COEUR d'ALENE - Leadership in the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee is still a little confused by what appears to be a Republican crossover into their party.

"We are going to be meeting to discuss this," said Steve Bruno, vice chairman of the Democratic Party's central committee. "We are thinking about how to respond."

Several unknown candidates and even some well known Republicans filed for Democratic precinct committee seats on Friday, and some believe it may be retaliation against Democrats who recently affiliated with the Republican Party to have more say in the closed Republican primary elections.

"We want to get a sense of where this is coming from," Bruno said Monday. "It could create a situation that could have an impact on the party."

Paula Neils, chair of the central committee, said she doesn't recognize many of the names that filed for seats on her committee.

"So, I really don't know what their intentions are," she said. "We plan to contact them and get to know them through an interview."

For all she knows, they could be people who really do want to be a part of the Democratic Party.

"If they will uphold the principles of the party, I don't have any problem with it," Neils said.

Larry Spencer, a longtime Republican who filed as a Democratic candidate for Kootenai County Assessor on Friday, said Monday he couldn't discuss the issue.

Bruno said if Republicans are retaliating against Democrats for affiliating with the GOP, they are crossing the line by going after their committee seats.

"That's a little different animal," Bruno said. "This goes far beyond the normal slings and arrows."

If the Republicans are able to secure a majority on the Democratic Central Committee, they could wreak havoc on the party - at least at the county level.

Both Bruno and Neils said Democrats can still work to elect true Democratic committee members with write-in campaigns, but they aren't sure what they're going to do yet.

"We are meeting to discuss those options," Bruno said. "We just need to not panic at this point."