Former Idaho Congressman Larry LaRocco (D-Id.) has achieved major coup in hiring Julie Fanselow to run his Internet operations. On a personal note, I have to offer my congratulations. It’s a credit to her talent that she has been sought out so quickly by the LaRocco Campaign.
Having said that, I think she greatly overestimates the strength of LaRocco and draws some faulty conclusions regarding the late Larry Grant-Bill Sali race:
Rothenberg and Cook list Larry Craig’s seat as safe – but then Cook didn’t call Idaho’s 1st Congressional District race a toss-up last fall until November 6, and most prognosticators didn’t even give Larry Grant a chance until mid-October. Bill Sali wound up winning by a mere 5 percent in a district George Bush took by 40 percent in 2000 and 2004.
Idaho is capable of surprising people. And I believe Larry LaRocco can pull off one of those surprises, which is why I’ve joined his campaign to help kick start Internet outreach and communications.
Of course, the Grant Campaign really amounted to a “perfect storm.” It was a bad year for Republicans, the media attacked Sali and became a second arm for the Grant campaign, some sore losers in the GOP attacked Sali. Add to that the fact that Grant was like the protypical winner in 2006: a businessman who talked moderate talk (or not a politician) as he’d say and you’ve got the explanation for what happened in 2006.
LaRocco is a retread who has moved further left since leaving Congress. If Craig runs with no cloud of scandal, other than Dan Popkey doing the Dems dirty work, than he’ll cruise. Jim Risch or Ron Crane run and they’ll cruise. These people have won elections statewide multiple times and were re-elected by overwhelming margins.
Of course, this makes me wonder about the state of Larry Grant’s campaign for 2008. There aren’t Julie Fanselows growing on trees here in Idaho. If Grant runs, there are a few possibilities, mainly that Fanselow will pull double duty (possible, but I can’t see how one campaing doesn’t end up suffering), second is that Grant tries to do it yourself-ala Jerry Brady, the third is that he hires someone else. Most likely if he has to do that, it will be someone out of state who couldn’t tell Gem County from Boundary County. Either way, I can’t see how Grant doesn’t do as well bloggingwise and without a savvy blogger, it will be definitely be harder the second time around.
Hat Tip: Mountain Goat Report
