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Sali wins primary, Risch-LaRocco for Senate |
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By Aaron Blake
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Posted: 05/28/08 11:24 AM [ET] |
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Rep. Bill Sali (R-Idaho) won his primary with 60 percent of the vote Tuesday, and Lt. Gov. Jim Risch (R) and former Rep. Larry LaRocco (D) are headed for a second-straight match-up in the state’s Senate race. Sali defeated Iraq veteran Matthew Salisbury 60-40, according to unofficial results from the Idaho secretary of State. Sali was seen as vulnerable to a primary challenge after emerging from a bloody 2006 open-seat primary with just 26 percent of the vote, but no well-funded candidate stepped forward. Salisbury spent less than $50,000 through May 7. The freshman will now face a potentially difficult general election race with former Senate candidate Walt Minnick, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary and has thus far out-raised Sali by about $200,000. In the Senate race, Risch and LaRocco won their respective primaries, as expected. Risch pulled 65 percent of the vote in an eight-candidate field, while LaRocco defeated attorney David J. Archuleta 72-28. Risch defeated LaRocco 58-39 in the 2006 lieutenant governor’s race. An unknown factor in the Senate race is the presence of former GOP candidate Rex Rammell as an independent. Rammell has raised a respectable $150,000 thus far. |
