In the waning days of this year's election season, Idaho's gubernatorial candidates are making final arguments to woo voters.
Republican gubernatorial candidate C.L. "Butch" Otter stopped in Hailey Thursday, Oct. 26, as part of a 74-city bus tour.
"It's a great way to get my message of limited government and unlimited opportunity directly to the folks who need to hear it, and to participate in an Idaho campaign tradition that's open to everyone," Otter said in a news release. "We have a great team, up and down the ticket. I'm proud to be carrying the Idaho Republican Party banner, but every one of us on this bus tour is committed to serving all the people of our great state."
Concerns about education, taxes and water are shared by Wood River Valley voters and residents statewide, Otter spokesman Jon Hanian said Monday.
"It's been pretty consistent all over the state," he said. "People are talking about jobs, taxes, property tax reform, and there are a lot of concerns about water. We're hearing from people that Idaho's economy is strong, and we need to continue in that direction."
The Hailey stop came at a critical time in the election season: Less than two weeks before Election Day, Nov. 7, Otter and his Democrat opponent, Jerry Brady, are in a statistical dead heat, according to a recent Brady poll.
Hanian said the Otter campaign is unconvinced by those statistics and has its own data that show the Republican faring well.
"History is a pretty good teacher," he said. "If you look back at all the polls ... most of them have been all over the board. Some have missed the mark entirely."
Hanian said Otter is campaigning up to the final hour.
"Right up to Election Day ... we're focused on working hard, driving our message and meeting people face-to-face," he said.
The Brady campaign, too, is working hard to persuade voters that the Democrat is the better choice.
In his latest pitch to sway voters, Brady focused on candidates' financial contributors.
Ninety five percent of Brady's campaign contributions over $50 came from individuals, with 72 percent of the money coming from Idahoans, according to a news release issued by the Brady camp Oct. 19. Those figures, Brady said, are in contrast to Otter's out-of-state and special interest money.
"Thousands of individuals have reached into their pockets to help me protect the best of Idaho," Brady said in the release. "Meanwhile, it's plain to see that Congressman Otter is beholden to big oil, big drug (companies) and big developers."
