Risch announces bid for re-election as Idaho's lieutenant governor

[Thom Little]

Lt. Gov. Jim Risch said Wednesday he'll seek a second term in November 2006, ending speculation he would run for governor.

Risch, a Republican, has been the state's No. 2 elected official since 2002.

Before that, he spent 22 years in the Idaho Senate and was Ada County's prosecuting attorney.

Risch said he's hoping to continue his focus on boosting the state's economy, citing his successful effort in 2003 to persuade Empire Airlines to expand in Coeur d'Alene - not in Spokane, Wash., which the carrier had also considered - as an example of how a lieutenant governor's intervention can help Idaho add jobs.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ID_LT_GOVERNOR_ANNOUNCEMENT_IDOL-?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-11-23-21-53-32