China Veldhouse Gum, speaking for the Labrador campaign, released a statement to the press in which she said that politics, not Minnick’s actual votes, account for the endorsement.  ”It is rather distressing to see more evidence of dysfunction coming from Washington, D.C.,” Gum, who also serves campaign coordinator for Labrador.  “At a crucial time in our nation’s history, with our economic future in grave jeopardy, this organization decides to look out for its own political interests rather than provide the bold leadership demanded by the times.”

Gum added that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has, what she called, a “big government tilt.”  That line drew the ire of Minnick spokesman John Foster, who openly mocked Labrador via his Twitter account.

An official with the group says that Minnick has voted in a very pro-business manner in his first 17 months on the job.  “In just one term, Walt has already shown a strong record of standing up for the businesses and workers of Idaho during some of the state’s most challenging economic times,” said Bill Miller, senior vice president and political director for the chamber.  “He has a common sense approach to job creation and getting America back on the road to recovery.”

Minnick’s campaign spokesman, John Foster, said the Democratic congressman is thrilled to have the support of the chamber.  ”Walt is obviously pleased and honored to have the endorsement,” Foster said. “His lifetime of experience as an Idaho businessman, his strong stance for fiscal accountability and his work to reign in deficit spending all point to why he’s so well-positioned for re-election in November. He’s the kind of experienced leader Idahoans trust.”

The Labrador campaign has not commented on Tuesday’s events.

Labrador said that Minnick, who took the seat from Republican Bill Sali in 2008, votes in the interest of Idahoans only when it is politically expedient for him to do so.  ”He has a knack for voting the right way for Idaho when his vote is not needed by Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leadership,” Labrador said.

He slammed Minnick for his votes to reinstate the estate tax, also known as the death tax, as well as his support of abortion.  He said that at his core, Minnick is a hard-line Democrat.  ”I will not allow him to deceive the people of Idaho about his record,” he said. “Mr. Minnick is a committed Democrat.  We must remove Minnick from Congress.”

One of the major points of Labrador’s campaign is Minnick’s vote to support Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the U.S. House.  Some reports suggest that Minnick might be willing to reconsider his support for the California congresswoman, but Labrador told  delegates Minnick’s vote wouldn’t help Idaho Republicans.  “My friends, don’t you believe it for a minute.  It does not matter who he votes for; you will still have a Democrat as speaker and you will still have Democrats heading committees in the House.”

Labrador won a hard-fought primary race against Vaughn Ward, who bested Labrador in the money race but suffered a series of campaign mistakes.  Labrador took a moment to address Ward supporters who might be hesitant to support him in November. “I also want to thank those who supported Vaughn Ward and other candidates in the primary.  You should really be proud of your hard work and dedication to principled conservative leadership.  I hope that I can earn your trust and your support,” Labrador said.  Ward, who planned to take time off from politics to spend time with his family following his primary defeat, is not in attendance at the convention.

Congressman Mike Simpson  called on Republicans in the room and the state to focus on Labrador’s race in the 1st District.  ”If Republicans work together, there is no way we cannot take back the 1^st District,” Simpson explained.  He then went on to call on convention-goers to open up their pocketbooks for Labrador.  ”Raul’s going to have to raise a whole lot of money to win back this seat.”   Simpson handed Labrador a check for his campaign war chest on the convention stage.

Simpson pointed out the balance of power in the U.S. House may hinge on the 1st District race.  “If we can’t win back Idaho’s congressional district, then we probably won’t take back Congress,” Simpson said Idaho Republican Party chairman Norm Semanko said the party is firmly behind its candidate and called on Republicans to unite behind him.  ”We all need to do everything we can to help Raul,” said Semanko.

Here is video of Labrador’s speech:

Part 1:

Part 2:

The controversy was due in part to a line of text in a e-mail message the Labrador campaign sent out to supporters earlier this month.  The line was not, however, the work of the nominee or his staffers, but rather was written by Thomas Del Beccaro, a writer for the online media outlet Big Government. The Labrador e-mail referred to Beccaro’s article, entitled “The 2010 Midterms: Businesses’ Final Time For Truth?”  Here is what Labrador staffers took from Beccaro’s article and included in the e-mail, which drew the ire of Foster:

For decades, American business has wined, dined and lobbied American politicians. Some have sought preferential tax benefits… others have sought corporate welfare. Still others feed the alligator that is government in hopes that it will be kind to them in the future while it consumes others today.

