Benton County Republicans Make A Surprising Candidate Endorsement

According to a release from the Benton County Republican Party, one of their 'official' endorsements for this fall's election might be viewed as an eyebrow raiser.

The party Central Committee met September 1st, and officially released this list of candidates they recommend for Congressional, state, county and local offices:

• Clint Didier, 4th. Congressional District, Congress
• Joe Burrowes, Benton Franklin Superior Court Position 2
• Sam Swanberg, Benton Franklin Superior Court Position 2
• Alicia Berry, Benton Franklin Superior Court Position 3
• Bill Jenkin, State Legislature District 16 position 1.

Previously, the Republican Central Committee also endorsed Brad Klippert and Larry Haler for legislative positions.

But the endorsement of Didier for the 4th. Congressional Seat might be a bit of a surprise.  Didier has been running a grass roots campaign against incumbent Dan Newhouse.  Previously, when Doc Hastings retired, Didier came very close to grabbing the 4th. Congressional seat, but Newhouse won.

This time around, Newhouse has clearly been some call the 'establishment' candidate, while Didier is the anti-establishment runner, leaning on a staunchly conservative platform. Newhouse has by far more corporate and PAC money, while Dider relies on much smaller citizens donations.

This endorsement comes as a slight surprise to some, as Newhouse has generally garnered support from many of the usual sources, while Didier has a groundswell of support from 'regular' voters. It will be interesting to see what happens in November.