KUNA, Idaho — A doorbell camera caught Kuna School Board Trustee Zone 2 candidate Kristi Hardy stealing a flyer Tuesday out of the door jam previously left by her opponent – Zone 2 incumbent and Board Chairman James' JD' Grant - 20 minutes earlier.
Door knocking is a popular strategy in local elections for candidates to connect with voters in the district and offer their best pitch to garner additional votes. Hardy and Grant both use the strategy often.
"I walked up to the door, saw my opponent's flyer stuck in the jam, and I took it - you know - in a moment of weakness," she said. "I just took it. It was gonna fall to the ground. And I haven't seen the video, but I think I folded it up. I really didn't give it much thought after that to be honest with you. These [flyers] all just land in the trash at some point."
Hardy told KTVB in a phone interview. "I would say 90 percent of people have cameras. I have only done this a few times. If I see it in the jam, I put it in my hand."
If this was a large recurring pattern, Hardy argues multiple videos would be making their way across the internet, not just this one. She admits taking Grant's flyers was wrong.
"I am sorry," Hardy said. "I'll call him and apologize."
Grant heard of the incident Wednesday when more than a dozen people texted him to alert him of the video's popularity on Facebook. This is Grant's third election cycle, though it stands alone in his mind.
"This is probably the most money I've seen raised for a school board election in a long time," Grant said. "I know Kristi [Hardy]. I think she's a good person and means well. I think she just messed up."
Hardy raised nearly $16,000 for her campaign, according to the Idaho Secretary of State's website. Her donors include Chicago Trust Company; they gave her campaign $500. The Illinois-based "trust and estate service" has only donated to two other candidates across Idaho since 2022 – Eagle Mayor Jason Pierce and Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador.
Grant's campaign is entirely privately funded.
"I want my campaign to stay positive and talk about the good things that are happening in the district," Grant said. "I'm trying to take the high road."
The Secretary of State's Office directs any candidate who has their election property or campaign tampered with to contact local police. Election day is set for Nov. 7.
"On a lighter note," Hardy wrote KTVB in a text message. "I have resolved to take a chaperone with me when going door to door from now on!"
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