Free Republic

Idaho’s Minnick Says He’s Done for Good By Kyle Trygstad Roll Call Staff Dec. 16, 2010, 11:56 p.m. Rep. Walt Minnick was defeated for re-election after serving just one term representing his state’s western Congressional district, and the Blue Dog tells Roll Call he’s gone for good. Looking ahead at redistricting in his deep-red state, it may be awhile before another Idaho Democrat makes it back. “I think I’m done with elective politics,” Minnick said in an interview with Roll Call. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but I think it’s time for somebody else.” The Idaho Democratic...

BOISE, Idaho -- In an upset win in one of the most unusual House races in the country, underdog Republican Raul Labrador has won Idaho's 1st congressional district over the favored incumbent, Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Walt Minnick. At 12:55 a.m., Minnick conceded on Twitter. The Associated Press in Boise called the race for Labrador minutes later. In a statement Wednesday, Minnick said he phoned Labrador and "wished him every success... I, in particular hope he can be successful in working with the administration and his colleagues of both parties in the exceedingly important task ahead of putting our country...

Incumbent Rep. Walt Minnick’s lead over Republican Raul Labrador fell from 10 percentage points in mid-September to 3 percentage points late last week, says a poll commissioned by the Idaho Statesman and six other newspapers. Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/10/26/1392407/labrador-minnick-in-dead-heat.html#ixzz13UtauKNX

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 22, 2010CONTACT: Levi Russell at (509) 979-6615 or via email at: Levi@FrontLineStrat.com Tea Party Express Endorses Raul LabradorOver Walt Minnick in IdahoThe Tea Party Express (website: www.TeaPartyExpress.org) is pleased to announce we are endorsing conservative Republican Raul Labrador for Congress (Idaho) in his race against Democrat incumbent, Walt Minnick.During the Primary Election campaign the Tea Party Express had endorsed Congressman Minnick for re-election in light of his independence in standing up to significant items in President Obama's agenda.Since then, Congressman Minnick has engaged in a pattern of behavior which shows he is more responsive to the Democrat Party's establishment...

Labrador to join Young Guns By: Kasie Hunt and Daniel Strauss August 6, 2010 07:23 PM EDT After months of taking aim at Washington Republicans, Idaho GOP congressional candidate Raul Labrador says he’s finally agreed to join their arsenal of Young Guns. Labrador came to Washington this week, he said, and top GOP leaders personally asked him to join the program, which helps raise funds and coach candidates in tough races. “Kevin McCarthy himself asked me, and Lynn Westmoreland asked me,” Labrador told POLITICO, referring to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s recruitment and redistricting vice-chairmen. “They asked me to reconsider...

Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho), the only member of his party to receive the backing of the Tea Party Express rejected the group's endorsement Monday citing the controversy over a blog post written by one of its leaders Mark Williams.

Idaho Dem Minnick faces tough raceChamber, 'tea party' find a Democrat to endorse By Joseph Weber 8:37 p.m., Wednesday, July 7, 2010 On paper, Walt Minnick should be toast. The Idaho Democrat barely squeaked into the House two years ago, winning 51 percent of the vote in a conservative district that preferred John McCain over Barack Obama in the presidential election by 26 percentage points. His district is the most lopsidedly Republican district in the country being represented by a Democrat. But Mr. Minnick, a top target of the GOP this fall, has two unlikely champions in his corner: A...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Chalk up another win for the tea party. And another embarrassment for the Republican establishment. Tea party favorite and two-term state lawmaker Raul Labrador defeated Vaughn Ward, a Marine reservist heavily recruited by national Republicans, in Idaho's primary on Tuesday. Ward's loss comes on the heels of several other races in which GOP establishment candidates stumbled as the anti-Washington mood takes hold. National Republicans had coached Ward and had made him one of their first named recruits, known as "Young Guns." He also had the backing of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. On Wednesday, the GOP...

Many of you know that I am a huge supporter of the Tea Party movement. From the beginning, I have supported every rally and every event I could. I believe in the patriots of the movement and the principles it was founded on. On this blog and other sites, I’ve tried to bring to the American people stories and pictures that show the real people involved – their heart, their courage, their love of country… In the end, the people of the Tea Party movement and The 912 Project will be the ones who save this country and bring us...

