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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...

By MIKE PATRICK/Staff writer | 19 comments COEUR d'ALENE - Kootenai County won't wait until election night to tackle the growing mountain of absentee ballots. Clerk Dan English said that as of noon Saturday, the county had received 11,360 absentee ballots. Preparation for handling all those ballots will begin Monday morning. "It's a matter of physics and timing," he said. English said that each absentee ballot is contained in two envelopes. With 12,000 or more ballots needing to be opened - 24,000 or more envelopes - starting after the polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday would mean a final count...

Three times since 2000, Republican Rod Beck failed in his bid to rejoin the state Senate, defeated by primary election rivals he insists didn't support party ideals. So Beck opted to change Idaho's GOP from within. they crafted a platform that urges Idaho to seize federal land, recommends ending popular elections of U.S. senators and sings the praises of gold and silver - an inflation hedge to U.S. Federal Reserve-issued greenbacks.

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.

BOISE, Idaho — State Rep. Raul Labrador defeated Vaughn Ward in western Idaho's 1st Congressional District and punched his ticket to face incumbent Democrat Walt Minnick in November. "My friends, the key to our renewal is liberty," Labrador told a cheering crowd at GOP headquarters in Garden City shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday. "The answer to Obamaism is liberty." Ward, a Marine reservist and a first-time candidate, had a 6-to-1 money edge and the backing of the Idaho and national GOP hierarchy. Ward was a commanding presence on TV, while Labrador ran only a smattering of radio spots in the...

Ward worked for Democrats in Idaho and Virginia, says IdahoReporter.com Submitted by Dan Popkey on Mon, 05/10/2010 - 9:39am. First Congressional District Republican candidate Vaughn Ward worked for Democrats in Idaho and Virginia, IdahoReporter.com reported Sunday. But Ward's campaign manager, Ryan O'Barto, said Ward did not support Democratic state Rep. Jim Hansen of Boise when he interned for him for college credit in 1989 or 1990 at the Legislature. O'Barto also told IdahoReporter.com that the records of the Virginia Democratic Party that show Ward as a volunteer for Gov. Tim Kaine in 2005 must be a mistake and that Ward...

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...

Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter is the first state chief executive to sign a measure requiring his attorney general to sue the federal government if Congress passes health care reform. Legal experts say the measure, signed Wednesday, will likely be struck down. But Idaho's new law reflects growing frustration with President Barack Obama's health-care proposal.

The House Resources and Conservation Committee approved House Bill 531aa 13 to 3. This important legislation, sponsored by Representative Judy Boyle (R-Midvale), would amend Idaho’s existing law to limit public access to Fish and Game records of issued tags. HB 531aa would also prohibit future harassment, intimidation and threats relating to the lawful taking and control of fish and wildlife. As the law currently stands any person or organization can contact Fish and Game and request the names of all people who have been issued tags and what type of hunting tag they have been issued. Groups like PETA and...

Several hundred protesters gathered on the steps of Idaho’s State Capitol on Monday, offering a laundry list of grievances against the federal government and demanding more sovereignty for the state.The protest was promoted as a Tea Party gathering, but Republican lawmakers and candidates for Congress spoke and members of the Sovereign Idaho Coalition led the event.“We are not racists. We will not be quiet. And we most certainly will not go away,” said Sovereign Idaho Coalition co-chair Mark Balzer.Fellow co-chair Chris Stevens said before the rally that it would focus on three main topics: firearm freedom, sound currency and health...

Most of us Mormons, if we are long-timers in the church, have heard that the “Constitution will hang by a thread” in the last days and that the LDS prophet, or church leadership, will save the United States from destruction. This all comes from the “White Horse prophecy,” a bit of Mormon lore, where two devout followers, Edwin Rushton and Theodore Turley, apparently had a conversation with the prophet Joseph Smith. A “transcript” of Smith’s part of the conversation, 10-plus years later, ended up in Paradise, Utah’s John J. Robert’s private journal. I have to admit, growing up, I thought...

