Don't pick the wrong Sauter on your ballot

At a recent candidate forum in Clark Fork, State House candidate Jane Sauter held up the Bonner County Republican Central Committee voter guide and told the audience it was “the real answer.”

Let that sink in. A candidate for the Idaho Legislature pointed to a pamphlet funded by a Wyoming company, a North Carolina gold dealer, and the chair of the Idaho Freedom Foundation — and called it the truth about local Republicans.

Jane Sauter is new to the district and new to politics. Her opponent, Rep. Mark Sauter — no relation — has spent years working for District 1. Town halls. Tough votes. Standing with neighbors against bills like HB 583 & SB1354 that targeted our community. He knows the bridges, the schools, and the families behind them.

Jane knows the talking points handed to her by the “extremism syndicate.”

And the shared last name? It is no coincidence. The machine recruited a candidate who happens to share a surname with the incumbent and slotted her against him on the ballot. That isn’t politics. That is a confusion strategy — a bet that enough voters won’t look closely enough to tell them apart.

Riding into office on Scott Herndon’s coattails isn’t independence. It’s recruitment. Herndon’s ticket in the upcoming election is all about extremism. He needs another House seat to keep the operation alive — and is willing to win it by trickery rather than ideas.

The May 19 primary election is critical. Vote Mark Sauter. Vote for a thinker — not the machine.  

GEORGE ESKRIDGE

Dover

Former state legislator, District 1