John Freeland Resigns District 5 Senate Nomination
by Shari Dovale
Major upsets are happening in Idaho District 5, Latah and Benewah counties. The latest casualty in the Conservative push-back is John Freeland, 22, Republican Senate nominee.
After securing the party nomination for the State Senate seat just three weeks ago, he has abruptly resigned the nomination. It is now up to the local GOP leaders to select a new candidate to run against Democrat Dan Schmidt.
Freeland has posted a plethora of statements recently on his facebook pages making accusations against several people within the IDGOP leadership. Some of the statements referred to an impromptu meeting after the convention ended this weekend.
After getting first-person accounts of the meeting, it would seem, to me, that Mr. Freeland is just not mature enough to understand the responsibility that he was charged with after the Primary win on May 17th.
“He is absolutely useless and incompetent for any kind of legislative ability,” said Hari Heath, Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus for Benewah County.
Heath, who was present for the meeting, continued, “He has nothing to offer the people of the district. He is immature and seems to be only about getting personal attention. It’s not at all about any kind of service to the district and the people of Idaho.”
We have heard about the conservative rebellion in full swing throughout district 5. Accusations fly from both sides of the aisle, but it is certain, the citizens are making their voices heard loud and clear.
Ken DeVries, Independent candidate for House seat 5B against incumbent Carolyn Troy, has been vocal about John Freeland, and does not apologize for it. “Conservatives, Conservative-Republicans, and Liberty-minded Independents are fed up with RINO Republicans.” DeVries says. “Freeland was the last straw on an overburdened camel.”
The primary win for Carl Berglund, Candidate for House seat 5A, seems to have calmed many voters, as they feel they are finally having their voices heard.
We asked Berglund about the news today. “[Freeland] resigned for personal reasons,” Berglund tells us. “He is ambitious and passionate, and those qualities will serve him well in the future.”
With the Freeland situation behind them, the party can move forward to determine who will be their choice to replace him as the challenger to Democrat Dan Schmidt. There are several names being spoken of, yet no one will know until the precinct committee people meet and vote. This can happen anytime in the next 15 days.
To be sure, with all the childish antics of their last candidate, we are looking forward to seeing someone with a bit more maturity and sense of responsibility towards the citizens in their district.
If not, we will pull out the popcorn and watch from the cheap seats.
