The following excerpt is worth reading:
"The state’s two senators, Republicans Larry Craig and Mike Crapo, have stayed on the sidelines, but Craig’s wife, Suzanne, is the chairman of Norm Semanko’s campaign. Semanko, an attorney for Idaho Water Users, had worked for Craig as an aide in Washington and Idaho.
Still, Craig’s former aides are divided among Semanko, state Controller Keith Johnson and former state Sen. Sheila Sorensen, Republicans say. The political leg up that Semanko expected from his ties to Craig never materialized.
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) has endorsed his longtime friend Sorensen, but several Idaho Republicans said Simpson’s bigger goal is to stop Sali. The two men had a strained relationship in the state House.
“They were often on opposing sides of issues,” an Idaho Republican candidate said. “Sali was considered a grandstander. He just had to get on television.”
Sali’s critics pointed to an incident earlier this month in which he insisted on discussing studies linking abortion to breast cancer during a debate on a bill to require doctors to inform women about abortion-related risks. The Idaho House Democratic leader, a survivor of breast cancer, walked out in tears, and her Democratic colleagues followed her.
The Idaho GOP leaders postponed the day’s business. The Speaker, Bruce Newcomb, told The Idaho Statesman, “That idiot is just an absolute idiot. He doesn’t have one ounce of empathy in his whole fricking body. And you can put that in the paper.”
Sali said that he and Newcomb have deep philosophical differences and that Newcomb does not like him because he has outmaneuvered Newcomb on different pieces of legislation.
With Sali attacking Vasquez on immigration and Sorensen on abortion, and Semanko unable to move beyond his agricultural base of support, Johnson could be the best-positioned candidate.
He has won endorsements from Jack Riggs, Idaho’s lieutenant governor; Phil Batt, a former GOP governor; and the D.C.-based Business Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC). Otter’s top campaign aide is working for Johnson in northern Idaho.
BIPAC endorsed Johnson in an attempt to stop Sali or Vasquez from winning the primary."
I don't blame the establihsment for opposing Sali, who is right on the issues but a flake. But their opposition to Vasquez is based on ignorance.
As for Sheila Sorenson, she seems like a nice lady, but her politics are pure RINO.
I support Bill Sali.
Bill spent the last 18 years in the Legislature fighting hard for conservatism. He's proven.
If he doesn't win, liberal Sheila Sorensen will.
THAT would be a crying shame.
The rest of the pack needs to retire from the field, pronto.
The establishment tries to paint every conservative as a flake. I know, I'm from Ohio. Where they do it all the time.
I serious wonder how I can continue to support a party that is so anti my beliefs even if the Dems are worse.
A flake? Because a bunch of RINOs hate him and mischaracterize anything and everything he says and does?
Sorry, but we could use a whole bunch more 'flakes' like Sali. He's as solid as it gets.
But their opposition to Vasquez is based on ignorance.
In many other cases, Robert would have been an awesome Congressional candidate. But this one wasn't it.
I would be very happy if either Vasquez or Sali won. They're the two conservatives in the race.