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U.S. House hopeful Vaughn Ward worked on Sen. John McCain’s bid for the presidency two years ago, but he didn’t vote for him or anyone else in the 2008 general election. Ward told The Associated Press Thursday that his job as Nevada director for McCain’s presidential bid made it difficult to break away from the frenzied pace that defined the final days in a key battleground state. Ward also says the window for requesting an absentee ballot had closed by the time he realized he wouldn’t be able to return as planned to cast his ballot in Idaho. Ward registered to vote in Ada County on the day of the May 2008 primary/Associated Press, via KBOI. More here. DFO: A caller asked me a few minutes ago if I’d ever seen as many missteps as the ones by Ward, in my 27-plus years in Idaho. I told him that I hadn’t seen a front-running candidate make this many missteps in my 40 years in the news biz. Wasn’t he vetted by the state GOP, who anointed his as its golden boy to slay the Demo dragon, Minnick?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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Ender on May 13 at 4:24 p.m.
From what I hear about Ward, he never met with state GOP people before deciding to enter the race. When someone suggested he meet with Norm Semanko, Ward declined. He was intent on doing things his way without regard for how Idaho politics function.
DFO on May 13 at 4:26 p.m.
I just talked to Raul Labrador on the phone. He was in an editorial board meeting w/Vicki Holbrook’s Idaho Press Tribune and hadn’t heard about Ward’s 2008 non-vote. Labrador’s going to drop by the office Tuesday afternoon for a quick meet-and-greet. Mebbe I’ll ask him a coupla questions online.
Bubblehead on May 13 at 4:34 p.m.
I’m starting to think that, as a Minnick supporter, I’m really hoping that Ward wins the primary. He’ll be much easier to make fun of during the general election. Plus, he’ll have Art. 88 of the UCMJ hanging over him (commissioned officers can’t use contemptuous words about the President), so that’ll be good for lots of controversy.
Bubblehead on May 13 at 4:37 p.m.
Ooh… Ask Rep. Labrador why he calls the Democratic Party the “Democrat” Party, and if he also supports the repeal of the 12th Amendment, in order to further return elections to the vision of the Founding Fathers.
DFO on May 13 at 5:06 p.m.
BTW, I asked Labrador if he has embedded some an operative or two into the Ward camp … to mess things up. He just laughed.
Phaedrus on May 13 at 5:32 p.m.
Ward also says the window for requesting an absentee ballot had closed by the time he realized he wouldn’t be able to return as planned to cast his ballot in Idaho
Didn’t vote? C’mon. I’ve voted early (but not often) for the past 4 years because my volunteer work on campaigns was going to be keeping me busy on election day. Even the greenest rookie in the political field knows that. Was he really naive enough to think he’d be able to leave Nevada for Idaho on Election Day? Really? Or is this just one more example of Vaughn Ward making a feeble excuse in an attempt to deflect responsibility for his actions?