Cross-messaging
The other reasons for running.
In Idaho, eight candidates are competing for the Republican nomination for governor. More or less: “Competing” isn’t exactly the right word.
Count it as close to a certainty as politics gets that Brad Little, the incumbent and twice the party’s nominee for the office (not to mention a two-time general election winner), will prevail in this month’s primary election. He has vastly more money than any of the others, and more than that he is far better known, has strong organizational support, an experienced campaign structure and more.
You could ask the same of the little-known Republican candidates for the three congressional offices, where the incumbents are about as certain to win their nominations again. (I say “nearly” only out of a point of rigor: Nothing absolutely happens until it happens.) And much of all this applies to other non-Republican candidates too.)
So if there is no plausible chance of winning, what do the other seven contenders think - assuming they’re not delusional - they’re doing?
There can be rational reasons. You could run as a protest candidate, to express disapproval of the frontrunner and bring criticisms to a wider audience. Or to shine a spotlight, or at least light a match,illuminate an idea or cause not getting needed attention.
Taken on that level, let’s quickly run through these GOP governor contenders, with an assist from an efficient May 6 overview in the Idaho Ed News.
Mark Fitzpatrick, maybe the best known of the group and certainly holder of the largest campaign treasury (after Little), has spoken on some standard-issue Republican issues like “waste, fraud and corruption.” But his focus seems better represented in his profile on the state Republican Party website: “Mark Fitzpatrick is a faith driven husband, father of six, retired police officer, successful entrepreneur, and owner of Old State Saloon in Eagle, Idaho, along with a wedding venue dedicated to celebrating traditional marriage. A lifelong Republican from a conservative law enforcement family, he homeschools his children and stands as a bold culture warrior. He founded ‘Heterosexual Awesomeness Month’ to champion biblical family design and has pursued other unapologetic conservative initiatives that gained global viral attention.”
Okay. I think we got it.
Daniel Fowler came to Idaho in 2020 and spoke of wanting to “fix” public schools, with tax vouchers being a help toward that end.
Ethan Giles said on the state GOP website, “I’m running for Governor to clean up our state debt.
We must reverse those tax cuts that gave our surplus away! We must also redirect the school voucher program into Special Education.” He may want to do a little more research on state finances; while there’s plenty to criticize in Idaho tax policy, the state government is not running a deficit, partly because it cannot under the state constitution. But that seems to be his cause.
Justin Plante is a mechanic from Kimberly, and his concern seems broader: “All I’ve done is fix things my whole life. The government’s no different.”
Lisa Marie of Eagle, a second-time candidate for governor, is an advocate for missing children.
Ron James is the one in this group who holds a public office, that of Teton County commissioner. He also probably comes closest to being an in-party rebel, saying Little hasn’t been communicative and legislators vote for their ideology rather than their constituents. Like Marie, he didn’t have a page on the state Republican website.
Sean Calvert Crystal may be the most interesting of the bunch. His party website page focuses on his conservative views (“I believe in limited government, personal responsibility, accountability, and protecting individual freedoms”) but there’s only a glancing allusion to his business in Idaho Falls: 710 Spectrum, which its website says “aspires to illuminate the path to quality, affordability, and excellence in the cannabis world.”
None of them, by the way, seem to have anything to say about President Trump.
It’s a varied group, though. A vote for any of them would send a message. Choose carefully.