Constitution Party of Idaho plans Lewiston debate between Writz, ‘Pro-Life’

There’s a rare event coming up in the May 17 Idaho primary – a contested race within the Constitution Party of Idaho, with two hopefuls running for the U.S. Senate seat held by GOP Sen. Mike Crapo. State party Chairman Floyd Whitley of Cottonwood said the party has scheduled a debate between the two candidates, Ray Writz of Coeur d’Alene and “Pro-Life,” formerly known as Marvin Richardson, of Letha, on May 7 in Lewiston; the public is invited.

The Constitution Party of Idaho had just 256 registered voters in Idaho in 2012, but now has 2,295, Whitley said. “With such strong growth, Constitution Party voters have become more diverse.”

He said the party’s first contested race was a legislative primary in District 1 in 2014. “Competition is good, especially in the political arena,” Whitley said. “Primary bids for elective office within the state … indicate that we are growing and our citizens are getting more involved. Both are good things.”

The debate will take place in the Clearwater Room of the Williams Conference Center at Lewis-Clark State College, 500 8 ^th Ave. in Lewiston, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 7. Whitley will serve as moderator and pose questions to the two candidates.

In Idaho’s March 8 presidential primary election, three Constitution Party rivals appeared on the ballot; Scott Copeland won with 250 votes or 51.5 percent. A total of 485 ballots were cast in the Constitution Party presidential matchup in Idaho.

Whitley said the party chose Lewiston for the debate because both candidates will have to travel roughly equal distances from their homes, and because Lewiston “has had relatively strong voter registration growth for us.” The party now has 55 registered members in Nez Perce County, he said. “That may not be considered significant to others, but it is for us.”