Idaho Democrats see brighter future with win in Boise

[Nambe]

BOISE (AP)

It may have been a nonpartisan race, but it was probably the biggest victory a besieged Democratic Party has claimed in more than a decade.

Dave Beiter's election as Boise mayor is already energizing his party and intensifying optimism about a return to relevance in Idaho's public policy debate.

"It's the people of Idaho saying, 'Whoa, this one-party system doesn't work,"' former Democratic Gov. Cecil Andrus said. "We are starting to rebuild the Democratic Party throughout the state of Idaho."

Beiter, a third-term state representative, took on top GOP leaders and their candidate, Chuck Winder, and beat them decisively to win a nonpartisan campaign that was anything but in a heavily Republican state. ---

Ride Don’t Drive It’s Global Cool

[joeybee12]

1. Think about it--Dems win locally, lose nationally and state-wide

That, if nothing else, should make people start investigating stolen elections, because you can cover your tracks a heck of a lot easier with more precincts to choose from.

[CMT]

2. This is the way to build up the party

Great win for Boise. He might one day be elected Governor or Senator. Gov. Dean has visited Idaho four times already and spoke most recently at a JFK Dinner in Boise. It doesn't matter if we don't win Idaho in 2004, but we need to begin buiding the party there so we can have a healthy competition and if we can get GW Bush down from 69% of the vote to say 60% of the vote in the state in 2004 that would be a victory in itself.

[benfranklin1776]

7. I agree.

After all one of the best Democratic Senators of modern times, Frank Church, was from Idaho so it would be nice to see people of his stature elected once more.

http://library.boisestate.edu/special/church/church.htm#biography

It is a truism that all politics is local and things like this sow the seeds of party rebirth.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

8. Remember, this is how the right wing Repug's got started!

They worked on local election first and then went to the state and national levels! We need to build a strong base!

[Ediacara]

9. DAMN RIGHT!

I think Idaho may be a lost cause in terms of actually winning in the near term, but if we force the GOP to actually spend money there, and knock them down a few percentage points, we've, in a way, won

[West Coast Democrat]

3. And Rocky Anderson (D) was Re-Elected SLC Mayor

Who says Democrats can't win in the Rocky Mountain states. We can definitely win in more urban areas; it's the rural areas the Republicans have a lock on.

[Ediacara]

10. yes

Montana I think is winnable in 2004. The urban areas of Montana are highly Democratic, and if the nominee visits and energizes the base, Montana will be won.

Utah itself..... well maybe not yet, but who knows!?

[tsipple]

4. Howard Dean Has Visited Idaho 3 Times Already

Just wanted to point that out. He's reaching out and energizing voters.

[pepsi]

5. Beiter's also reached out.

This is the reason Beiter's was able to win. He organized and beat the streets. Good news for Dems and Dean.

[Enraged_Ape]

6. This post reminds me how much I miss Cecil D. Andrus

He was a great governor and a nice, straightforward guy. I was fortunate to have met with him a couple of times when I worked in TV news in Idaho.

I remember when he said, quite unapologetically, that the NRA had been taken over by "gun nuts". After his service as Secretary of the Interior under Jimmy Carter, he came back to the state and ran for his old governorship. I remember an interviewer pressed him about the "gun nut" comment, but Cecil didn't back down. He said something to the effect that there are a lot of people who own and use guns for perfectly good and honorable reasons, and then there are gun nuts. He won the governorship again quite handily.

It's always seemed interesting to me that from a conservative stronghold state such as Idaho, they've had some great Democratic statesmen--including Cece Andrus and, of course, the great Frank Church.

[salin]

11. brewing western wedge point: the energy bill!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59945-2003Nov3.html

Essentially lots of folks are concerned with the drill - open up more wilderness space - and the eminent domain for energy that the administration is pushing. Sounds like a number of republican constituencies are being pitted against one another - and that esp in the north west - this could become a MAJOR issue.