Rammell loans himself more money in Senate race

BOISE – U.S. Senate candidate Rex Rammell has made another $250,000 loan to his independent campaign to replace outgoing Sen. Larry Craig, who isn’t running again after his arrest in a Minnesota sex sting.

Rammell has contributed a total of $390,000 of his money, while collecting only about $20,000 from supporters, according to his latest Federal Election Commission filing. After paying off $80,000, Rammell now has $310,000 in outstanding loans to his campaign.

The former elk rancher is running against a Democrat, former U.S. Rep. Larry LaRocco, and Jim Risch, currently Idaho’s Republican lieutenant governor. With Risch the front-runner among GOP faithful, Rammell said he’s encountered difficulty drumming up cash for his own run.

He’s come up with the money by borrowing against development property he owns in Jackson, Wyo., Rammell said.

“I’m basically funding my own race, which I’m happy to do,” Rammell told the Associated Press on Friday. “It’s putting a lot of financial pressure on my family, but I think the risk will be worth the reward, if I can win the U.S. Senate race.”

After the latest loan, Rammell has $244,000 in cash on hand, about the same as LaRocco. Risch had just over $1 million as of June 30, according to the FEC. Risch has lent his campaign $480,000 and paid back $130,000.