Larry Grant: Race Was Walt’s To Lose

In the comments section Friday, Larry Grant , the Demos’ 2006 candidate for Congress writes: in 2008, I stepped aside to let Walt run because I thought he had a better chance of winning than I did. I was right. He squeaked by in a tough race. I have also kept my mouth shut since then in order to let Walt run whatever kind of race he thought he needed to win in 2010. So let me get it straight: when I lost, I was a bad candidate, when Walt loses, there was nothing anybody could do, even though he was an incumbent with a conservative voting record with a $2 million dollar war chest who loses to an underfunded R who doesn’t have the support of half his party or groups like IACI. The race was Walt’s to lose. Full post below.

Question: Did Walt Minnick lose his congressional seat because he ran a poor campaign? Or was he simply a victim of the big Republican sweep in 2010?

Okay, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts. Let’s review. In 2006, the Dem party could not recruit anyone else to run, so I stepped up. Much of the Idaho Dem leadership would not come out and support me in the primary because they didn’t want to make Shela Sorensen mad because they thought she would be the candidate and be easily elected. It was only after Sali became the candidate that those folks got on the bandwagon. Yet, late to the game as they were, I still got more votes and raised more money than any Dem candidate since Dan Williams.

And, yes, I did ask Walt if he wanted to run in 2006 and the answer was no.

Now, in 2008, I stepped aside to let Walt run because I thought he had a better chance of winning than I did. I was right. He squeaked by in a tough race. I have also kept my mouth shut since then in order to let Walt run whatever kind of race he thought he needed to win in 2010.

So let me get it straight: when I lost, I was a bad candidate, when Walt loses, there was nothing anybody could do, even though he was an incumbent with a conservative voting record with a $2 million dollar war chest who loses to an underfunded R who doesn’t have the support of half his party or groups like IACI.

The race was Walt’s to lose. But don’t get me wrong, I’ve known Walt for 30 years and know him to be a good man. I place the blame where it belongs, directly on his campaign staff and advisors.