With millions of dollars pouring into Idaho’s campaign, the statewide Attorney General’s race is becoming a unique contest.
Boise, Idaho — Millions of dollars are flowing into political campaigns through donations ahead of the November 8 general election. As of Friday afternoon, 54,648 donors had given his $43,837,132 to his 1,093 candidates and 236 of her PACs.
According to Dr. Charles Hunt, a political expert in Boise, the attention goes far beyond the Idaho gubernatorial race, which is the front-runner for the Idaho gubernatorial race.
“In particular, these lower-tier statewide races tend to be sort of sleeper races. But we’ve seen a lot of fundraising, especially in the AG race, which is a testament to the enthusiasm of voters on either side and how good they are in a way at attracting the attention of a lot of voters. It’s a sign of voter interest in issues like abortion that might otherwise not have been seen,” Dr. Hunt said.
The Idaho AG campaign contributed nearly $1 million to Republican Raul Labrador and Democrat Tom Arkush front-runners. The Arkoosh campaign has reported more than $200,000 in donations since joining the race in late July. The Labrador reports close to just over $775,000.
In a state where Republicans have a majority in statewide elections, Dr. Hunt says the AG’s election is unique.
“Back in May, almost all of the statewide Republican candidates allied with Trump leaned towards the more right-wing frontrunner: Brad Little won, Phil McGrane won, Scott Bekke. won, but AG’s race is one where that didn’t happen,” said Hunt.
In the AG election, former Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador won the Republican primary, Hunt explains.
“He’s a conventional politician in some ways, but he used to be a congressman, but he’s veering far right. I doubt if it could actually win a statewide race, but this is Idaho, but the Democrats have seen some of what Labrador said. , whatever it is, look at COVID, vaccines, or election denial, or these other things and say, ‘You know, that’s too far a bridge. But I’m going to vote this one, or maybe I’m going to vote Democrat. It’s a winnable statewide race, and I think it’s a Democratic race,” Hunt said.
Dr Hunt added that it would also be a close race, even if it was a Republican victory.
“If these races are closer than they otherwise would be, perhaps some moderates, independents, or more moderate Republicans are less enthusiastic about the more extreme abortion bans we’ve seen. A message is sent to them that there will be no exceptions for maternal health and life, rape and incest in some other states,” Hunt said. “As far as abortion is concerned, yes.
So what does unique district fundraising like Idaho AG mean in terms of the correlation between donations and district wins?
“These competitive races attract money, so it is always difficult to untangle these tangles. Voters and interest groups send money to races they think are already competitive. Is it because the money went there that it came to power, or did it go there because the race was near? It helps a lot, especially since Idaho has a lot of underfunded Democratic candidates, just like blue states like California and Oregon have underfunded Republican candidates, especially the race is just around the corner.” Hunt said.
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