At a time in the calendar when Republicans might want to reach out to Idaho voters, they seem determined to get rid of the competition.

First came a lawsuit, supported by the Idaho GOP, that sought to strike independent Senate candidate Rex Rammell from the Idaho ballot, saying Rammell had failed to collect the 1,000 valid signatures needed to qualify for the ballot.The Idaho Supreme Court made short work of the complaint Wednesday, siding with Republican Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, the elected official charged with overseeing Idaho's election process, and declining to second-guess the county clerks who checked Rammell's petitions.

Now comes this KTVB story that says Rammell, independent candidate Pro-Life and Libertarian Kent Marmon have been asked to bow out of the Senate race. At least a couple of the calls came from Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Sali, says KTVB.

The logic behind all of this is that Rammell, Pro-Life and Marmon are apt to draw most of their votes from GOP Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, bolstering Democratic candidate Larry LaRocco's chances of pulling an upset.

The GOP is certainly sending mixed messages. Risch, who says he knew nothing about the anti-Rammell lawsuit, continues to cite his double-digit lead in the polls (including a LaRocco poll from May). Risch's optimistic read of the race doesn't square with Republicans' efforts to clear the field.

Republicans risk a backlash. Conservative voters inclined to support Rammell, Pro-Life or Marmon should be concerned about Republicans' efforts to limit their electoral choices. And since Republican candidates still need some independent support to win congressional or statewide races, the GOP risks alienating independent voters already turned off by efforts to close party primaries.

And let's put these recent events into context. Last fall, after the Larry Craig scandal broke, Republican leadership closed ranks around Risch — months before the primary season. This tactic may have dissuaded at least one other prominent would-be candidate, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, and drew fire from Rammell and Marmon. It worked in the short run; Risch easily dispatched a field of seven unknowns in the GOP primary. Quick, name all seven and win a free 32 oz. fountain drink.

I'm a sucker for ironic timing. This week, GOP presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin may have scored a few points by painting themselves as mavericks who aren't afraid to buck the party establishment. Meanwhile, Idaho Republicans seem to be engaging in the kind of machine politics that could backfire in the long run.