SANDPOINT — As a newcomer to politics, Laclede’s Don Heckel thinks he can bring a true, untainted conservative voice to the Idaho state senate.

Heckel, a finance and economics professor at Spokane’s Park University, decided to run for a seat in District 1 after friends and family members convinced him that incumbent Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, was not voting in way that fit his values.

“She’s an ultra-liberal, she’s not a Republican at all,” Heckel said of Keough.

Heckel’s stance on many issues can best be described as whatever is Keogh’s polar opposite, and he is not bashful about drawing distinctions between himself and the incumbent.

In 2005, Keough co-sponsored SB 1140, a bill aimed at extending family planning services to low-income residents, which Heckel vehemently disagreed with.

“Shawn voted to pass out free condoms to underprivileged women across Idaho,” Heckel said. “They’re giving away condoms. If a person can’t afford a condom then they’re in a bad way and they really can’t afford sex.”

If elected, Heckel said he would make it a priority to cut spending whenever possible and reduce the size of the state government.

On the topic of education, Heckel said schools need to do more with what they have.

“I think education in Idaho is doing fine. You can’t solve a problem by throwing money at it,” he said. “ What we have to do is teach our kids how to study, not throw money at it.”

In addition reducing spending, Heckel counts roads as a key priority and said he would fight to keep toll roads out of Idaho.

Asked why Bonner and Boundary county residents should vote for him at the May 27 primary, Heckel said: “Because “I’m a conservative. Shawn Keough is an extreme liberal, so we’re like night and day.”

For more information on Heckel’s positions and candidacy, visit his Web site at www.heckelforsenate.com.