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo and state Rep. Raul Labrador are the only major candidates among a field of 17 for federal office in Idaho to reply to the Tea Party Boise candidate survey. Notable for their absence are incumbent Reps. Walt Minnick and Mike Simpson and Labrador's principal opponent in the 1st District GOP race, Vaughn Ward. Minnick, a 1st District Democrat, “opted out” of the survey, meaning he replied to the request on time but declined to complete the survey in full, as Tea Party Boise required. Read more: http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2010/04/29/idahopolitics/minnick_simpson_ward_skip_tea_party_boises_candidate_survey#ixzz0mVtmZyWP

Vaughn Ward wonders when the Tea Party Express passed him by. The Republican challenger to Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Walt Minnick in Idaho figured to at least have a shot at an endorsement to switch the seat from a vote for Nancy Pelosi and Democratic control of the House. Instead, the Tea Party Express endorsed Minnick, and left a lot of head-scratching behind in Idaho afterward: When the Tea Party Express last week endorsed Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick — the only Democrat to receive the backing of the conservative grassroots group — one of his Republican challengers said he was...

Vaughn Ward wonders when the Tea Party Express passed him by. The Republican challenger to Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Walt Minnick in Idaho figured to at least have a shot at an endorsement to switch the seat from a vote for Nancy Pelosi and Democratic control of the House. Instead, the Tea Party Express endorsed Minnick, and left a lot of head-scratching behind in Idaho afterward: When the Tea Party Express last week endorsed Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick — the only Democrat to receive the backing of the conservative grassroots group — one of his Republican challengers said he was...

Tea Party Express endorses Democrat in IdahoShare23posted at 8:48 am on April 21, 2010 by Ed Morrissey Vaughn Ward wonders when the Tea Party Express passed him by. The Republican challenger to Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Walt Minnick in Idaho figured to at least have a shot at an endorsement to switch the seat from a vote for Nancy Pelosi and Democratic control of the House. Instead, the Tea Party Express endorsed Minnick, and left a lot of head-scratching behind in Idaho afterward:

SNIPPET: "The Tea Party Express's endorsement of Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho) has had little real political impact so far. After the endorsement, TPE's Sal Russo couldn't tell when we might see, say, a TV ad or mailer for Minnick -- although Mark Williams claimed that the group had planned to run ads supportive of Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) until he decided to support the final version of health-care reform. So what impact have we seen? A vast and efficient cheesing-off of tea party groups in Idaho."

WASHINGTON - The most influential national tea party group, backed by a $3 million campaign war chest, surprised Idahoans by endorsing freshman Rep. Walt Minnick's re-election bid. Not all local tea partyers were pleased. Minnick is the only Democrat in the nation to land an endorsement from the Tea Party Express, the most prominent national organization in the burgeoning political movement. Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/04/16/1154934/do-tea-partyers-really-want-rep.html#ixzz0lHMB0o8q

Rep. Walt Minnick, D-Idaho, has announced the list of charities that will receive $10,000 Minnick got from Rep. Charles Rangel's National Leadership PAC for the 2008 election. Rangel, D-N.Y., stepped down as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday, after he was admonished last week for taking two corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean in violation of House rules. Meanwhile, Republican challenger Vaughn Ward said Minnick should donate an additional $44,290 in contributions collected from individuals and political action committees in 2008 by another Rangel group, the Rangel Victory Fund, and transferred to Minnick.

WASHINGTON - The most influential national tea party group, backed by a $3 million campaign war chest, surprised Idahoans by endorsing freshman Rep. Walt Minnick's re-election bid. Not all local tea partyers were pleased. Minnick is the only Democrat in the nation to land an endorsement from the Tea Party Express, the most prominent national organization in the burgeoning political movement. -- SNIP -- "We don't know where the national tea party came up with the endorsement of Walt Minnick," said Russ Smerz of Tea Party Boise. "It's a little concerning to us that Tea Party Express would endorse someone...

SNIPPET: "The leadership of the Tea Party Express PAC came to the National Press Club on Thursday to herald its early successes and to unveil its expanded list of 2010 electoral targets." SNIPPET: "In an effort to show that the Tea Party Express PAC is not a “tool” of the Republican Party, but instead is an independent political force, Russo announced that the PAC is getting behind one conservative Democrat who has opposed President Obama’s agenda: Rep. Walt Minnick (ID-01). The decision to get behind Minnick is attention-grabbing because Republicans have fielded a strong candidate in that race: Iraq war...

The U.S. government should work out a prisoner trade with the terrorist group holding Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey hostage, Rep. Walt Minnick, D-Idaho, said Thursday. In an appearance on Nate Shelman's afternoon show on 670 KBOI, Minnick said, "What the family and what I am hoping for is that we can work out some kind of a prisoner trade that down the road might release him but do it in a way that we get him back, but we aren't trading a thousand for one." The Taliban released a video Wednesday in which Bergdahl pleaded for his freedom, saying...

"WASHINGTON — People with ties to Glenn Beck's 9-12 Project, Tea Party Boise and other conservative causes plan a protest outside Rep. Walt Minnick's office this weekend, with the claim that the Idaho Democrat co-sponsored one of the health care bills that Congress is considering. Their assertion is untrue, however; Minnick never sponsored such legislation."....