Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick has a new campaign ad out today, focusing on a case GOP rival Raul Labrador handled as an attorney in 2001, in which his client, Carlos Araiza Lopez, was an illegal immigrant arrested in a major drug case in Nampa. After…
Congressman Walt Minnick has launched a new TV ad that repeats his earlier criticisms of GOP rival Raul Labrador, plus adds a new one: That Labrador "dishonored Idaho's veterans by voting against a program honoring those who died serving our nation." Labrador's campaign called the…
Here's a new item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — House Speaker Lawerence Denney will wait until after Tuesday's election to announce whether he'll allow state Rep. Phil Hart to remain on a key tax policy committee. A House ethics committee recommended Hart,…
The Associated Press reports that a fan of public schools chief Tom Luna wrote Idaho newspapers this month to praise his math initiative, but the supporter did not disclose her role with a company hired as part of the program. Marisa Alan identified herself as…
Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho ended fiscal year 2011's third month with more tax revenue than forecast. According to figures obtained by The Associated Press, Idaho took in $209 million in September, $4 million more than forecast.…
Former Idaho Rep. Bill Sali penned a "dear friend" letter that was distributed to all attendees at last night's Kootenai County Republican Central Committee meeting, defending Rep. Phil Hart and pinpointing what he says is the real reason for Hart's tax and legal troubles: Me.…
SuperPAC for America has revised its "Idaho Voter Guide" ad, removing a false claim that Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick voted for the federal stimulus bill; Minnick was one of 11 House Democrats who voted against the bill. In the new version, that part of the…
The Boise Weekly sent reporters out to the various corners of the state in recent weeks to "deconstruct the race for governor," and came up with this rather interesting report, "The Campaign That Wasn't." It includes reports from the Panhandle, North-Central Idaho, Southwest Idaho, Central…
So what did Kootenai County Republicans do last night on their bid to oust their state committeeman for not supporting the re-election of Rep. Phil Hart? They didn't. The central committee voted 35-30 to delay the vote on whether to oust Matt Roetter, which meant…
With the election less than a week away, Idaho voters are worried about the state’s economy, wary of plans to run huge trucks across scenic U.S. Highway 12, and averse to generating more funds for road improvements in the state. Those results from the Idaho…
GOP congressional hopeful Raul Labrador has launched a new TV ad, with the help of funding from the Idaho Republican Party, painting Congressman Walt Minnick as a tax-raiser. The one vote cited in the ad: Minnick voted in favor of HR 4154, which the ad…
The Idaho Prosperity Fund, operated by IACI, the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, has filed another independent expenditure report showing that it made a $24,275 independent expenditure today against Keith Allred, all paid to ORRA SGS of Orlando, Fla. for printing, postage and advertising…
Here's a link to my full story at spokesman.com on Gov. Butch Otter's latest campaign ad, which touts the Opportunity Scholarship Fund that Otter helped establish, but doesn't mention that no new students have been able to apply for the scholarship for the past two…
The Idaho Democratic Party has filed an independent expenditure report showing that it spent $50,000 on polling yesterday on behalf of Keith Allred, the Democratic candidate for governor. Coincidentally, that was a day before the independent Idaho Newspapers Poll came out today, showing GOP Gov.…
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter's latest campaign ad touts the Opportunity Scholarship Fund, which he pushed for and helped establish to provide needs-based scholarships for Idaho college students, an area that's long been sorely lacking in the state. However, not mentioned in the ad is the…
Gov. Butch Otter has appointed Michelle Stennett to the Idaho Senate seat vacated by her husband Clint's recent death; Stennett had been filling in for her husband as he battled brain cancer, and is now running for the seat in her own right. Otter said…
AP reporter John Miller takes a look today at how Mormonism and politics have merged in two western campaigns, Idaho's gubernatorial race and Nevada's Senate race, and the glimpses it provides into scrutiny Mitt Romney could face in a 2012 run for president. "Americans like…
Here's a link to today's New York Times story by reporter William Yardley on Idaho's 1st CD race, which notes that "racial overtones have developed here, echoing other campaigns where immigration is an issue," including Nevada's Harry Reid-Sharron Angle race. “Idahoans are not bigoted, but…
At least one Idaho TV station, KTVB-TV in Boise, has decided to pull the SuperPAC for America ad against Walt Minnick that contains a false claim. "It is a non-candidate sponsored commercial, and we just reviewed the facts," said Doug Armstrong, KTVB general manager. "It…
RJ Laukitis, executive director of SuperPAC for America, just responded to Eye on Boise's inquiry about its anti-Minnick ad in Idaho, which falsely claims Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick voted in favor of the stimulus bill when he was one of just 11 House Democrats who…
Here's an interesting tidbit about SuperPAC for America, the national group headed by Dick Morris that's running a false ad in Idaho targeting Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick: Opensecrets.org reported yesterday that the group was the single top outside spender in the nation that day, spending…
Congressman Walt Minnick's re-election campaign is calling a new anti-Minnick ad from a national group headed by GOP strategist Dick Morris "outrageous" for falsely claiming Minnick voted in favor of the stimulus bill. "What's outrageous is the actual vote they cite says he voted no,"…
A new independent ad against Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick that's airing in Idaho makes a false claim that Minnick voted in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal stimulus bill, when Minnick actually was one of 11 Democrats who voted against the…
There's a new Idaho Newspapers Poll out this morning, and it shows that the 1st District congressional race has narrowed to a dead heat - freshman Democratic Congressman Walt Minnick has 44 percent to GOP challenger Raul Labrador's 41 percent, which is within the poll's…
Today's Coeur d'Alene Press reports that the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee will vote tonight on whether to remove their state committeeman for denouncing Rep. Phil Hart over his tax and legal troubles. "This vote is important, because it's going to identify what the local…
News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.
