Congressman Walt Minnick stressed his business experience in a forum before the Meridian Chamber of Commerce today. "I think I have the skill set to go back and work with my colleagues across the aisle to do a business-like job," he said. Independent Dave Olson responded that his opponents have "wonderful backgrounds," but said, "We're going to try things in the future and not sit on our hind ends and say, '20 years ago I did thus and such.' ... It's what you do in the future that's going to make a difference."

GOP challenger Raul Labrador said, "If you're happy with what Pelosi and Obama are doing in Washington, D.C., I'm not your candidate." He said Minnick has voted against some major Democratic proposals that he also would have opposed, but he said they still passed. "I would've stopped those things, just like I stopped legislation in the Idaho House of Representatives," Labrador said. "I was successful in making sure that we did not have a gas tax in the middle of a recession - whether you agree with me or not, I think you have to give me a little bit of credit for actually fighting for my principles and fighting for things I believe in."

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