Gov. Butch Otter and Keith Allred will be on parallel campaign trails over the 4th of July weekend, participating in parades in Idaho Falls on Saturday and Coeur d’Alene on Sunday. Their paths won’t be identical — both candidates for governor have other events planned in eastern Idaho this weekend.
Otter will participate in Idaho Falls’ fireworks display on Saturday night, officially called the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration. The governor will conduct a symphony playing along with the fireworks, according to his campaign manager, Debbie Field. The health products company Melaleuca was the lead sponsor of the Idaho Republican State Convention in Idaho Falls last weekend, and its owner, Frank Vandersloot, has supported GOP candidates in the past.
Candidates in another closely watched Idaho race will be heading to different parts of the state for the holiday weekend. Democratic 1st District Rep. Walt Minnick will be in parades in the Treasure Valley this weekend before visiting agricultural communities in southwest Idaho during the next week. His challenger, Republican state Rep. Raul Labrador, will be touring north Idaho, and be in the Coeur d’Alene parade that Otter and Allred will be part of.
It’s unclear how much parade appearances sway voters. During a campaign school for Republican candidates at the GOP convention, a staffer with the Republican State Leadership Committee, a national GOP group that supports state-level races, told a crowd that no one ever votes for a candidate because they like their car in a parade.
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