GOP tour bus visits local communities, a behind-the-scenes look

With Election Day less than two weeks away, seven of Idaho’s GOP candidates hopped on a tour bus and have been rolling through towns across the Gem State.

On Thursday some of those candidates cruised through eight communities across southeastern Idaho, starting in Blackfoot and ending in American Falls.

But much of the behind-the-scenes work was done by some enthusiastic volunteers, two of which, have been a staple on that bus for the past two decades.

“Our first bus trip was in 1994 with then-candidate Phil Batt, running for Governor,” Jack Raymond said.

Raymond and his wife Mary Jane have been retired for the past 20 years and haven’t stopped moving and shaking ever since.

“We made a vow when we retired that we would compile a list of things to do and see and we would have to complete everything on that list,” Mary Jane said. “But we’ve been so busy we haven’t had time to even read that list.”

Everyday Mary Jane stuffs the candidates’ campaign pamphlets into plastic bags to hand out to voters.

Jack is in charge of handing them out.

“I probably get through 500 of these every day,” Mary Jane said.

“Some folks complain about what to do in retirement, but we find interesting things to do that we enjoy and this is one of them,” Raymond said. “You get to travel the beautiful state of Idaho and not worry about where you’re going to stay, what you’re going to eat, none of that. All you’re doing is focusing on what your job is, and my job is to be read at the next stop to get (the pamphlets) out as far away from the bus as I can in the time allowed.”

To view the GOP tour bus schedule, visit this website here.

To find out when the Democratic candidates will be in your town, you can visit their website here.