May 11, 2024
Pocatello–Earlier this week, Melaleuca paid for a mass text message stressing the importance of the Precinct Committee Officer position. The text included a video link, which took recipients to a third-party website featuring a list of “Candidates We Support,” giving the appearance that Melaleuca supported those candidates. (Read the full story here.)
Melaleuca’s Executive Chairman, Frank VanderSloot, responded to public concerns regarding candidate endorsement in a second mass text, sent Friday evening. The text reads:
Earlier this week, Melaleuca sent a video message that came to you via text, explaining the importance of precinct committeemen. That text is what we paid for.
Unfortunately, the video was then linked to another site that made it appear that Melaleuca was endorsing certain candidates as precinct committeemen. It was never our intent that our message be used to endorse anyone. We have not vetted any of the candidates that were listed on that linked site and therefore we do not take any position on any of them.
From now on, to avoid confusion, Melaleuca will send out our own communication, rather than allow our message to be linked to other groups.
This is a very important election – especially the precinct committee positions. Let’s bring unity and civility back to our party. We need leaders who will unite the party. We need honest, noble leaders, – not bomb throwers.
Ronald Reagan said that anyone who agreed with him 80% of the time, was his friend. Solving problems and building a strong nation deserves robust debate and principled argument. It’s appropriate and fair to hold people responsible for their actions and voting record, but personal attacks diminish our position and weaken our party. We hope you will choose conservative, principled leaders that will listen and lead, rather than attack each other with name-calling and innuendo.
Above all, please become informed, and exercise your right to vote.
-Frank L. VanderSloot
Melaleuca Exec. Chairman
To find your precinct location visit: bit.ly/3G7vDSZ
Paid for by Melaleuca
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The bit.ly link in the text takes recipients directly to the Secretary of State’s VoteIdaho voting location finder.
