GOPer's Fundraising Travails Give Dems Major Pickup Opportunity In Deep-Red Idaho
In a sign that Democrats could have a serious shot at a normally very red Congressional district, first-term GOP Rep. Bill Sali of Idaho has now found himself badly outgunned financially for the fall.
Sali's second-quarter filing, which was filed late on Friday, shows he brought in $139,000 for the quarter, and has $250,000 on hand. Meanwhile, Dem businessman Walt Minnick raised $287,000 and has $444,000 on hand, for a nearly two to one advantage. The DCCC is also reserving $349,000 worth of advertising here for the fall, giving Minnick even more of an effective cash advantage.
On paper, this should be a safe Republican district, having voted 68%-30% for President Bush in 2004. But Sali is a controversial figure back home, and only won 50%-45% in an open-seat race in 2006. If the Dems were able to pull off a win here, it would be a very big deal.
...and with a sound like that a toy pistol makes when it is out of caps, and a cloud of ill-smelling smoke, the Repugs go {{{Poof!}}}}
:)
July 28, 2008 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
The times they are a-changin', even in Idaho.
Living just across the Washington border from Moscow, ID (a very liberal college town), I can tell you that mobilizing the U of I university community along with an increasingly liberal-trending Boise could very well make the difference. In this sparsely populated district, getting progressives out of the woodwork and drawing a few independents along the way might actually turn this district blue.
Needless to say, a Dem taking the Idaho 1st (at least partly) on Obama's coattails would be delicious irony, given that Northern Idaho is the birthplace of the Aryan Nation.
Hee-hee.
July 28, 2008 2:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are in Pullman.
Nice town in a very nice part of Washington, I think. I love the Palouse.
July 28, 2008 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Indeed I am.
Summertime on the Palouse is amazing. The wintertime: not so much.
July 28, 2008 7:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Country club economics.
August 22, 2008 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Success!
August 22, 2008 3:18 PM | Reply | Permalink