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BOISE – There’s another lively legislative race going on in North Idaho that wasn’t initially apparent from the campaign finance reports.

The reason: The report for Democratic candidate Tamara Lee Poelstra, who is challenging Rep. Marge Chadderdon, R-Coeur d’Alene, in District 4, hadn’t been posted to the Secretary of State’s Web site in the first few days after the reporting deadline, but it has now.

Chadderdon has raised $13,300 this year and spent just $3,086, and it didn’t look like a very active race when Democrat Bev Moss had raised and spent just $250. But Moss was just a placeholder – she withdrew in June in favor of Poelstra, who’s now raised $11,190 and spent $7,771 in her challenge to Chadderdon.

Poelstra received 57 contributions during the reporting period, mostly from individuals. She had just three PAC contributions, including her largest, $1,000 from the PAC for Education, and six contributions from other Democratic legislative candidates.

Her campaign expenditures included printing, advertising items like yard signs and buttons, postage, food and general office expenses.

Chadderdon’s biggest donors during the period were AGRA-PAC and the House Republican Caucus, at $1,000 apiece. Of her 19 contributions, only one, for $100, was from an individual; all the rest were from PACs, corporations or party committees, including two southern Idaho GOP legislators’ campaigns.

Chadderdon’s largest campaign expenditures during the period were for printing and advertising; she closed the reporting period Oct. 1 with $12,026 on hand for the final push, less $1,000 in debt. Poelstra had $3,419 in cash on hand at the close of the reporting period and no debt.

New poll: Minnick 51, Sali 45

A new automated Survey USA poll conducted last weekend for Roll Call found Democratic challenger Walt Minnick leading freshman GOP Rep. Bill Sali, 51 percent to 45 percent, with 4 percent undecided. The poll in the 1st Congressional District queried a sample of 613 likely voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 points.

The same poll found Republican presidential candidate John McCain leading Democrat Barack Obama in the district by 57 percent to 37 percent.

It showed Sali with a favorable/unfavorable rating of 33 percent/47 percent for a net of minus-14 – the same rating the survey found for Obama in the district, who polled 37 percent favorable/51 percent unfavorable.

Minnick, on the other hand, had a 45 percent/23 percent favorable/unfavorable rating, or a net of plus-22, the same as McCain’s net, at 53 percent favorable/31 percent unfavorable.

Burning gas, saving money?

Independent U.S. Senate candidate Rex Rammell has been driving all around the state in his giant, decorated campaign RV emblazoned with “Conservative Express” on the front. But asked what kind of gas mileage the vehicle gets, Rammell said sheepishly, “I’m too scared to check it.” The RV does have a 100-gallon gas tank.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘If he was conservative, he wouldn’t be driving around that thing,’ ” Rammell said. “But my argument is it’s probably saved me several thousand dollars. No. 1, it’s a moving billboard. So it’s saved me thousands of dollars in advertising. Plus, it’s campaign headquarters. I don’t have to pay for hotels, I can cook my own food. I think it was actually a conservative move for such a big race.”

Rammell is one of the five candidates running for the open U.S. Senate seat created by the retirement of Sen. Larry Craig. Other candidates are Republican Jim Risch, Democrat Larry LaRocco, Libertarian Kent Marmon and independent “Pro-Life,” formerly known as Marvin Richardson.

1st District campaign debt grows

The latest campaign finance reports show that 1st District Rep. Bill Sali’s campaign debt actually grew during the last quarter, rather than falling. Sali reported $136,575.93 in campaign debt at the close of the latest fundraising period, up from $135,673.73 in his previous quarterly report in July. He reported owing money to an array of consultants, employees and vendors.

Overall, Sali reported raising $230,130 during the quarter, spending $273,587, and closing the period with $202,378 on hand. His Democratic challenger, Walt Minnick, also has a campaign debt, but it’s to himself. He loaned his campaign $300,000 during the quarter, and also reported raising $640,379 and spending $1.2 million. He closed the period with $176,845 on hand.