Minnick leads in fundraising
BOISE – Walt Minnick, the Democrat seeking Idaho’s 1st Congressional District seat, raised more than $228,000 during the last three months, more than double the amount raised by the incumbent Republican he’s trying to beat in November.
In campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday, Minnick reported raising $228,836 between January and March, with more than 98 percent of donations coming from individuals. The first-quarter figure raises his overall fundraising total to $639,190, and after expenses Minnick’s campaign reports $327,409 in cash on hand.
Rep. Bill Sali, a first-term Republican, struggled to keep up during the first three months. His campaign reported $107,663 in donations, bringing his overall fundraising during the election cycle to $428,098, according to reports. Sali, who faces a primary challenger, shows just $124,191 in cash on hand heading into the May 27 primary.
Minnick campaign spokesman John Foster said the latest figures refute conventional wisdom that a Democrat can’t successfully raise money and compete in a district that stretches across western Idaho.
“More and more people are starting to realize that electing a Democrat in Idaho isn’t all that far-fetched,” Foster said. “The disparity in fundraising is another sign of the frustration people have with Washington and Bill Sali.”
Sali’s latest report accounts for $144,673 in debt owed to his re-election committee, but the report does not indicate whether that amount is carry-over from 2006, new debt or a personal loan Sali made to the campaign.
In the race for Idaho’s open seat in the U.S. Senate, Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, a Republican, raised more money during the period and has nearly four times as much cash on hand as his Democratic challenger, Larry LaRocco.
Risch reported contributions of $512,893 for the first three months, bringing his overall total to $748,759, according to his report.
Although there are others competing for the GOP nomination, Risch is clearly his party’s front-runner for the seat now held by Republican Larry Craig, who has said he will retire when his third term expires in January.
Risch reported contributions from more than 4,000 individual donors, but his campaign also accepted $195,000 from political action committees during the first quarter. The report also notes a $380,000 loan Risch made last month to his campaign, a cash infusion that gives him $935,876 in cash on hand heading into the primary.
On the Democratic side, LaRocco reported $196,607 in contributions since January, bringing his overall total to $550,334. Donations came from more than 500 Idaho households during the period, punctuating LaRocco’s efforts to reach out to ordinary Idaho voters. But he also reports accepting more than $52,000 from political action committees.
His campaign reports $253,706 in cash on hand, money that can be saved for the general election because LaRocco lacks a primary challenge.
In Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District, incumbent Republican Mike Simpson reported donations of $46,200, bringing his total to $293,787 overall and giving him $114,409 in on-hand cash.
Simpson’s Democratic challenger, Debbie Holmes, a real estate agent from Boise, reported donations of $100 during the period. Holmes announced her intention to run for the seat last