My district has a fascinating primary battle on the Republican side that is actually a continuation of an earlier controversy. Before the current legislative session, District 10 was represented by who I considered three of the best legislators in the state: Sen. John McGee (College of Idaho 1995) and Reps. Darrell Bolz and Bob Ring. Last year Bob Ring resigned his seat due to health issues and incompatibility with the new GOP leadership in the house. The GOP legislative committee for District 10 provided the governor with three nominees for the position with Pat Takasugi (College of Idaho 1971) as their No. 1 choice. The governor, within his prerogative, chose Curtis Bowers for the seat though both Takasugi and Jim Rice were listed above him by the local party leaders. Takasugi is now challenging Bowers in the primary, so the voters will be able to decide who they want.

Bowers has ruffled a few feathers in his short stint in the state legislature with his libertarian beliefs and non-conformist views. In January, Bowers wrote an op-ed piece that was unusual to say the least. Bowers described a communist party meeting he attended a few decades ago and how the vision of the communists had come to past in America. The piece riled environmentalists and feminists and just plain confused the rest of us. There was even a petition drive calling on Bowers to apologize or resign. He did neither. His voting record for the legislative session was solidly conservative, getting a 100 percent rating from Adam Graham’s Idaho Conservative Web site. Bowers sent out a four-page review of his work in the legislature to his constituents that is much more extensive than the typical letter sent out by most legislators. He also notes prominently that his “Report to the Voters” was “Not Printed at Taxpayers Expense.” Bowers, the former owner of the Mona Lisa restaurant in Boise, tried to run against Ring in 2006 but had not lived in the district long enough. Bowers’ volunteers are currently distributing campaign literature door-to-door throughout the district, along with material for Bill Sali.

So why wasn’t Takasugi appointed in the first place? He served as Ag Director for three governors before he was replaced by Otter. It seems the two don’t get along but also that Otter preferred Bowers’ business and libertarian background over both Takasugi and the lawyer Rice. It was reported that local Republicans, including Rep. Bolz, were surprised by the appointment. Takasugi fits in more closely with the mainstream conservatism of McGee and Bolz than Bowers and will probably get the support of most of the party regulars in the district. Takasugi has recently received a set back to his campaign in the form of a physical ailment. He has a “low grade” form of appendix cancer that will need surgery and a number of weeks of treatment in Baltimore. His campaign has stated that the cancer is very treatable but that Pat will not be able to do any campaigning before the primary. It is unclear what effect that will have on the election.

Before the 2008 legislative session, Gov. Otter chose Curtis Bowers to replace Bob Ring for District 10 House Seat A over Pat Takasugi. The Republicans in the district now get to decide for themselves between the two candidates. This is an important primary as the Democrats, for the first time in many years, have a legitimate contender in Middleton teacher Mike Warwick challenging the winner.

Go Yotes.

Dr. Jasper M. LiCalzi
Professor
Department of Political Economy
The College of Idaho