University of Idaho College Republicans,
Know your candidates!

Idaho Governor Race
• Butch Otter , 68
Republican

Bio: Current governor, served three terms in Congress, representing 1st District; rancher; lieutenant governor, 1987-2000; executive, J.R. Simplot Co., 1965-1993; state representative, 1973-1976; Idaho Army National Guard veteran; bachelor’s degree, College of Idaho. Married, four children and five grandchildren.

Campaign promises: “I am committed to keep working tirelessly to grow Idaho’s economy and career opportunities for our citizens and our communities; I promise to keep protecting the people of Idaho from the additional financial burden of government excess; I promise to do even more to ensure that state government lives within the people’s means; I promise to keep protecting and improving educational opportunities for all Idahoans; I promise to promote greater liberty, wider opportunity and more economic prosperity; and I promise to keep protecting Idaho’s family and faith-based values.”

Notable: Otter is a rodeo enthusiast who still competes from time to time in team roping; he has a long tradition of entering rodeos around the state as he campaigns for office.


• Keith Allred , 46
Democrat

Bio: Founder and president of The Common Interest, a nonpartisan citizen group; professional mediator; taught conflict resolution and leadership, first as a professor at Columbia University and then at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government; bachelor’s degree, Stanford University; Ph.D. in organizational behavior/conflict resolution, UCLA. Married, three children.

Campaign promises: “I have two main priorities: lower taxes to help small businesses generate more jobs, and a stronger education system. We cannot build a great state without making sure we give all of our kids an equal opportunity for a great education.”

Notable: Allred is a horseman who twice competed in the National Cutting Horse Association championships, in 2003 and 2004; he still keeps horses and goes on trail rides with his family.


Idaho 1st congressional race
• Walt Minnick , 68
Incumbent Democrat

Bio: Incumbent congressman; chairman, Summerwinds Garden Centers, 1996-2008; ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate, 1996; wood products executive, 1974-1995, rising to CEO of TJ International; U.S. Army veteran; former aide in Nixon White House; law degree, Harvard Law School; MBA, Harvard Business School; bachelor’s degree, Whitman College. Married, four children, three grandchildren.

Campaign promises: “I am running to continue working hard for Idaho veterans, seniors and families. Whether it’s fighting red tape for a small business, helping a family with an adoption or standing firm for fiscal responsibility, I promise to always do what’s right for Idaho.”

Notable: A former Republican who was president of the College Republicans at Whitman College, Minnick’s shift to Democrat went public in 1996, when he challenged Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho. He’s married to a former Idaho Democratic Party chief.


• Raul Labrador , 42
Republican

Bio: Two-term state representative; immigration attorney; owner/managing partner, Labrador Law Offices; law degree, University of Washington; bachelor’s degree, Brigham Young University. Married, five children.

Campaign promises: “I will bring true Idaho conservative values to Washington, D.C. I will always fight for my principles and the principles of the Republican Party: limited government, lower taxes and a commitment to creating jobs without more bailouts or adding to the national debt.”

Notable: Labrador beat a better-funded candidate, Iraq veteran Vaughn Ward, in the GOP primary in May. Labrador made his mark in the Idaho House spearheading opposition to GOP Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal for a gas tax increase.


Idaho U.S. Senate race
• Mike Crapo , 59
Incumbent Republican

Bio: Two terms in U.S. Senate, three in U.S. House; eight years in Idaho Senate; Harvard-educated lawyer; Bachelor of arts, Brigham Young University; Idaho Falls resident. Married, five children and two grandchildren.

Campaign promises: “I promise to work hard for Idahoans, fight to protect our Constitution, eliminate the national debt and our culture of deficit spending, reduce federal regulations that choke our economy, cut the size, expense and control of the federal government, and always to listen to Idahoans to find common sense solutions to our problems.”

Notable: In his Owyhee Initiative, Crapo helped bring together ranchers, conservationists and more in a collaborative wilderness proposal that was signed into law. He’s also a prostate cancer survivor who’s crusaded for early detection.


 P. Tom Sullivan , 42
Democrat

Bio: Owns credit card processing business in eastern Idaho; partner in a weekly newspaper; first run for office; former owner of Tubbs Cafe in Coeur d’Alene; high school equivalency degree. Married, two children.

Campaign promises: “I will work to see ‘Made in America’ again; I will support small business, fair taxes and responsible spending to avoid ever repeating the enormous deficit racked up between 2000 and 2008 and I’ll vote in the interests of the people of Idaho, not for Wall Street interests; I will work to bring new technology, jobs, training and education to make Idaho a green energy leader in 21st century.”

Notable: Sullivan, who has both federal and state tax debt after a bank failure left his business struggling with the credit crunch, has been critical of Crapo’s record on financial issues, accusing him of promoting corporate interests over small businesses.


Idaho superintendent of schools race• Tom Luna , 51
Incumbent Republican

Bio: Incumbent superintendent, elected in 2006; senior adviser to U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, 2003 to 2005; businessman, owner of Scales Unlimited; served on Nampa, Idaho, school board, including three years as chairman; attended Ricks College and Boise State University; online bachelor’s degree from Thomas Edison University in liberal arts with focus in measurement science, 2002. Married, six children, five grandchildren.

Campaign promises: “My goal is to continue to change the culture of education to a customer driven system where we make decisions based on the customers of education and not what’s best and most comfortable for the bureaucracy of education. Idaho is now recognized as a leader in student achievement, and my commitment is to continue to fight for the resources and reforms to keep student achievement moving forward.”

Notable: Doing a combination of running and walking, Luna has completed three marathons in the past year and a half.



• Stan Olson , 60
Democrat

Bio: Boise School District superintendent, 2002 to retirement on June 30 of this year; education career started as teacher and coach in 1971, included administrative posts in Michigan and Wyoming before Idaho; doctoral degree in educational leadership, Western Michigan University, 1983; master’s degree in education, Eastern Michigan University, 1977; bachelor’s degree in education, Central Michigan University, 1970. Married, two children, two grandchildren

Campaign promises: “Forty years of educational experience has taught me that collaboration with parents, legislators, students, educators, and business leaders to build a strategic plan is the best way to help every student in Idaho succeed. I promise to cultivate such relationships to produce verifiable educational results, guarantee adequate funding for top priorities, ensure post-secondary readiness, and focus on educational success for all children, not on political ideology.”

Notable: Olson is a competitive speed walker and has competed in 21 marathons.


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