The vultures are circling Republican Larry Craig. Despite his defiant denial yesterday that he did anything wrong other than pleading guilty, Craig is toast. According to SUSA 55% of Idahoans want him gone. Conservative king maker Bryan Fischer at the Idaho Values Alliance wants him gone, the Idaho Statesman is taking a bead on him, the Idaho Falls Post Register didn't even wait for his press conference to call for his resignation. But most critically, GOP leadership in DC have cut him loose, if you can believe Russert.
So the opportunists jump into the fray. Pat Toomey, Club for Growth president and BFF of crazy Idaho Rep. Bill Sali took aim yesterday against Idaho's other representative in Congress and fellow Republican, Mike Simpson, one of Idaho's most popular Republicans.
But the anti-tax Club for Growth, which has played a pivotal role in Republican primaries, attacked Simpson today, calling him "one of the m ost economically liberal Republicans in Washington."
"Given his liberal record on economic issues, it is hard to imagine how Mike Simpson wins a Republican primary in the event that this Senate seats opens up," said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey.
I think the odds of having an interesting Republican primary in Idaho next year just got a lot better.
In the meantime, the Democrats have a solid candidate in the race. I want to reiterate what NDN's Simon Rosenberg said yesterday:
But Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg of the New Democrat Network said "the direct impact of this is that its going to mean a couple of million dollars early" for Democratic Senate contender Larry LaRocco.
Among Democratic donors nationwide, Rosenberg said, "There’s an enormous amount of money waiting to be deployed. This race goes to the front of the pack in Democratic Senate fundraising."
This race should go to the front of the pack. The Dems have cleared the field for Larry LaRocco, a seasoned, smart, and energetic campaigner, who also happens to be a Kossack. He'll be here at 12:00 Mountain time (that's 2:00 for you easterners) to talk about the campaign and what he wants to bring to Idaho and the Senate.
Update: Larry LaRocco's diary is up. Go say "hey."
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