Shaun Winkler, is running for sheriff of Bonner County, Idaho as a Republican. The thing that is raising eyebrows of County residents is Winkler's past ties with white supremacist groups including the Aryan Nations. That, and the fact that he recently hosted a 'cross lighting' as head of the local chapter of White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. According to the Bonner County Daily Bee this occasion gave Winkler a platform from which to proclaim, among other things, “Most people don’t know that we don’t just oppose the Jews and the negroes,” he said. “We also oppose sexual predators and drugs of any kind.”
Bonner County voters have reason for skepticism based on a rocky history with white supremacist groups in the area. During the 1980's and 1990's Aryan Nations and other groups attempted to establish headquarters in the nearby Hayden Lake area. In opposition to this, Bonner County residents formed a Human Rights Task Force which brought lawsuits against the Aryan Nations. The situation escalated to violent altercations, but ultimately due to costs from the lawsuits, the Aryan Nations group had to dissolve and give up their Hayden Lake property. The Southern Poverty Law Center maintains archives detailing these events.
