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5-Term Idaho Attorney General in Tough GOP Primary Battle (time to go!)
Usnews.com ^ | 5/17/22 | KEITH RIDLER

Posted on 05/17/2022 3:18:25 AM PDT by cotton1706

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho’s five-term Republican attorney general has handled his duties in the deeply conservative state for 20 years with a strategy he describes as calling legal “balls and strikes.” He's facing two challengers who see a more activist role for the office.

Lawrence Wasden, a former prosecutor backed by establishment Republicans, is likely in the toughest primary race of his career against former U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador and Art Macomber, a political newcomer who has never held public office.

Labrador, a favorite of the Tea Party during his eight years in the U.S. House, lost to now-Gov. Brad Little in the 2018 Republican primary. The attorney general post could be a stepping stone for another gubernatorial run in 2026.

Macomber, a self-described outsider whose background is in civil litigation, could be a spoiler for Labrador if he siphons off enough votes from far-right Republicans.

Wasden has the endorsements of Little and former Republican Govs. C.L. “Butch” Otter, Dirk Kempthorne and Phil Batt, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson and former Republican Attorney General and Idaho Supreme Court Justice Jim Jones. He's also endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

He tells lawmakers when he believes proposed laws would likely be struck down by courts, irritating members of his party. They created a Legislative Legal Defense Fund to hire their own attorneys that, critics say, tell lawmakers what they want to hear. The fund, controlled by House and Senates leaders, has spent millions.

“You can choose an attorney general that follows the law or one that thinks he’s a congressional activist or a policymaker," Wasden said during a debate with Labrador and Macomber last month.

(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Politics/Elections; US: Idaho
KEYWORDS: elections

1 posted on 05/17/2022 3:18:25 AM PDT by cotton1706
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To: cotton1706

The stupid party runs TWO conservative candidates to ensure that they split the patriot vote, ensuring that the RINO squish is re-elected despite 60%+ of the primary vote going against him.

Look for the same thing to happen in another overwhelmingly Republican state (Wyoming), where for now we’re all SOOOO sure that liberal dingbat Liz Cheney is toast in the August primary.

It better work out that way, but if it doesn’t the reason (even more than all the out of state $$$$$ and crossover Democrats supporting Cheney) will be that THREE so-called conservative challengers split the vote. It’s far more likely that it’s ONE conservative (Hageman) and two willing stooges who were placed on the ballot — and funded — by the liberal Uniparty establishment in order to get the bitch another term in the House.


2 posted on 05/17/2022 5:34:45 AM PDT by PermaRag (We have SO many targets, and -- for now -- the means to see they get what they deserve.)
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To: PermaRag

I don’t think that’s going to happen with Cheney. When Trump endorsed Hageman, several candidates dropped out and endorsed her.

The one that didn’t is a nutcase who, like you said, is likely being paid to stay in. But I don’t think their splitter strategy is going to work in Wyoming. I believe she’s toast, and she knows she’s toast since she’s been going for broke lately while she has the power, instead of appealing to her constituency to get reelected. She’s so incensed that the people have turned on her, she’s acting like Arlen Specter did when the Republican electorate turned on him (because they were tired of his games), she’s gone full leftist while claiming she’s a real Republican.


3 posted on 05/17/2022 5:54:07 AM PDT by cotton1706
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To: cotton1706

That sounds logical. Bouchard is the RINO plant who is staying in the race to help Lizzie (where has the $650,000+ he’s raised come from, I wonder?) and I forgot that Gray had already dropped out.

The other R candidates (Belinskey, Knapp) are probably not a factor at all, but even the small amount of votes they will get could make a difference in the worst case scenario.


4 posted on 05/17/2022 6:21:38 AM PDT by PermaRag (We have SO many targets, and -- for now -- the means to see they get what they deserve.)
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To: PermaRag

And the senate candidate?


5 posted on 05/17/2022 7:48:49 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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