Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise archive for May 2010

MONDAY, MAY 31, 2010

Political gears shift

As the political gears shift after last week's primary election, the 1st District congressional race is now Walt Minnick vs. Raul Labrador, while other big races, like Gov. Butch Otter vs. Democratic challenger Keith Allred, are following a more expected course. Click below to read…

Continue reading this post »

FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010

Pockets of support...

In two races in which the incumbents won handily this week - state Controller Donna Jones by 56.5 percent to challenger Todd Hatfield's 43.5 percent, and Idaho Supreme Court Justice Roger Burdick by 58.4 percent to challenger John Bradbury's 41.6 percent - a look at…

Continue reading this post »






Candidate reveals tax problems, wins anyway

P. Tom Sullivan, a former Coeur d'Alene restaurant owner and now a businessman in Tetonia, Idaho, won the Democratic primary on Tuesday for a chance to challenge U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo in the fall. The day before the election, Sullivan issued a press release acknowledging…

Continue reading this post »



Why it took all night...

The one county whose election results took the longest to determine - the same county where a prominent longtime state senator was defeated by his GOP primary challenger on Tuesday - had an 11 p.m. machine malfunction that led to a technician driving from Kootenai…

Continue reading this post »

THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2010

Settlement in works for UI retiree lawsuit

Here's a news item from The Associated Press: MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — A proposed settlement between the University of Idaho and 268 former employees over changes to their insurance benefits could finish a long-simmering legal fight between the two sides. The retirees filed a notice…

Continue reading this post »


Wasden recovers $1.2M for Idaho from drug firms

Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has reached a settlement with two prescription drug manufacturers that requires them to pay Idaho more than $1.2 million in a dispute over how much they charged Idaho Medicaid for drugs based on published average wholesale prices. “Where published prices…

Continue reading this post »


Candidate Rex Rammell with his giant inflatable dinosaur (Betsy Russell)

Benewah is T-Rex country? 

GOP gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell, the former elk rancher and militia movement backer whose campaign trademark this year was a giant inflatable T-Rex he towed behind his brightly decorated campaign RV, took 26 percent of the vote to incumbent Gov. Butch Otter's 54.6 percent in…

Continue reading this post »


GOP: 'Things are changing before our eyes'

Here's a link to my day-after story on the primary election, in which everything from tea party activism to social media hijinks contributed to a shakeup for the GOP, from the defeat of six sitting Republican lawmakers to the upset in the congressional race. Idaho…

Continue reading this post »

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2010

Baumbach: 'It was a piece of propaganda' 

Lucas Baumbach, the Boise Republican legislative candidate who created the video mash-up juxtaposing phrases from speeches by Vaughn Ward and Barack Obama, calls himself a "RINO hunter" and a "Tea Party activist" and is blunt about why he created the mash-up: Because he supported Raul…

Continue reading this post »




Vaughn Ward, top right, shakes hands with Raul Labrador, who defeated him in yesterday's GOP primary for Congress, after Labrador spoke at a GOP unity rally on Wednesday. (Betsy Russell)

Labrador: Ward has served honorably 

Raul Labrador, the victor in the 1st Congressional District GOP primary last night, had this to say about his opponent Vaughn Ward at the GOP rally today: "Yesterday we were divided as a party, we were divided supporting different candidates. But today we are all…

Continue reading this post »


Republicans hold their traditional "unity" rally on the statehouse steps the day after a hard-fought GOP primary election; Gov. Butch Otter, with First Lady Lori Otter at his side, urges the party to come together. (Betsy Russell)

Otter at GOP 'unity' rally: 'Now we are one team'

Idaho Republicans gathered on the Statehouse steps for their traditional "unity" rally after yesterday's primary election, including the turbulent 1st District congressional race. Here, the candidates, including Vaughn Ward, top right, listen to Gov. Butch Otter, who said, "Obviously our party had all the action."…

Continue reading this post »


Six sitting lawmakers lose in primary 

Here's a link to the final, unofficial statewide results from the Secretary of State for yesterday's primary election. Of interest: Six legislative incumbents lost to their challengers in the GOP primary: Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake; Sen. Lee Heinrich, R-Cascade; Rep. Steve Kren, R-Nampa; Rep.…

Continue reading this post »


TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2010

AP: Labrador wins 1st CD GOP primary

The Associated Press has called the 1st District congressional race - well after midnight Boise time - and declared Raul Labrador the winner. With 89 percent of precincts reporting, Labrador led with 46 percent, to 40 percent for rival Vaughn Ward.

Continue reading this post »


Norm Semanko, chairman of the Idaho Republican Primary, discusses the close congressional primary in the 1st District and bemoans the low turnout overall for this year's primary election (Betsy Russell)

Semanko: Low turnout a disappointment

Idaho GOP Chairman Norm Semanko says his party will come together no matter which candidate wins the hard-fought congressional primary between Raul Labrador and Vaughn Ward; the latest results, with 89 percent of precincts reporting, show Labrador with 46 percent to 40 percent for Ward.…

Continue reading this post »


Gov. Butch Otter and First Lady Lori Otter talk with supporters at the GOP primary election night gathering in Boise. (Betsy Russell)

Otter: 'Lead nation out of recession' 

Gov. Butch Otter was very much in evidence throughout the evening at the GOP election night gathering tonight, as both he and First Lady Lori Otter celebrated with supporters, posed for pictures and more. When he took the podium to accept his party's nomination, he…

Continue reading this post »


Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keith Allred talks on the phone during a working election night gathering at his campaign headquarters, at which volunteers stuffed envelopes and readied a campaign mailer. (Betsy Russell)

Allred chooses working party for primary night

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keith Allred held a different kind of election-night gathering tonight - he and volunteers gathered at his campaign headquarters, where they stuffed envelopes, fielded calls and worked on a mailing and other projects. Longtime Democratic activist Betty Richardson said it was the…

Continue reading this post »


Ada County Commissioner and unsuccessful GOP candidate for governor Sharon Ullman on primary election night (Betsy Russell)

Ullman: 'An incredible experience'

With 509 of 936 precincts reporting, Gov. Butch Otter, who's already been declared the winner of the GOP gubernatorial primary, had 55 percent. Here's how his five challengers did: Rex Rammell, 25.2 percent; Sharon Ullman, 8 percent; Ron "Pete" Peterson, 5.7 percent; and both Walt…

Continue reading this post »

Eye On Boise

News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.



Blog Archives

May 2010
31 28 27 26 25
24 22 21 20 19
18 17 15 14 13
12 11 10 09 07
06 05 04 03 01