COEUR d’ALENE — Six Republican congressional candidates tried to differentiate themselves from one another by arguing they were the right conservative for the job during a forum Sunday afternoon in Coeur d’Alene.

Luke Malek, Nick Henderson, Russ Fulcher, David Leroy, Christy Perry and Michael Snyder answered questions about the economy, gun rights, taxes, public lands, immigration, abortion, education and trade.

They are all vying to represent Idaho’s District 1 in Congress, a seat now held by Raul Labrador who is running for governor.

“I believe in listening to everyday people to find solutions to these problems,” said Malek, who represents Coeur d’Alene in the Idaho House. “I have a passion for serving.”

The candidates’ answers were similar, and they all seemed to support President Donald Trump’s political goals for the country. The audience heard contrasting speaking styles and delivery that produced a whole spectrum of reactions, ranging from polite applause to boisterous cheering.

“The fact is that Congress is not solving our problems,” said Leroy. “We have too many self-inflicted wounds and Obamacare is a prime example.”

The other local candidate, Nick Henderson, said he was “fed up with the corrupt, non-representative Congress” and promised to fight for Idahoans. The commercial pilot pointed to his military service and grandfather, Frank Henderson, as reasons for why he should be elected.

“When I served in the Army I promised to defend the country from enemies foreign and domestic. I served in combat in Iraq, and now I see the threat is from the inside,” Henderson said. “The special interests are the swamp. We need a balanced budget amendment and we need term limits.”

Fulcher focused on following the United States Constitution in regards to lawmaking and getting government out of people’s lives.

“We’ve strayed away from the principles of the Constitution,” he said. “I am a champion of the free market.”

Voters will decide which candidate best represents them in the May 15 Republican primary. The winner of the Republican primary will face a Democratic challenger in November.

An estimated crowd of over 300 people packed the Community Room at Coeur d’Alene Public Library. The two-hour event, sponsored by the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans, featured discussion, traditional political rhetoric, humor and a few calls to throw Hillary Clinton and other politicians into prisons.

A pair of large poster boards featuring images of bloody, aborted fetuses were placed just outside the library entrance and a group of children handed out pro-life literature to attendees, setting the stage for the political event.

“Life is the No. 1 problem facing America,” Snyder shouted to the crowd. “60 million abortions cannot be accepted anymore. I pledge I will not support any bill that funds Planned Parenthood. I am a pro-life champion.”

Snyder attempted to copy some of President Trump’s speaking style and he repeated yelled his answers to the room or challenged the other candidates to publicly support his positions, asserting that some of his opponents were Republican in name only.

“I am 100 percent pro-Trump,” said Snyder. “We’re going to send conservatives and straight talkers like Donald Trump to Washington. We’ve had enough RINOs already.”

Rep. Christy Perry of Canyon County, seated to Snyder’s right, played off Snyder’s approach and gently ribbed him about not passing her microphone to her. After he finished speaking, Snyder passed the microphone to his left, back to to moderator Todd Banducci.

“You’re always going left,” she joked.

Perry also said one of the biggest problems facing America is the political divisiveness.

“We shouldn’t have to cut ourselves to prove how red we are,” she said. “We’re need to come together and figure out solutions to things like our national debt.”