Nampa businessman Scott Faris didn't vote for John McCain in the primary and he wasn't excited about his choices in November.

But when McCain picked Idaho native Sarah Palin as his vice presidential nominee, Faris became excited.

"I'm certainly on board now," Faris said. "I think this brings more Republicans and conservatives out."

No Idaho Republican candidate has benefited from Palin's bump more than 1st Congressional District Rep. Bill Sali. Sali's Democratic challenger, Walt Minnick, was raising more money than Sali. And GOP leaders like Gov. Butch Otter were still unhappy about Sali's role in ousting state party Chairman Kirk Sullivan in June.

But Palin, a University of Idaho graduate, shares Sali's social agenda and appeals to his strongest supporters.

"You hear Sarah Palin talk about the same things that Bill Sali talks about," said Wayne Hoffman, Sali's campaign spokesman.

Minnick, a former Republican, timber company CEO and Nixon White House aide, planned to woo Republicans and independents to win the election instead of counting on the excitement from presidential candidate Barack Obama's visit to Idaho in February to put him over the top.

He enlisted 60 "Republicans for Minnick" -- including prominent businessmen who have long supported GOP candidates -- to help him attract Republicans, who make up 42 percent of the Idaho electorate compared to 25 percent for Democrats.

But two distant cousins in the timber industry show the potential and struggles Minnick faces in the endeavor.

A TALE OF TWO BENNETTS

John Bennett, a founder of Bennett Forest Industries in Grangeville, is a member of Republicans for Minnick.

He and his wife held a fundraiser for Minnick in their home. Bennett has been a regular Republican donor, supporting the late Rep. Helen Chenoweth, Sens. Mike Crapo and Larry Craig, Gov. Butch Otter and congressional candidate Norm Semanko.

"In my opinion, Bill Sali is not effective in Congress and Idaho needs effective representation," said Bennett, who separates his personal political support from that of the company. "Walt is the kind of person who can work with Democrats and Republicans and is the kind of person who can get more done for the state."

Over in Moscow, Brett Bennett of Bennett Lumber Products, a separate company in Princeton, was an active supporter of Sali in his 2006 victory over Democrat Larry Grant.

Brett Bennett hasn't paid attention to the election this year and couldn't say whom he'll support, though Sali lists him among supporters. But as a self-described "staunch Republican," he has a hard time seeing himself voting for Democrat Minnick.

"The Democrats have crippled our industry upside-down, inside-out," Brett Bennett said. "It has been an uphill battle."

Scott Faris calls Sali "arrogant." But despite his unhappiness with Sali, he too says he can't bring himself to vote for a Democrat.

"For me, it is as much I don't want Democrats to have more power in Washington," Faris said.

"That plays into the arrogance Sali has because we don't have any choice."

THE MAVERICK

Sali won the 1st District seat in 2006 by just five points. President Bush won the district in 2004 with 69 percent of the vote. Hoffman said he thinks Republicans will find Sali has a lot in common with the McCain-Palin ticket.

"They all are political outsiders who shook up the establishment," Hoffman said.

Sali long has been viewed as a maverick in the eyes of some Idaho GOP leaders, like then-House Speaker Bruce Newcomb and U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, who famously threatened to throw Sali out a window. Newcomb is still critical, though Simpson has been supportive of Sali.

Sali's latest problem with the party establishment was his winning effort to oust Sullivan, Otter's choice as GOP chairman, in June. Otter said he would have to talk to Sali before throwing more than tepid support behind him. Hoffman said he thought the two have spoken; Otter spokesman Jon Hanian said he didn't know.

"What he's said is he's supporting the Republican," Hanian said.

Minnick has enlisted other Republican businessmen like former Albertsons chairman and CEO Gary Michaels, former Albertsons vice chairman Bob Bolinder and former Trust Joist CEO Peter Johnson. He promises a pro-business, deficit-cutting approach to governing. He also points to his service in the Army, his years of hunting and his rural Washington state background - he grew up in Walla Walla - as proof he's a conservative Democrat.

"My whole campaign is giving people a reason to vote for a person rather than their party," Minnick said.

MINNICK ON THE FAR LEFT?

But Hoffman points to Minnick's immigration policy, his support for the Brady handgun bill in 1996, and his membership on the board of the Wilderness Society to counter Minnick's conservative label. Sali said in a press release Minnick supported amnesty, but Minnick's staff said he has never supported amnesty.

"When people realize he's on the far left, it's going to come back and hurt him," Hoffman said.

Jack Buell, a St. Maries trucking company owner who has been a Democrat on the Benowah County Commission, supports Sali over Minnick. Buell has supported Republicans for Congress regularly for 20 years.

"During his short time in office, Congressman Sali has shown he has the guts to stick up for Idaho's families and businesses," Buell said in a Sali press release.

"Minnick is to the left of most Democrats in Idaho," Hoffman said.

Not so, said former Gov. Cecil Andrus, the last Democrat to attract considerable statewide Republican support in the state. He's hunted and fished with Minnick, and worked with him when he was "creating jobs in the timber Industry," Andrus said.

"The timber Walt was buying kept Jack Buell's green trucks rolling," said Andrus, a former logger.

Sali voted against a bill that would have offset millions of dollars of losses in timber receipts for schools and counties, to keep $7 million in subsidies for oil companies, Andrus said, suggesting party labels aren't as important as support for Idaho.

"Most of the issues that affect the 1st Congressional District are not Republican or Democratic issues," Andrus said.

Rocky Barker: 377-6484