Republican presidential candidates look to Idaho as the state moves its presidential selection to March

REPUBLICAN CAUCUS 101

Being reliably Republican means the Idaho GOP gets a delegate count in excess of what the state’s population would justify.

With 32 delegates, the Gem State has a bigger delegation to the national convention than early-nominating states including Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Michigan. Among the 10 Super Tuesday states voting with Idaho March 6, Georgia (76), Ohio (66), Tennessee (58), Virginia (49), Oklahoma (43) and Massachusetts (41) have more delegates, while North Dakota (28), Alaska (27) and Vermont (17) have fewer. The nominee needs 1,212 to win.

Idaho has a sweetener that’s already attracted three of the four leading candidates: a system that leans toward a winner-take-all system. Party rules require eliminating the lowest vote-getter and any candidate under 15 percent until one candidate wins a majority at each of the 44 county caucuses. Those results are tabulated at the state level. If any candidate tops 50 percent statewide, all 32 Idaho delegates will be bound to vote for that candidate on the first ballot at the Republican National Convention in August.

As Idaho’s largest county, Ada accounts for 17 percent of the presidential vote. Canyon is second at 7 percent. Those proportions do not directly reflect population, as they are based on GOP votes for Congress in 2010, and every county gets minimum representation regardless of population.

Caucuses begin promptly at 7 p.m.

With party registration required for the first time, organizers are urging voters to arrive at caucus sites with filled-out voter registration forms. A form available on the Ada County clerk’s website is valid statewide. Those who have already re-registered — about 4,000 in Ada County — will be in a separate line, according to Dawn Hatch, who is running the Ada County caucus. A line also will be available for those who need to register. Doors at the Taco Bell Arena will open at 4 p.m.

A driver’s license number or the last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number are required to register to vote. If you are turning 18 by Nov. 6, Election Day, bring ID to show caucus volunteers.

Unlike Idaho’s Democratic presidential caucuses, where voters must openly cluster with supporters of their favored candidates, GOP caucus-goers will cast secret ballots.

Hatch said a token system, to be kept secret until caucus night for security reasons, will be used to make an automated count in anticipation of multiple rounds of voting.

Democrats hold their presidential caucuses at 10 a.m. April 14, with President Obama’s only possible opposition to come from any “undecided” slate.

Statesman staff

Patrick Teems completed a political odyssey Saturday.

The Boise pilot last week got to attend political rallies for three of the top contenders for the Republican presidential nomination ahead of Idaho’s March 6 GOP caucus.

Teems came into the week leaning toward Mitt Romney, but seeing the other two made him reconsider.

Ron Paul’s libertarian message Saturday resonated with him. And he liked Rick Santorum’s electrifying speech Tuesday at Capital High — and Santorum’s willingness to stay afterward to have his picture taken with people such as Teems’ teenage son, Max.

Republican Congressman Raul Labrador would have loved to see all three, too, but he was in Washington, D.C., until Saturday and was able to attend only Paul’s rally. He’s not endorsing any candidate.

“I’m endorsing this process,” Labrador said.

Though Idaho has long been among the most Republican of states, it’s had little influence on picking presidential nominees.

No more. The Idaho GOP abandoned its May primary for a March 6 caucus, and party leaders are talking of breaking participation records.

“One of the reasons we moved up is so that we would get to the dance in time to dance before the music quit,” said Gov. Butch Otter. “We wanted to be part of the party.”

The shindig was in full swing last week, with three candidates seeking to oust a president who is very unpopular in Idaho.

“It’s going to put Idaho on the map as far as the national scene,” said Judy Davis, a retired teacher from Nampa who arrived early to Santorum’s Boise rally Tuesday to secure a seat on stage behind the candidate.

IDAHO MAY SET RECORD

Idaho GOP Chairman Norm Semanko said Idaho could set a record for per-capita caucus participation.

“The payoff is we’re relevant,” said Semanko. “Even if not a single presidential candidate showed up, just the fact we have an opportunity to vote and state our preference while the race is still actively going on would have made it worth it.”

Sen. John McGee of Caldwell, chairman of the Canyon County GOP, predicts 15,000 will attend caucuses in Ada and Canyon counties alone. Region 4 GOP Chairman Rod Beck, an early-caucus advocate, says there’s little doubt Ada’s turnout at Taco Bell Arena will break the record for the largest caucus site, now held by an Iowa precinct.

An added benefit, Beck said, is engaging candidates on Idaho issues. In answer to audience questions in Boise, Santorum spoke of transferring and selling federal lands and reforming appellate courts. “To me, it was more than just getting candidates here, it was getting candidates that would address issues really important to Idahoans,” Beck said.

Late Friday, Romney’s campaign provided his response to the federal lands question. Rather than sell or transfer such lands to states, Romney called for having states manage federal public lands as they do state lands.

“I’ve spent some time talking to Gov. Otter,” Romney said. “He’s made it very clear that the right course for lands in this state is to have the state manage them.”

TIGHT RACES, NEW FACES

Dawn Hatch, chairwoman of the Ada County caucus, is planning for as many as 12,000 Republicans to fill the arena and is inquiring about overflow space. It’s difficult to predict turnout for something Idaho Republicans have never done, Hatch said, but better be safe than sorry.

“If Santorum and Paul and Romney hadn’t come, we might have had 4,000 or 5,000,” Hatch said. “With their appearances, it increases the interest significantly.”

Semanko said the gatherings will have a corollary benefit of building the party with new faces drawn by the chance to revel in national politics. “With a caucus system you have an opportunity to get everybody in a room, do some organizational things and promote the party,” he said. “I suspect people will be motivated to show up that perhaps haven’t been involved in the past.”

Among those is Jenean Hatch of Boise, who saw Santorum. A regular voter, she’s never volunteered but is considering becoming a party worker. “For the first time, I’m ready to go.“

It will take up to 200 volunteers to run the Ada County caucus. Party leaders have focused on publicizing the details. After Semanko won a federal lawsuit, voters will be required to register as Republicans to participate in primaries and caucuses.

Davis, who sat on the stage behind Santorum, is a precinct committeewoman in Canyon County and is concerned about voters being unaware of the new rules. “I know it’s going to frustrate some people.”

Dawn Hatch, the Ada caucus chairwoman, encourages voters who haven’t yet re-registered to go to the Ada County clerk’s website and download a voter registration form and complete it before arriving at a caucus.

Brandon Hixon, chairman of the Canyon County caucus, exhorted more than 2,000 people at the Santorum rally to attend their county caucuses. “This is Idaho’s time to shine,” he said.

Whatever the logistical challenges, the excitement is catching. Joe Schneider, a student at Centennial High, turns 18 in September and attended the Santorum rally.

“I’ll be able to vote, so I thought it was time to get involved in politics,” he said. “My friends often call me ‘ignorant.’ And if that’s true, I ought to figure it out.”

COMPARING CANDIDATES

Teems, the Boise pilot, wasn’t the only Republican who went to several of the events to judge the candidates. David and Nancy Leroy went to the Romney rally Friday and saw Paul on Saturday.

“Romney was very patriotic and showed his integrity,” Nancy Leroy said. “Paul’s a constitutional scholar; there was substance here.” She’s supporting Paul.

David Leroy, a former Idaho attorney general and the 1986 Republican candidate for governor, said he is endorsing Romney.

After hearing all three candidates, Teems said Saturday he’d decided to vote for Paul on March 6.

“At the end of the day I like his message best,” he said.

Dan Popkey: 377-6438, Rocky Barker: 377-6484