According to the latest campaign finance reports, GOP primary challenger Megan Blanksma has raised more than $28,000 since Jan. 1 for her campaign for the House seat now held by Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, while Nielsen has raised just $2,920 in the same time period. Nielsen received just six contributions, the largest being two $1,000 contributions from related entities at the same address in Glenns Ferry. That could be a violation of the state’s Sunshine Law, which limits contributions from related entities to a legislative candidate to $1,000 per primary or general election.

Blanksma, by contrast, reported eight pages of donations, most of them from individuals, couples, or farm-related businesses in the district. She also reported maximum $1,000 donations from the Idaho Potato Industry PAC, the Idaho Association of Realtors PAC, AGRA-PAC, Idaho AGC PAC, and Idaho Sugarbeet Growers. In addition, she contributed $1,000 of her own money and loaned her campaign another $4,500.Her campaign expenses mostly were for literature and postage, but she also reported hiring Tracy Consulting for broadcast advertising. Nielsen spent most of his campaign funds on advertising, and reported a campaign debt to himself of $515.

Nielsen, a seven-term state representative, apologized this year after repeatedly making statements in legislative hearings and media interviews that he believed rape and incest are unlikely to result in pregnancy; he also was arrested this year for poaching an elk. Blanksma is a farmer from Hammett and the current Elmore County GOP chair. Nielsen also faces another GOP challenger, Justin Freeman of Marsing, who has not yet filed his campaign finance report. (I’ll update this post when that one comes in.)