COEUR d'ALENE — The Kootenai County Reagan Republicans officially announced endorsements today for 12 candidates in the May 15 Republican primary election.

The conservative organization’s board of directors voted to recommend the following for the Republican nomination:

1st Congressional District: Raul Labrador

State Representative, 2nd District, Seat B: Ed Morse

State Senate, 2nd District: Steve Vick

State Representative, 3rd District, Seat A: Jeff Tyler

State Representative, 3rd District, Seat B: Frank Henderson

State Senate, 3rd District: Bob Nonini

State Representative, 4th District, Seat A: Luke Malek

State Representative, 4th District, Seat B: Kathy Sims

State Senate, 4th District: John Goedde

County Prosecuting Attorney: Barry McHugh

County Commissioner, District 3: Dan Green

County Sheriff: Keith Hutcheson

The group has not yet endorsed a candidate for the House 2A seat or the County Commissioner, District 1 seat.

In 2011, candidates endorsed by the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans  won 12 out of 15 races including 7 out of 7 in the November Municipal Election.

“There is an unusually crowded field of Republican candidates in Kootenai County this year, and it has made the normally difficult to get KCRR endorsement even harder to win," said Ron Lahr, president of KCRR, in a prepared statement.

Candidates must receive a two-thirds vote from the KCRR 17- member board before they obtain the endorsement.

“Each board member is able to set their own criteria, but qualities of conservatism, competence, community involvement and ethics seem to be the common attributes of our endorsed candidates.” Lahr explained.

The Kootenai County Reagan Republicans organization endorses candidates in primaries and nonpartisan races in order to inform its members and all voters of candidates that share the conservative values of the Republican Party and the club’s namesake, President Ronald Reagan. The Kootenai County Reagan Republicans was founded in 2009 as an association of Republican activists in North Idaho.