Republican Legislative candidates attended PRW forum

BONNERS FERRY — District 1 legislative Republican candidates gave their pitch to voters as to why they should be elected at the May 21 Primary at a forum hosted by the Panhandle Republican Women at the Boundary County Middle School on April 18. 

Unlike last month's Boundary County Sheriff forum, attendance was low and estimated at 150 people. When the forum broke for a 10-minute recess, many people did not return for the rest of the event. 

Candidates included District 1 state Senate seat: incumbent Scott Herndon and former senator Jim Woodward; Idaho House of Representatives 1A: incumbent, Mark Sauter, Jane Sauter (no relation) and Spencer Hutchings; and House of Representatives 1B, Chuck Lowman and Cornel Rasor. 

Representative Sage Dixon of seat 1B is not seeking re-election. 

During introductions, former Senator Jim Woodward, a business owner, clarified his stance on gender identity, stating that girls and boys have separate bathrooms, locker rooms and sports and that it should stay that way.

“If you look at my voting record I’ve supported schools, police, strong borders,” he said. “My track record tells you I’m part of the community and hold those traditional Idaho values we all share.” 

Incumbent Senator Scott Herndon and business owner said coming out of COVID, Gov. Brad Little made a lot of executive orders and a lot of new money came into Idaho.

“In 2022 Idaho Republican dominated legislature of  82% ranked 41 out of 50 states for how conservative the legislature was,” he said. “From 2019 to 2022 we’ve approved spending from $9 billion to nearly $13 billion and we were running down the road of running to the left, like the rest of the country.” 

He said over the last two years he’s helped change the direction of Idaho.

Mark Sauter, former fire chief and incumbent 1A representative, said for his first term he has focused on the health care system and education system, including Career Technical Education.

“To me those are the two pillars to our area,” he said. “If we don’t have a good healthcare and education systems, then it is going to be tough to keep our kids here, tough to raise families here, and tough to grow up here. I think those are important pillars to support.” 

Jane Sauter, who is also running for seat 1A, said she does not believe Mark Sauter represents liberty-loving constitutional conservatives. 

“My other opponent [Hutchings] has a track record of being disruptive in public meetings,” she said. 

She said her top priorities are the safety and well-being of the children and families of Idaho, the First and Second amendment rights, board security and the current “illegal alien crisis.” 

“I will fight for Republican values and interests. I will use The Bible, Republican platform, the Idaho state and U.S. constitutions as my guides,” she said.

Spencer Hutchings, who is a former Marine and gun store owner in Sagle, is running for seat 1A. 

“I’m hoping to be your advocate for your rights, liberty, freedom, lower taxes and smaller government down in Boise,” he said, noting the Idaho government has grown too large and Idahoans are being overtaxed. 

He spoke on shrinking Idaho’s government, support for school vouchers and the “leftist wealth distribution tactic.”

Cornel Rasor, former Bonner County commissioner and business owner, is running for seat 1B. He criticized Idaho government spending. He said he’ll call back voters, as he did as commissioner. 

Chuck Lowman, an Army veteran, is also running for seat 1B.

“I am here because I have proven I am a serving leader,” he said. “I’m the kind of person who wants to take time and understand the problems and issues we have, not just from my team's perspective. But we need to understand the whole perspective, so we can understand the whole problem.” 

“I’m not going to be that kind of politician that goes along with how a caucus or party tells me how to vote,” Lowman said. “I’m here to represent you, listen to the whole argument and get the whole argument. Then ultimately, I will stand before my creator for eternity for my choices. The Idaho Freedom Caucus, the Idaho Republican Party, the mainstream caucus, they’re not going to stand for eternity on how they voted.”

When it came to the questions, candidates agreed on much, such as all opposing a constitutional convention in the current political climate. All feared that Americans would lose fundamental rights if a constitutional convention was called by the Democratic party. Likewise, all did not support ranked choice voting, also called open primaries, stating many states are trying to remove rank choice voting and that at the polls it should be one person, one vote. 

When asked if they support the Vulnerable Child Protect Act (H0071), which prevents gender transition treatments for minors being administered in Idaho, all candidates agreed. 

Jane Sauter said she opposes any legislation that would have anything to do with the mutilation or transitioning of children. 

“Doctors that want to mutilate people should go to another state,” Hutchings said. “I don’t need those people here, I think it’s disgusting.” 

He said if a child wants to have a limb removed, doctors don’t allow that, then why are they allowing a child to remove reproductive organs and permanently alternate their ability to reproduce. 

Lowan said he was also against surgeries and medications that chemical castrate children. He also voiced concerns on psychotropic medication in children as it affects brain chemistry as the child is developing. 

