t campaign and my opponents didn’t campaign and we just put our names down, I’d probably lose. The default would be to pick a Republican, especially in a presidential election year where most likely North Idaho is going to vote for the Republican candidate for president,” he said. “But as soon as you start talking to people, they forget that party stuff entirely.”

He added, “When we knock on people’s doors, one of the questions we ask is when you vote, do you usually vote for Republicans or Democrats? Ninety percent say, ‘No, I try to pick the best person.’ “

The latest campaign finance reports show that the legislative candidate with the second-biggest campaign war chest in North Idaho is Bob Nonini, the Kootenai County Republican chairman who is running for former Post Falls Rep. Hilde Kellogg’s House seat. Nonini has raised $40,865 in campaign funds, more than twice as much as his Democratic opponent, David Larsen, who has raised $15,599. Constitution Party candidate Rose Johnson, who is also in that race, reported raising a total of about $450 from four individuals.

The election is Nov. 2.