Moscow, Idaho— “It is just a common thing for conservative candidates to get their signs vandalized in our local elections,” said Gabriel Rench, who is running for Latah County Commissioner.
Two political signs in support of Gabriel Rench’s campaign were vandalized last weekend, on July 26.
The signs were defaced with derogatory language and pornographic drawings.
The vandalized signs can be seen on Facebook here.
Vandalism is not uncommon in Moscow. Captain Roger Lanier with the Moscow Police Department stated, “It is not a rampant crime, but we do get enough calls that we are familiar with the codes.” Captain Lanier says that vandalism is frequently committed in Moscow, but that most vandalism results in low-cost damages.
Captain Lanier said that political signs are not typically targeted in Moscow, but that “Vandalism by graffiti and damage to vehicles are probably most common.” During the political season there is an increase in the destruction of political signs, but there is no statistical increase in total vandalism rates.
Captain Lanier says the citizens of Moscow should respond to such vandalism by reporting it to the police so the city is “able to track it and map it.”
Rench, when asked why someone would want to vandalize his sign, stated, “I am an unapologetic Christian, who loves genuine freedom and limited government policies, and all the Democrats that are reading this, just translate that as ‘I am a racist who hates everyone.’ We are watching our society’s ability to have genuine dialogue break down, and tactics, like vandalizing signs, are just part of the fruit of that.”
Rench said he anticipates that while only two of his signs have been vandalized thus far, many more of his signs will be vandalized in the future. Rench believes that the vandalism of his campaign signs will actually assist his campaign.
Rench’s campaign is primarily focused on protecting citizens’ rights, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Another important part of Rench’s campaign is the intent to lower property taxes in Latah County: “Our county has the second highest property taxes in the state of Idaho. Our commissioners have voted to raise our taxes four years in a row, and if we continue down this path, we are only going to make our county unloveable (sic) for the average citizen.”
Rench is running against Tom Lamar, a democrat seeking re-election, for Latah County Commissioner in District 2. The election is taking place November 3, 2020.
https://moscowidaho.news/2020/08/03/local-political-signs-vandalized/