Politics is a “full-contact sport,” Republican state Sen. Bob Nonini told his hometown Coeur d’Alene Press this week.

And at least he’s consistent in applying this principle.

Last spring, when Nonini was seeking to move from the House to the Senate, his political action committee poured nearly $15,000 into campaigns targeting six GOP incumbents, including Senate Finance Committee Chairman Dean Cameron of Rupert and Vice Chairwoman Shawn Keough of Sandpoint.

All six candidates won.

If Nonini was chastened by the experience — or by the awkwardness of serving alongside fellow Republicans he targeted for defeat a few months earlier — there’s no visible sign of it.

Nonini signed a May 17 letter endorsing two candidates for Post Falls School Board. The letter criticized board incumbent Julie Hunt and Dave Paul, who was seeking a return to the board. The letter endorsed Carol Goodman and Glorie Ward, candidates who had the backing of the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans.

The Reagan Republicans also supported three candidates in Coeur d’Alene School Board elections which took on partisan overtones.

Nonini was the only lawmaker to sign the letter supporting Goodman and Ward — and had he known it would end up that way, Nonini might have had second thoughts about weighing in. But he didn’t back down.

“I appreciate Carol and Glorie asking me to sign a letter of endorsement,” Nonini told the Coeur d’Alene Press. “I support what they do.”

But here’s one difference between this week’s Post Falls race and Nonini’s foray into the 2012 GOP primary. This time, Nonini’s candidates won.