The Statesman Writes Hartnett’s Literature

This week, my mailbox is full of literature about District 18 A’s Legislative primary. I have a piece from each candidate plus two independent pieces.

Ellsworth’s piece is standard fare. The advocacy group Free Enterprise PAC focuses on Hartnett’s willingness to raise taxes and spending and argues, “We urge your support of Jullie Ellsworth in the GOP’s House Primary. We can trust her to help secure our economic future.”

However, Hartnett’s piece, as well that of the Idaho Association of Realtors, rely heavily on the Statesman’s editorial. The piece from the Idaho Association of Realtors has little else. And on the back of Hartnett’s ad, she produces the Statesman’s endorsement in its entirety.

How do you know when your endorsement editorials are little more than one-sided hit pieces? When a candidate reproduces one of said editorials word for word. Hartnett, ever into positive campaigning, highlights the portion of the editorial in which the Statesman accuses of Ellsworth of having a revolving door policy towards lobbying and running for office. (Apparently one lobbying job qualifies as a policy.)

Of course, Hartnett is aware of the risk she’s taking. The people who were going to  get super-impressed with the Statesman’s endorsement are going to read it in the Statesman. Republican primary voters who don’t take the Statesman do so for good reason. And Statesman endorsements turn off these voters. Plus, if people read the endorsement, they’ll see she got it because of her support for more taxes and more government. Not something to advertise and rub in the face of GOP primary voters.

Nobody has any idea what the election results will be, but if Hartnett loses, it may be because of an ad that played negatively. What irony would it be if it was Hartnett’s own mailer?