Idaho: Best Senate Race Ever?

Honestly, I wish I could just post this entire Wall Street Journal article, but considering you have to be a subscriber to access it online, that's probably illegal. It begins, "The launch of Rex Rammell's Senate bid didn't go as planned. The mud pit and the monster trucks were an insurmountable distraction. The would-be supporters were too drunk to think about the election." Classic, right? Here's what you need to know:

(1) Dr. Rex Rammell is a conservative independent who is running in the Idaho senate race to replace Sen. Larry Craig. He is only running because the Republican in the race, a man named Jim Risch, once had Fish and Game Department officers kill 43 members of Rammell's private elk herd. Risch was serving as interim governor at the time. Rammell, who staged a sit-in on a fresh elk carcass that game officers were trying to remove, vowed at the time "to see Jim Risch never gets elected in this state again."

(2) Rammell's daughter is Miss Idaho USA. After winning her crown, she refused to have her photograph taken with Risch, due to the aforementioned dispute between Risch and her father. She called Risch a "weasel."

(3) One of the fringe candidates in the race (okay, one of the other fringe candidates in the race) is named Pro-Life. That's his whole name. He is an organic-strawberry farmer who, apparently, cares passionately and exclusively about the rights of the unborn.

Republicans are legitimately worried that Rammell will take a few percentage points away from Risch, thus giving the seat to the Democratic contender, Representative Larry LaRocco. If Democrats are winning in Idaho this fall, say hello to a 60-vote majority.

Comments

I would love to see the reaction on my Idaho-born arch-Republican granddad's face if a Democrat wins there. It's still a long shot, but then again, so is hoping for the Bob Barr effect to give Obama Georgia.

Posted by: darneveryone on 06/18/08 at 10:15 AM Respond

GOP having to fight a 2-front war to hold a Senate seat in Idaho? Priceless!!

Maybe Georgia is a longshot right now, but it will end up too close for GOP comfort by November. We'll settle for Virginia and North Carolina this time....

Posted by: Egalitare on 06/19/08 at 9:13 AM Respond

This year politics is more entertainment than the U.S. Open, the NBA, the NFL, MLB, NASCAR, Indy 500, Mixed Martial Arts, and the Kentucky Derby all rolled into one! ;-)

Posted by: BloggerRadio on 06/19/08 at 12:29 PM Respond

BloggerRadio:

My sentiments precisely. May the excitement rub off on all the 90% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION leaving the 10% Elite Corporate Capitalist wondering what happened.

Posted by: MarthaA on 06/20/08 at 2:27 PM Respond

Isn't Georgia the state that the African American female candidate of the Green Party is from? The person who was IN the the U.S. Senate at the time of U.S. re-involvement in Iraq? The person who demanded explanations from Cheney. McKinney, isn't it?
No, Obama won't very likely be taking Georgia.

Posted by: kathy Giannini on 06/21/08 at 11:57 PM Respond

In Idaho Best Senate Race obama want to win on that. So many trying to won that. But Obama has his won popularity. Now the Idaho senate race is more interesting.
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george
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Posted by: georgechappel on 08/17/08 at 11:21 PM Respond