Congressional candidate makes North Idaho stop
(LOREN BENOIT/Press) Congressional candidate Russ Fulcher speaks at a town hall Tuesday night in Rathdrum.
(LOREN BENOIT/Press) Cindy Miller, of Post Falls, records congressional candidate Russ Fulcher speak at a town hall Tuesday night in Rathdrum.
Town hall attendees listen to congressional candidate Russ Fulcher speak Tuesday night in Rathdrum. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Congressional candidate Russ Fulcher speaks at a town hall Tuesday night in Rathdrum. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
By BRIAN WALKER
Hagadone News Network
RATHDRUM — Russ Fulcher brought his campaign for Congress to Kootenai County on Tuesday night to tap into what’s on the minds of North Idahoans.
Concerns about federal overreach was a theme throughout the hour-and-a-half-long town hall meeting attended by about 50 residents at North Idaho STEM Charter Academy in Rathdrum.
Fulcher, a former 10-year Idaho senator from Meridian seeking the 1st Congressional District seat Rep. Raúl Labrador is vacating, said he’d fight to swing the pendulum of public lands into local control instead of by the feds because Idaho is rich in resources.
"The federal government pacifies us by giving us grants," he said. "But every single one of those dollars come with strings attached. We have incredible wealth here. Idaho is a great natural athlete, but we don’t have control of our resources. We’re operating on a fraction of the wealth God gave us. There’s a four-cylinder Pinto driving the state when really there’s a turbo-charged V8 waiting."
Fulcher grew up on a dairy farm in Meridian, spent 24 years in the Idaho technology industry including with Micron and currently operates a commercial real estate business. He announced last June that he’d withdraw from the race for governor and run instead for the seat Labrador is vacating for his own run for governor.
Don Bradway asked Fulcher how he’d plan to avoid the influential lobbyist "blood suckers" around the "swamp" if he’s elected.
Fulcher said he earned the nickname "Ghost" while representing one of the largest districts in the state in Boise because when he was not on the Senate floor, he’d slip out the back door before lobbyists could nab him.
He said one idea Rathdrum resident Tim Kastning, who attended the town hall, gave him was to surround himself with fellow Idahoans as much as possible to insulate him from such influence and keep him accountable.
Dan Lawrence said some residents have gotten really frustrated over federal corruption in recent years and he asked Fulcher how he could survive facing that on a daily basis.
Fulcher responded that his Christian values are his foundation.
"I’ll attempt to use those principles for what’s right and wrong," he said. "I don’t know how people do it without a faith base and remain encouraged. I feel like with the experiences God gave me with education, business and legislatively, I’ll take that servant attitude to push forward."
An attendee named Shon, who declined to disclose his last name after the meeting, said he’s concerned about the amount of information the government has gained on people and believes it’s an infringement on his rights.
"It’s not that you have to have some hallelujah information to give me on it, but it has to be debated," he told the candidate.
Fulcher said he’s well aware of the trend, including with student data being shared, and agreed that it’s worth exploring.
Another attendee told Fulcher that land seizures across America such as what happened in the Bundy case in Oregon need to stop.
"The Bundys were not crystal clean, but the way it was handled was way out of line," Fulcher said.
When asked his opinion of the large piggyback, or omnibus, bills that are floated, Fulcher said Congress should follow Idaho’s example and have a single-subject rule so bills don’t get so convoluted.
Fulcher said it has been "incredibly encouraging time" since President Donald Trump was elected, including the Dow Jones jumping more than 30 percent.
"He has turned D.C. on its ear," Fulcher said, drawing applause.
Fulcher’s big-name Republican opponents include Idaho Rep. Luke Malek, of Coeur d’Alene; David Leroy, of Eagle and a former attorney general and former lieutenant governor; and Idaho Rep. Christy Perry, of Nampa.
The race for the seat also includes Republicans Nick Henderson, of Post Falls, and Michael Snyder, of Bonners Ferry, and Democrats Michael Smith of Post Falls; Donald Miller of Meridian; and James Vandermaas, of Eagle.
The primary is May 15; the general election Nov. 6.