Herndon said he supported the bill and supported a new bill that prohibits the use of taxpayer funding for transgender treatment. He spoke of another bill that is now law that has defined male and female, as well as another bill that prohibit school staff from being required to use a students preferred pronoun is it goes against their biological sex.

Woodward said the details in a bill matter. 

“An example of that is a few years ago I voted “no” to a bill that was written to prevent transgender boys to play in girls sports,” he said. “At the being of this [forum] I said I don’t support that, but that bill had a lot of complications in it. […] That bill has not been implemented three years later, because it's still in the court system, because we didn’t get it right the first time.” 

Mark Sauter said he voted for the bill last year and this year to protect kids.

“Convention wisdom is, a lot of these kids have a period of their life when they are in transition and then go back to their biology sex,” he said. “I think it is important to tap our breaks sometimes and be careful what we do with our youth.”

He cautioned about tying the state up in a legal system, but that the bills focusing on transgenderism made sense and “tapped the breaks.”

There was also a question on geoengineering and chemtrails over Idaho skies, noting Tennessee has passed a law prohibiting geoengineering and chemtrails. Candidates were asked what their stance is on geoengineering for the state of Idaho. 

Mark Sauter said he also has seen the lines in the sky, but wants to do more research and talk to experts before making a decision. 

Jane Sauter also said that she did not have as much information on the topic, but wants to know more about it and its purpose.

Hutchings relied on his pilot experience and explained that contrails are left by water vapor and diffuses.

“You know all the conspiracy theories that came true, maybe this is one of those too,” he said, adding that if the theory is true, that people are putting harmful chemicals in the sky to rain down on civilians, they should be found, tried and punished. 

“If they are polluting us in some way, I have no sympathy, no mercy for what happens to these people if they’ve done this without our knowledge,” he said. 

Rasor said the step is to reach out to Tennessee and get more information and talk to Watch Dogs that have studied the process. Then an aerial wall should be built to keep out the geoengineering and chemtrails if they are as dangerous as said, and he believes it is. 

Lowman said growing up in Nevada where cloud-seeding was used to get more rainfall in desert, that is as simple as putting a particle in the sky to allow water to condense against it and fall. However, he said it should be looked into to see what chemicals are being used in Idaho and more research needs to be had to see if it is harmful. 

Herndon confirmed that the state is cloud seeding with the goal to increase the condensation and rain fall for the Snake River area for agriculture. He said this year he’s had to go against agro-chemical corporations and will have to continue. 

“I’ve heard a lot of 'theys,' not sure who 'they' are,” Woodward said. 

During his time with a top secret clearance on a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine, Woodward said he worked with people that were just like anyone else and trying to serve their country, so the idea that there is someone out there trying to rain something down on civilians is a stretch. He then explained that Idaho does cloud seed, which is realizing silver iodine from the air, therefore changing water molecules to go from gas to liquid phase and drops to the earth as either water or snow depending on temperature. 

“I know we’re cloud seeding, but don’t know about the rest,” he said. 

The seven candidates were asked 11 questions over a two-hour period. The PRW had said 12 questions would be asked, but forgot to ask questions eight which said, “How would you exercise oversight on the use of public funds for identity education and identity events such as LGBTQ+ Pride events?” 

The Bonners Ferry Herald and Bonner County Daily Bee, KRFY, Sandpoint Online, and the Sandpoint Reader are partnering with Selkirk Association of Realtors on a pair of candidate forums. 

The second of the two forums, set for Tuesday, April 30, will feature legislative candidates. The forum will be held at Sandpoint High School's auditorium. Both forums will begin at 5:30 p.m. and last until 7:30-8 p.m.

In the Republican race for the District 1 seat in the Idaho Senate, Jim Woodward and Scott Herndon are seeking the right to represent the party in the general election. The winner will face Daniel Rose and Steve Johnson, who are running as independents.

In the race for the Idaho House 1A seat, Democrat Karen Matthee will face the winner of the race between Republicans Mark Sauter, incumbent; Jane Sauter, and Spencer Hutchings.

In the race for the Idaho House 1B seat, Republicans Chuck Lowman and Cornel Rasor both are seeking the seat while Bob Vickaryous and Kathryn Larson are facing off on the Democratic ticket.

    Senator Scott Herndon at the PRW candidate forum on April 18.
  

    Jim Woodward, candidate for District 1 state Senate seat, at the PRW candidate forum on April 18.
  

    Representative 1A Mark Sauter speaks at the PRW candidate forum on April 18.
  

    Jane Sauter, candidate for Representative seat 1A, speaks at the PWR candidate forum on April 18.
  

    Spencer Hutchings, candidate for Representative seat 1A, speaks at the PWR forum on April 18.
  

    Cornel Rasor is a candidate for Representative seat 1B.
  

    Chuck Lowman is a candidate for Representative seat 1B.