Today is the last day to step up and run for office in Idaho this year. I'll write more about this midday, but a look at the current list of declared candidates (as of 5 p.m. Thursday) current list of candidates as of 12:04 2:53 p.m. shows that we have some holes to fill to give Idaho voters a choice in every district. Once again, Parag Mehta tells us: "It's not the races we lose that kill us. It's the races we don't run."
Update 6:25: OK, I 'm counting seven eight more Dems on this presumably final list, which - with 67 68 candidates - puts us at play in 66 out of 105 races. (There's a three-way Dem primary - the only one in the state - between Gilda Bothwell, Michelle Waddell, and Ed Wardwell in 14A, now held by Mike Moyle. Meanwhile, the other District 14 posts are going uncontested by Dems. Huh?) This is better than a few cycles ago, but one short of what Maria Weeg and crew managed two years ago.
The best news I see in this latest crop is that two more districts - District 7 (Lewiston) and 33 (Idaho Falls) - now have full slates. The worst news is that we somehow failed to fill seven Treasure Valley slots, including one open seat (20A) in Meridian where Democrats could conceivably strike a claim. Ryndy Williams filed early on to take on John Bircher Shirley McKague in the Senate contest, but unfortunately GOP state Rep. Mark Snodgrass wants to make that race, too.
So now that we have the final list, whaddya think? Post your thoughts in the comments below.
Update 6:15 p.m.: Man, the Republicans sure have a lot of primaries. There's the aforementioned U.S. Senate race which has eight, count 'em, eight GOP candidates (plus the "independent" Rex Rammell and "Pro-Life"). That's gonna be a heck of a debate, if Risch decides to show up. But there are plenty more GOP contests with multiple candidates downballot, including a three-way race for 11A (Steve Thayn's seat ... I'm hoping the Gary Bauer running isn't THAT Gary Bauer ... what, isn't Thayn conservative enough?!) and a five-way contest in 16B, where both Cody Hodges and Elizabeth Allan Hodge want the seat now held by Democrat David Langhorst.
Update 5:55: The latest (and perhaps final?) list is up, from 10 minutes ago. So far, I see a 13-way race for U.S. Senate (boy, a LOT of Rs don't like Jim Risch), including another Dem entrant in the race Larry LaRocco has been running for almost a year: David J. Archuleta of Fort Hall. Hey, isn't he the guy on American Idol?! A second Dem has stepped up to run for Mike Simpson's seat as well: David Sneddon of Boise, who also ran in the 2002 Dem Senate primary against Alan Blinken. It's interesting that both Dem candidates for the 2nd District seat work in real estate. Business must be slow these days .. More soon, as I plow down deeper into the list ...
Update 4:08 p.m.: I just noticed that Republican uberblogger Clayton Cramer has indeed filed to run against the evil RINO Tim Corder in District 22. As Binky Boy noted earlier today at 43SB, a Cramer campaign "would just be a present that I would want wrapped with a satin bow." Clayton's post makes it clear he expects true patriots from all across the United States of 9-11 to dump cash into his new PayPal account. He also wants help with his web page. I nominate Bill Sali Fan for that job!
Update 3:43 p.m.: More on the 3 p.m. report ... These districts have Dems running in all three races: 2, 6, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 25, 29, and 30. These districts have NO Dems running whatsoever: 5, 14 (doesn't anyone want to try and kick Mike Moyle's ass?!), 27, 28, 31, 32, and 34.
Who wants to speculate why, in a year when Democrats are poised to make huge gains nationally and when the Idaho GOP is riding roughshod as usual over working families and the constitution, we don't have at least as many Ds running for the legislature as we did two years ago?
Update 3:33 p.m.: I just did some quick number crunching and was dismayed to learn we have candidates filed in 60 of the 105 races. We had 69 in 2006.
Update 3:09 p.m.: My bad. Greg Funk is running against Max Black for Seat B in 15, but we still have no one running for the Senate or Seat A ... this in the district that was supposed to be the next domino to fall for total Democratic control of Ada County.