IDAHO ELECTION CENTRAL If we are going to make a difference in the upcoming election, we need to KNOW the candidates. Please post the names of ALL your Congressional candidates on this thread along with any and all information available. We need names, positions, platforms, news articles, statements, pictures. We need to separate the RINOS from the Conservatives, and most of all, we need to get the liberals of either party OUT!We can do this if you help. I have started this thread. All you have to do is contribute a little time and a little research. Help us...

IDAHO FALLS -- Rex Rammell has had a change of heart regarding who is invited to his "elders of Israel only" meetings. At a press conference Thursday, the Idaho gubernatorial candidate issued a formal apology with regards to his exclusion of non-Mormons from his upcoming meetings dealing with the so-called "White Horse Prophecy." Reading from a prepared statement, Rammell said he was wrong to assume that nonmembers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wouldn't be interested in hearing his message. "To all those citizens who are not members of the LDS faith, who have expressed a sincere...

Idaho gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell's call for a meeting of Mormon elders to discuss the so-called "White Horse Prophecy" attributed by some people to church founder Joseph Smith has gained national attention. As a result of media criticism that the meeting would include only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Rammell has decided to open that meeting, as well as others in east Idaho, to everyone. After the story was picked up by Drudge Report on Tuesday, Rammell spent much of the day fielding requests for interviews from national media organizations, including MSNBC. The Drudge Report...

Idaho GOP gubernatorial candidate Rammell expands on controversial prophecy in YouTube video Click for video     -SNIP-  Rammell says he has invited about 100 Mormon men to a Jan. 19 meeting in Idaho Falls to discuss the "White Horse Prophecy," which some attribute to Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith. The prophecy, which is not embraced by top Latter-day Saints Church officials, holds that the Constitution "will hang ... by a single thread" and LDS leaders will step forward to preserve it. -SNIP- In the video, Rammell defends his decision to meet only with Mormon men, because he wants...

It's a call to the Elders of Israel. Idaho's gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell exclusively invites Mormon men to a meeting where he'll discuss Joseph Smith's prophecies regarding the constitution. Critics say it's merely a way to use his faith to further his campaign. Rammell believes it's his duty to rally the troops, his fellow LDS elders who he claims responsible for saving the nation's constitution. But some say his Mormons-only invitation may end up hurting him when it's time to go to the polls. Blurring the lines between politics and religion, that's what some call Rex Rammell's exclusive Elders of...

REXBURG -- The LDS Church has issued a statement regarding the church's stance on Idaho gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell's "elders only" meetings. Kim Farah, spokeswomen for the LDS church, issued this statement: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is politically neutral and does not endorse or promote any candidate, party or platform. Accordingly, we hope that the campaign practices of political candidates would not suggest that their candidacy is supported by or connected to the church. "The so-called 'White Horse Prophecy' is based on accounts that have not been substantiated by historical research and is not embraced as...

As a Democrat in a very red state, Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick knew from the day he was elected that he would have a hard time holding on to his seat in 2010. But there's also an interesting tale to be told about just which candidate the Republicans will put up to run against Minnick. Political blogger Randy Stapilus has the story about how Ken Roberts, the majority leader of the Idaho House, has racked up a slew of statehouse endorsements and is well-plugged into the Idaho GOP establishment - but now looks like he could get swamped by newcomer...

An Idaho Republican gubernatorial hopeful insists he was only joking when he said he'd buy a license to hunt President Barack Obama. Rex Rammell, a former elk rancher slated to run against incumbent C.L. "Butch" Otter in the May 2010 GOP primary, made the comment at a Republican rally Tuesday in Twin Falls where talk turned to the state's planned wolf hunt, for which hunters must purchase an $11.50 wolf tag. When an audience member shouted a question about "Obama tags," Rammell responded, "The Obama tags? We'd buy some of those."