Eye on Boise: All told, the props drew the most cash

The remarkable sums of money that have been poured into two ballot initiatives in Idaho this year – and one of them in particular, on racetrack betting machines – eclipses the money in the Idaho governor’s race, a high-stakes contest for Idaho’s first open seat at its top position in 12 years.

Money has continued rolling in, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Idaho Secretary of State’s office. But even with all the activity in the governor’s race this fall, and even when it’s combined with the amounts raised for the hotly contested Democratic and Republican primary races for governor back in May – the initiatives come out with a bigger dollar figure. In fact, the racing initiative, Proposition 1, alone, adds up to more.

Here are the numbers: Between all campaign finance reports and the 48-hour notices filed since the end of the final filing period before the election, Democratic Rep. Paulette Jordan reported raising $1.14 million for her run for governor.

By the same measure, Republican Lt. Gov. Brad Little has raised $2.52 million.

Back in the primary, Democratic hopeful A.J. Balukoff reported raising $2.29 million; Republican hopeful Tommy Ahlquist, $2.78 million; and Republican hopeful Raul Labrador $434,666. Combine those, and that’s $5.5 million.

Add that to Jordan’s and Little’s totals, and it comes up to $9,155,269.

Now, let’s look at the initiative campaigns. On Proposition 2, Medicaid expansion, backers raised $1.63 million. Opponents raised $59,915. All together, that’s $1.69 million.

On Proposition 1, the racetrack betting initiative, backers raised $5.95 million, and opponents raised $6.5 million. Added together, that’s $12.5 million.

Whether you add both propositions together – which would come to $14.2 million – or just look at the racetrack initiative, the totals easily dwarf the $9.2 million spent in the governor’s race.

Labrador opposes Prop 1

Idaho 1st District GOP Congressman Raul Labrador has come out against Proposition 1, the initiative on Tuesday’s ballot to reauthorize “historical horse racing” betting machines at Idaho racetracks. “I have had the privilege of serving the people of Idaho for 12 years and I can spot a bad deal for the Gem State from a mile away,” Labrador said in a statement distributed by Idaho United Against Prop 1. “That is why I am voting no on Proposition 1 on Tuesday. Constituents must look past the empty promises made by proponents of this measure and see that the actual text of Prop 1 is not about horse racing, schools or communities. It is about legalizing and expanding gambling.”

He added that he believes the measure “will pull taxpayers into the middle of a costly legal battle that can and should be avoided.”

Interestingly, the two Republicans Labrador vied against in the May GOP primary for governor, businessman Tommy Ahlquist and Lt. Gov. Brad Little, both have endorsed Prop 1. Little is now the GOP nominee for governor.

Oh, eastern Idaho…

Over in eastern Idaho, a write-in campaign by incumbent Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, against the Ammon resident who beat him in the GOP primary, Chad Christensen, has drawn some big outside spending, including $10,000 from OTTERPAC, and there’s been confusion about another Chad Christensen, this one an area school board member.

Idaho Falls Post Register reporter Nathan Brown writes that a long list of Idaho Republican officeholders and party officials have the Christensen who won the primary.

But Loertscher has a few prominent supporters – including the other Chad Christensen, who lives in Soda Springs and was elected to the school board there.

Loertscher’s campaign took out ads that ran recently in several weekly papers in the rural six-county district, Brown reports, with the other Christensen’s picture and the headline, “I’m Chad Christensen and I support Tom Loertscher.” Christensen says in the ad that some people have congratulated him on winning the primary, when he voted for and intends to write in Loertscher.

“He’s a little upset that people thought, down in Caribou County at least, they were voting him when he himself voted for me,” Loertscher said.

The Christensen who won the primary told the Post Register, “I don’t like to talk negatively, that’s not who I am, but the general consensus and people’s reaction to it was, the people in my district have all come up and said, ‘This is really deceptive, Chad.’ ”