Seven state legislative seats are at stake in Tuesday’s election in Idaho’s northernmost counties. Here are The Spokesman-Review editorial board’s endorsements.

District 1, House seat A: So far, the third match-up between Republican incumbent Eric Anderson and Democrat Steve Elgar is the state’s most expensive legislative race. Anderson has made a name for himself by bringing state resources to the battle against milfoil, the scourge of Idaho lakes. He also has worked to bring more moviemaking to Idaho, open state land for renewable energy projects and help first responders, including volunteer firefighters.

Elgar says Anderson is too tied to special interests and that big business lobbyists have too much control over the Legislature. He wants to boost school funding and expand access to health care.

Anderson represents the district well and has earned a third term.

District 1, House seat B: Voters in Bonner and Boundary counties have two well-qualified candidates to choose from in this race. Democrat Tom Hollingsworth, a retired small businessman from Bonners Ferry, serves on several community boards, including the Boundary County Planning and Zoning Commission.

Incumbent George Eskridge, R-Dover, worked with Boise Democrats to draft alternative energy legislation; he sees it as Idaho’s next economic driver. He has a far-reaching vision to reform Idaho’s property tax structure to provide homeowner relief, and he’s fought to improve the safety of the highways leading to his district.

Given a fifth term, Eskridge will have the necessary clout to continue work on these important issues. He gets our endorsement.

District 2, Senate: Incumbent Republican Joyce Broadsword has been a persistent advocate for Idaho’s children. She supports strengthening state child care standards, and she initiated legislation to change Idaho’s lax child-restraint law.

District 2 includes Benewah and Shoshone counties and part of Bonner and Kootenai counties. The sewer and water systems in many of the district’s small towns need replacing, and Broadsword is helping towns figure out funding.

Her opponent, Democrat Rand Lewis of Worley, is a former University of Idaho professor with no political experience.

In a downsized state budget cycle, Broadsword – a member of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee – is best-suited to get things done for her district.

District 2, House seat B: Voters have a dramatic choice of near opposites in this race. Republican incumbent Dick Harwood of St. Maries believes that nature heals itself, so environmental standards shouldn’t be strict. He says he has a good relationship with the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe, but Harwood worries that Idaho’s average “Joe the Plumber” doesn’t get as much from the state and federal government as tribal members do.

His opponent, C.J. Rose of Spirit Lake, is an openly gay Democrat with strong environmental leanings. She says she would work toward an ongoing dialogue with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

Harwood, who is seeking his fifth term in the Legislature, has solid Republican credentials in a solidly Republican district and Legislature.

But our endorsement goes to Rose, because she could become a strong voice for Idahoans – including liberal women – who are vastly underrepresented in the Legislature.

4th District, Senate: There’s a lot to like about Coeur d’Alene attorney Ken Howard, the Democrat who is running for the Idaho state Senate in the 4th District. He’s smart, insightful and articulate.

He’s also running against a four-term incumbent Republican, Sen. John Goedde, who has experience and a committee chairmanship.

A third candidate, independent Jeremy Boggess, is making his second run at Goedde. His qualifications don’t match the other candidates’.

Howard, the local attorney in the civil case that brought down Richard Butler and his Aryan Nations, brings his lawyer’s perspective to bear on an array of other issues that will face the Legislature. He examines multiple points of view, grasps nuances and works for consensus.

Howard faults the Legislature for not complying with a state Supreme Court edict to fund school construction, while Goedde, an ideal person to push the issue as Senate education chairman, is satisfied with the lawmakers’ half-measures and relies on the separation-of-powers doctrine to keep the Supreme Court from imposing expenditures.

While Howard shows a greater commitment to environmental issues and open government than Goedde, the incumbent has performed well in many respects. He’s a persistent advocate of regularly re-examining some 70 sales-tax exemptions now on the books and a key backer of Coeur d’Alene’s higher education corridor.

In a choice between two strong candidates, Goedde gains the edge because his standing in the Senate makes him more effective on behalf of the 4th District than a freshman Democrat could be.

District 4, House seat A: Incumbent Republican Marge Chadderdon hopes to return for a third term to continue the work she’s done on lifelong learning. From her seat on the House Education Committee, she has worked to increase literacy in schools and wants to extend that work to adults. She also emphasizes work force training and greater access to higher education. Both issues will be increasingly important as the economy lags and workers are laid off.

Her opponent is Democrat Tamara Lee Poelstra, who has held a variety of positions within the party, but this is her first run for office. She would like to see schools funded more fairly and wants the state to examine tax exemptions.

Chadderdon has the leadership and experience advantage and gets the nod.

District 4, House seat B: The Democrats from North Idaho who have thrived in the overwhelmingly Republican Legislature are smart, politically savvy and work effectively across party lines. Democrat and incumbent George Sayler of Coeur d’Alene fits the bill.

He’s a fiscal conservative who serves as minority leader on the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. He’s worked for the removal of sales tax on groceries and higher child care standards. The retired teacher also supports Coeur d’Alene’s education corridor plan.

His opponent, Jim Hollingsworth, is a self-described “Constitutional Republican” who would be to the right of even the most conservative legislators.

Sayler says he first ran for office “to provide more balance in the Legislature.” Indeed, he has. Sayler has more than earned a fourth term.