Update 2:30 p.m.: With just two-and-half hours to go until the filing deadline, things are looking pretty good EXCEPT in District 15 where there are currently NO DEMS running. What the ... ?!$#
See Twin Falls County chair Deborah Silver's report below on the full slate of candidates the Magic Valley will run this year. They're all tough races, but Twin Falls may well serve up a surprise or two this season.
Other great news from around the state ... I said "yesssss" when I saw that Steve Elgar has filed for a third run against Eric Anderson in District 1. Steve lost by a mere 235 votes in 2006. This is his year. ... As expected, Rand Lewis has filed to take on Joyce Broadsword in District 2 ... United Vision for Idaho tax expert Judith Brown is running against Tom Trail in District 6 ... Dan Romero will take on Patti Anne Lodge in the District 13 Senate race ... Sharon Fisher, who really knows her way around the statehouse, has stepped up to the plate in District 21 ... and we even have two Dems (Luke Prange for the Senate and Calvin Leman for House Seat A) running in District 35!
The secretary of state's office says an updated list will be up at 3 p.m. Meanwhile, the Idaho Statesman reported this afternoon that two state Senate candidates - Democrat Matt Yost in District 15 and Republican Lawrence Johnson in District 19 - have been disqualified because they haven't lived long enough in their districts to run. In Johnson's case, it's a merciful move. I'd hate to be a Republican running against Nicole LeFavour in District 19! Meanwhile, here's hoping another Dem can step up in 15 before the bell tolls at 5 p.m. Right now, there are no Dems running in a district that, frankly, we ought to own just as we own the rest of Boise.
Just wanted to point out that the "Votemaster" at electoral-vote.com lists the 90 districts the DCCC is targeting this year. The list includes ID-01 which he specifically points out as being "very unlikely" for us to pick up but that DCCC dollars can make life nasty for Sali this November.
This, of course, makes the prospect of Larry or Walt winning the district all the more enticing, as it would be tremendous proof of the end of the modern Republican agenda. Whomever our nominee is, we should work extra hard to help his candidacy and rock the political establishment in DC!
Posted by: Irwin Horowitz | March 21, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Irwin,
Thanks for that. I think the ID-01 is going to get a bit more national attention this year than in 2006.
Of course, we all have to hope that Sali is NOT taken out in the primary. He may have survived the six-way primary and five-way general in '06, but I'm not sure he has a lock on what so far still looks like a two-way GOP primary.
Posted by: Julie in Boise | March 21, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Don't count Matt out yet.
Posted by: Sisyphus | March 21, 2008 at 02:43 PM
Yeah, I hope not. I was pretty impressed with his press release.
thanks for the shout-out, Julie!
Posted by: sharon fisher | March 21, 2008 at 03:09 PM
What?? Is he challenging the ruling?
Posted by: Julie in Boise | March 21, 2008 at 03:10 PM
How long do you have to live in your district before you can run?
Posted by: Tara Rowe | March 21, 2008 at 03:30 PM
You have to be a resident of your district for one year before the general election for state legislature (read: since no later than November 2007).
I see Simpson has a primary challenger named Jack Wayne Chappell. Looks like this is the same guy who's lost several Democratic primaries over the past few years.
Posted by: W. Lane Startin | March 21, 2008 at 03:42 PM
What? A Democrat turned Republican? Only in Idaho, I suspect ...
Posted by: Julie in Boise | March 21, 2008 at 03:47 PM
This is a guy who's lost elections to Robert Huntley and Craig Williams. Apparently he's not content with being eliminated in May in just one party.
He's not even the most, um "colorful" person on the list. See http://www.43sb.com/?q=node/5050
Posted by: W. Lane Startin | March 21, 2008 at 03:53 PM
I'll just help ..... I can't run, Julie. I get so pissed and irritated that I soon devolve into four-letter F-words, and I'm spittin', sputterin', and smackin'.
Posted by: Kitt@work | March 21, 2008 at 04:45 PM