Larry Grant says it was “purely a strategic political decision” for him to drop out of the 1st District congressional race. “The object of this game is to take advantage of something that only happens every so often, which is a real opportunity to take a seat for a Democrat,” Grant said. “And we really needed to be working together. Looking at the next two months of what could turn out to be a contentious primary didn’t make any sense. … I mean, right now Bill Sali’s getting a free pass and we need to be out working together to get him, rather than dividing the party up.”

Though Grant’s been in the race longer, Minnick quickly outpaced him in fundraising and by lining up key endorsements like that of former Gov. Cecil Andrus, who endorsed Grant two years ago. “The situation is that I have a really strong organization on the ground, he has better Washington, D.C. connections than I do, together we’re a great team,” Grant said. “If we could run as a team, Sali wouldn’t have a chance.” He also noted that his departure from the race now could bring national Democratic funding sooner to the Idaho race, since it would no longer be a contested Democratic primary. “The DCCC has already targeted this race, and this should really bring them into the race two months early, get things going,” Grant said. “Sali really is vulnerable, and that’s the important thing – change politics in Idaho.”

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