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BOISE - Idaho's red state roots haven't faded, but political infighting inside its Republican Party has left many feeling disenfranchised with the so-called traditional GOP candidates who will appear on this year's election ballot.

Tea party voters, who showed to be a powerful voting bloc in the May GOP primary election, are threatening to stay home or vote for a Democratic candidate rather than vote for the Republican.

This means Gov. Butch Otter, who is seeking a third-term, could face a tighter race against Democratic challenger A.J. Balukoff, a millionaire who has said he'll spend as much as he needs to win.

"I've never voted for a Democrat, I've been a lifelong Republican, but in November, I'm voting for Balukoff," said Rob Waite, superintendent of Shoshone School District in south-central Idaho.

Waite, who has lived in Idaho for the past five years, said he's a libertarian who agrees with most of the tea party platforms.

As a superintendent, Waite said he's most interested in the gubernatorial candidates' plan to improve education in Idaho, citing low public school funding and lackluster college graduation rates as high areas of concern.

"In order to solve the problem, you first have to recognize there's a problem," Waite said. "I don't think Otter recognizes there's a problem."

In North Idaho, state GOP Rep. Vito Barbieri said it's doubtful his conservative district would swing Democratic, but he thinks many voters will be likely to leave the governor's box unchecked.

During the GOP May primary election, Barbieri's district - located in Kootenai County, one of the state's most populated areas - backed tea party favorite state Sen. Russ Fulcher in the governor's race.

"Voters are still very upset at the governor for abandoning previously articulated principles," he said. "They are very much in the mood to punish him in this election."

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Tea party could make race tougher for Otter

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) For U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, the elder statesman of Tennessee politics, a primary challenge by a little-known tea party opponent was supposed to be little more than a glorified victory lap around the state.

Instead, the former governor and two-time presidential candidate had to crank up the campaign machinery in the closing weeks of the Republican primary to fend off state Rep. Joe Carr.

And while Alexander ultimately won, it was by just 9 percentage points a far smaller margin than his campaign and most political observers had expected. The result is giving hope to tea party supporters they could be poised to break the moderate wing of the state Republican Party's decades-long grip on statewide races.

"It is another step in the maturation of the tea party movement," said Ben Cunningham, the president of the Nashville Tea Party. "After the disappointment of losing, I wouldn't call it a euphoria, but lots of confidence about the possibilities for the future."

Cunningham said the results reflected greater coordination between disparate tea party groups, giving activists valuable on-the-ground experience in trying to support a statewide effort.

"A lot was learned just in terms of the nuts and bolts of elections," he said. "That will certainly help going forward."

In the short term, tea party activists hope to focus on local races like those for school boards, where their opposition to Common Core education standards have the most resonance, Cunningham said.

Alexander's campaign cites a number of issues contributing to the closer outcome of the Senate race, including low turnout, complacency among some of the incumbent's supporters and effective messaging by Carr's tea party supporters.

"But bottom line, the anti-Washington sentiment was stronger than we thought," said Tom Ingram, Alexander's chief campaign strategist. "A lot of our voters just didn't turn out."

Ingram said the campaign is still sorting out what it might have done differently and analyzing what the outcome means for the general election campaign against Democratic nominee Gordon Ball and for future statewide races.

Continued here:
Showing in Alexander primary shows tea party strength

By Richard Bammer

rbammer@thereporter.com @REBammer on Twitter

Event will be Sept. 17 at Pietro's No. 2 in Vacaville

The Vaca Valley Tea Party will hold a public forum in mid-September for the nine candidates seeking four trustee seats on Vacaville Unified governing board.

Organizers said the event will 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 17 at Pietro's No. 2, at 679 Merchant St., Vacaville. Pizza and salad will be served.

Each candidate will have an opportunity for a short statement, three to five minutes.

In a brief press release, Colleen Britton, president of the organization, said that candidates can expect to be called upon to "address the following areas of interest to our members and the community":

What are your qualifications and why are you interested in becoming a school board member? What are your top three priorities for the district? What is your assessment of Common Core and its future? What is your position on the $194 million school bond, Measure A, that will be on the Nov. 4 ballot?

If time permits, more questions, suggested by members, may be asked, said Britton, who requested that candidates bring any promotional literature to share.

The candidates are incumbent Michele "Shelley" Dally, incumbent David McCallum, incumbent Whit Whitman, incumbent Chris Flask, Jeremy Jeffreys, Judith Ruggiero, Tracee Stacy, Deloris Roach, and Shawn Windham.

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Vaca Tea Party sets VUSD candidate forum

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