Betsy Russell: Bujak says he’d consider a future switch to GOP
John Bujak, the Libertarian candidate for governor, says if he’s elected and then runs for a second term, “I will likely run for a second term as a Republican, and I think it will heal the Republican Party.”
Bujak said, “My whole life I’ve been a Republican. And I think if you were to ask me where are you on the scale, I’m a Liberty Caucus Republican, I’m a libertarian Republican.”
Bujak was elected Canyon County prosecutor as a Republican, before he resigned amid legal issues and charges that led to multiple acquittals. He’s been campaigning against the “good old boy system” that he says he found infected Idaho Republican Party politics.
Ad raps Dems
An ad paid for by the Idaho County Republicans in the Idaho County Free Press takes partisan rhetoric to a new level: It says, “Voting democrat will assure redistribution of your money, veterans and all military abandoned, unknown illnesses crossing our unsecured borders. Vote & Keep Our Religious Freedom.” The pitch is accompanied by a red, white and blue GOP elephant and lists the names of local legislative and county GOP candidates.
College of Idaho political scientist Jasper LiCalzi said that type of rhetoric is unlikely to change people’s minds about their votes. “It’s pretty in-your-face, though,” he said.
Debate gets hot
Wow. During last week’s KTVB-TV debate in the 2nd Congressional District race, former Rep. Richard Stallings said “load of crap” while describing the push to have the state take over public lands. He also said “stupid” – lots of times. Current Rep. Mike Simpson decried his opponent’s language as “absurd” and “offensive,” particularly after Stallings said Republicans don’t like poor people. But Simpson, clearly riled, also said “hell.” It’ll be interesting to watch these two face off again on Idaho Public TV on Oct. 26.
Balukoff: ‘Come clean’
A.J. Balukoff, Democratic candidate for governor, is calling on GOP Gov. Butch Otter to release immediately all public records and communications related to the Corrections Corporation of America, after Thursday’s Idaho Statesman reported that Otter’s top staffers were involved in negotiating a $1 million settlement with the firm, a major donor to Otter’s campaigns and the troubled former private operator of Idaho’s largest state prison.
“This news story shows that Gov. Otter’s claim that he had no involvement in the CCA settlement was a bald-faced lie,” Balukoff said. “Gov. Otter has bungled this debacle badly, and now there’s very good reason to suspect criminal wrongdoing at some level in state government. If Gov. Otter wants voters to believe that he deserves a third term in office, he has a responsibility to show voters just exactly what has been going on in this affair.”
Otter’s campaign had no immediate response.
Cemetery relents
The director of the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery said Friday that there’s no longer any reason to deny a request from an Idaho veteran to be buried there with the remains of her same-sex spouse. Maddelyn Lee Taylor, a Navy veteran, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit after her request to be interred at the cemetery along with the ashes of late wife Jean Mixner was denied. The two were legally married in California in 2008.
“Based on the current law at the time, the spouse was not eligible,” cemetery Director James Earp said. “That is no longer the case. So we will continue on now with scheduling an interment process.”
‘You’re no Pete Cenarrusa’
A letter to the editor last week from Penny Ysursa, retired longtime employee of the Idaho secretary of state’s office and wife of current GOP Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, is drawing attention; it’s aimed at Republican Lawerence Denney, who is vying with Democrat Holli Woodings to be Idaho’s next secretary of state when Ben Ysursa retires at the end of his current term. Ben Ysursa worked for the late then-Secretary of State Pete Cenarrusa for 28 years, including 26 as his chief deputy.
Here’s Penny Ysursa’s letter:
“Where is Lloyd Bentsen when you need him? I keep reading or hearing Lawerence Denney comparing himself to former Secretary of State Pete Cenarrusa. I worked for Pete Cenarrusa, I knew Pete Cenarrusa, he was a friend of mine. Lawerence Denney, you’re no Pete Cenarrusa.”