Column: U.S. Senate Race
LaRocco Releases Poll
“If the election for U.S. Senate were held today and the candidates were independent Rex Rammell, Republican Jim Risch and Democrat Larry LaRocco, for whom would you vote, or are you undecided?”
Internal polling for former congressman Larry LaRocco, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, shows he trails opponent Lt. Gov. Jim Risch by 15 percentage points, plus or minus 4.5%. Risch had 43%, LaRocco 28%, Rammell 6%, Other 6%, and Undecided 18%.
But when voters were read LaRocco and Risch’s stance on issues, LaRocco took the lead at 40 to 37 percent, with the same margin of error. Rammell was 5%, Other 5% and Undecideds dropped to 13%.
The poll was conducted between May 20 and 25 by Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners. 500 likely Idaho voters were questioned.
As I wrote yesterday, President Bush’s disapproval rating came in at 54% in LaRocco’s poll – the first time a majority of Idahoans disapproved of the job Bush is doing. With a 4.5 margin of error, that could be as high as 59.50% or as low as 49.5%.
[more]
from the new west blog: 2008 elections
New Poll: Majority of Reddest-State Idahoans Disapprove of Bush
New West has some preliminary numbers from an Idaho Democratic Senate campaign poll. Full results of the poll will be released Tuesday.
The Larry LaRocco for Senate poll surveyed 500 likely Idaho voters and was conducted from May 20 to May 25 by Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners.
Idaho has the most Republican-dominated state legislature of all the 50 states, and the GOP holds all the top-level statewide offices. So it's more than surprising that 54% of those polled said they disapproved of the job President Bush is doing - it could be telling.
The closest Idaho poll readily available for comparison is a Survey USA poll done in August 2007 which had a 49% disapproval rating for Bush. So LaRocco's poll could signal a five percent jump in disapproval for Bush, and the first time a majority of likely-voting Idahoans disapprove of the president.
[more]
Column: Politics
Sen. Larry Craig Co-Sponsors Defense of Marriage Amendment
Sens. Larry Craig (R-ID) and David Vitter (R-LA) have signed on as co-sponsors of S.J. Res. 43, the Marriage Protection Amendment - a bill that would amend the Constitution to declare that marriage “shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman.”
Sen. Craig was arrested June 11, 2007 on charges of lewd conduct in a Minneapolis airport terminal and pled guilty.
Sen. Vitter was on a list of clients of a prostitution firm owned by “The DC Madam,” Deborah Jeane Palfrey.
This is the fourth attempt by Republicans during this Congress to legislate what they call “family values" with similar bills.
[more]
Advertisement
Column: Idaho Politics, U.S. Senate Race
Will Rex Rammell’s Run Ruin Risch?
Idaho Sen. Larry Craig told the Wall Street Journal Wednesday that he and other Idaho Republicans are worried about eastern Idaho veterinarian Rex Rammell, who dropped out of the Republican primary to run as an independent for U.S. Senate. Rammell's opponents are Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, Democratic former congressman Larry LaRocco, independent candidate Pro-Life (formerly Marvin Richardson) and Libertarian Kent Marmon.
Rammell has consistently held that Risch is not representative of real Republican values, and states on his website: “Don’t believe for one second that he is a stalwart conservative. Risch is a stalwart politician that [sic] will say anything to get elected.”
[more]
Idaho Politics: Presidential Campaign
Obama Hires Boise High Graduate as Chief of Staff
New West has learned through a local source that Democratic nominee for president Barack Obama has hired 1988 Boise High School graduate Jim Messina as his campaign Chief of Staff. Messina is former COS to Montana Sen. Max Baucus.
The Idaho Statesman has the story.
[more]
Column: Idaho Party Politics
Diverse Group Will Represent Idaho Dems at Denver Convention
The bouncy buzz in the air never stopped from Thursday to Saturday nights as delegate hopefuls, legislators, candidates, party officials and “just Democrats” met at the Doubletree Riverside hotel. Heavily-attended candidate training sessions, committee meetings, platform discussions, speeches from candidates and social events went back-to-back in the Party’s party atmosphere, all leading up to the lively election of 23 delegates and officials to represent Idaho at the August national convention in Denver. They’re listed below. [more]
Idaho Politics: State Conventions
GOP Delegates Challenge Their Leadership
UPDATE: Norm Semanko has defeated incumbent Kirk Sullivan for chair of the Idaho Republican Party.
Their central committee is suing the state of Idaho to close their primaries, but the state’s Republican delegates to their convention voted to keep them open.
It was a close one at 199-192, and it leaves the members of the central committee a predicament that could be controversial enough to feed the party rift beyond the convention. Should they do the top-down thing and keep the lawsuit alive, or listen to the grassroots and uphold their vote?
[more]
Politics: Presidential
Idaho GOP May Not Seat Ron Paul Delegates
At the Idaho state Republican convention in Sandpoint, delegate selection is today, and Erica Curless from the Spokane Spokesman-Review, blogging on Huckleberries, reports,
“Idaho Republican Party Chairman Kirk Sullivan said he believes the party rules don't allow awarding delegates to candidates who are no longer in the race.”
Paul captured 24% of Republican primary votes, making Idaho his best state win and awarding him six delegates.
[more]
Column: Idaho Party Politics
Idaho Political Conventions Start Today
The Idaho Republican Party holds its state convention beginning today, Thursday June 12, at the Bonner County Fairgrounds in Sandpoint.
The Idaho Democratic Party convention is in Boise at the Doubletree Riverside Inn in Garden City, also starting today.
Friday at both conventions, delegates to their respective national conventions will be elected.
On Saturday, according to media reports, the Republicans will elect a party chair, and it will almost surely be more than the pro forma re-election of the current chair, Kirk Sullivan. An ideological battle between the far-right wing, who want to close primaries, and the conservative wing, who want that issue to go away, has led to a campaign to elect a new chair.
[more]
