Rep. Walt Minnick and Keith Allred, the two best-funded Democrats in Idaho, unveiled their first television ads of the election season, using much of their paid airtime to talk about what they’re against. Gov. Butch Otter also released a TV ad discussing the state government’s slimmed-down budget.
Minnick discussed his no votes on congressional spending programs and the health care plan approved by the majority of Democrats in Congress. His campaign also released a radio ad that mentions his work for military veterans in Idaho.
Minnick also says he said no to bailouts of Wall Street. Minnick wasn’t in Congress when the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) passed in Congress. On his official website, Minnick said he opposed TARP as well as bailouts for American car companies and the insurance company AIG.
Otter’s TV ad talks about the belt tightening at the Legislature this year, where Otter and lawmakers agreed on a lower budget due to projected drops in tax revenues. Allred has been critical of the revenue targets used by the Legislature.
Otter also referenced a study showing that Idaho led the country in state government job cuts from 2001 to 2009. However, Otter doesn’t talk about the study’s finding that the number of local government jobs rose more than most states during that time span.
In his TV ad, Allred talks about his work leading the non-partisan advocacy group The Common Interest. The group helped lawmakers pass a plan to lower property taxes for homeowners in 2006 and opposed increasing gas taxes and vehicle fees in 2009.
Allred’s role in the property tax plan, as well as his proposal to lower the gas tax and his assertion that he’s a fifth generation Idahoan have been challenged by Otter and other Republicans.
Allred has trailed Otter in polls of the governor’s race while Minnick has led his Republican opponent, state Rep. Raul Labrador of Eagle. Allred and Minnick led their opponents in campaign cash on hand as of the last reporting period, which for both candidates was in June.
Labrador ran some radio advertisements during his primary race, but has yet to announce any ads for the general election campaign season, which ends in less than two months on Nov. 2.
What really is troubling about Keith Allred is that he claims in the ad to be a “Fifth Generation Idahoan” when he was in fact born in Redondo Beach, California. Also, Allred takes credit for certain things, when in fact he was working as a paid Democrat Lobbyist after returning from being a Harvard and Columbia professor. After Allred has been caught lying on these two issues in his ad, how can we trust him on anything?
[...] congressional candidate Raul Labrador responded to Democrat Walt Minnick’s first television ad that featured Minnick saying no to several policy decisions with several affirmative [...]
[...] congressional candidate Raul Labrador said an ad from Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick is inaccurate because Minnick hasn’t said no to all new government spending programs. Labrador [...]