Foster, in a message to local media outlets, said that Labrador’s use of the text from Beccaro’s was troubling.

In an e-mail to IdahoReporter.com, Gum said that Minnick’s first vote, a nod to then-Rep. Nancy Pelosi to become speaker  of the House of Representatives, is a far larger problem for Idahoans than Labrador’s message to supporters.  Here’s what Gum said about Foster’s charges:

Mr. Minnick and his staff can protest all they want, however, it is Mr. Minnick that needs to apologize to all Idahoans for installing Nancy Pelosi and the entire liberal leadership team in Congress that has delivered:

The draconian ‘Obamacare’ bill and the small business-killing measures within.

The unprecedented levels of government spending.

The coming rise in gasoline prices due to Obama’s offshore drilling ban.

The insult to the people of Arizona and Idaho who are demanding the enforcement of immigration laws and securing our borders.

It is clear Mr. Minnick and the Democrats are part of the problems facing us today. The real question for voters is this: do we want a country of bailouts, amnesty for illegal immigrants and government-controlled businesses like GM or do we wan  a country that respects the rule of law, free markets, liberty and the individuals’ right to succeed or fail on their own merits. If you want bailouts and government control Minnick is your guy.

It’s time for all Americans to take the long view that will determine the future of this country. We’ll get to decide this November Minnick and big government or Labrador and limited government–the choice is clear.

Foster, in a statement e-mailed to local media outlets, said Labrador’s language in the message to supporters was troubling.  ”This is another troubling statement from Raul, and one for which he owes Idaho businesses an apology,” Foster said. “His insinuation that business leaders are hypocritical about free enterprise insults the many Idahoans doing all they can to keep businesses afloat during these tough times. It’s no surprise that the business leaders, business owners and trade associations working toward an economic recovery for Idaho are solidly behind Walt Minnick.”

The latest controversy between the two men stems from a message the Labrador campaign sent out to followers earlier this month.  The line in question was not written by Labrador staffers, but rather Thomas Del Beccaro, a writer for the online media outlet Big Government. The Labrador e-mail refers to Beccaro’s article, entitled “The 2010 Midterms: Businesses’ Final Time For Truth?”  Here is what Labrador staffers took from Beccaro’s article and included in the e-mail, which has drawn the ire of Foster:

For decades, American business has wined, dined and lobbied American politicians. Some have sought preferential tax benefits… others have sought corporate welfare. Still others feed the alligator that is government in hopes that it will be kind to them in the future while it consumes others today.

China Gum, acting spokesperson for the Labrador campaign, has yet to comment on Foster’s charges.

Here is what Smith said in a comment on the story about the poll:

It’s too bad that John Foster, whom I admire greatly, has chosen to take issue with the results we’ve produced over the years.  As he and anyone else with even a scant knowledge of political polling knows, a poll is simply a “snapshot” of attitudes at the time of the research, and is NOT a prediction by any means.  Just like consumer attitudes, voter attitudes do in fact change and adapt due to a number of variables.

Further, if one bothers to look at the entire report that was produced in 2006 discussing the aforementioned results, you’ll see that I fully indicated that (1) I felt Sali would be in trouble as November approached (for which I received a great deal of grief from Sali and other Republicans), and (2) I also felt that Otter would in fact surge in the remaining days/weeks.

Further, Greg Smith & Associates has just been recognized as doing superior work to other firms doing work in Idaho by FiveThirtyEight (a well respected national organization who study and rate polling firms across the nation).

I guess it’s most telling that Foster obviously feels that Minnick is in trouble, by the fact that he attacks my firm (unjustifiably, I might add), instead of discussing why in fact Minnick is losing ground.  Did he not see primary results from around the nation earlier this week, where there is a clear anti-Washington and/or -incumbent sentiment among the masses (whether justified or not)? It’s both pitiful and laughable that instead of attacking Labrador or defending his own candidate, Minnick, he is reduced to criticizing A POLLSTER.

I’ve known John for years, and have always thought highly of him, and (I thought) him of me and my firm’s work.  But, this is politics, after all, and one can’t be totally surprised in this silly season when such ludicrous and intellectually suicidal thoughts are conveyed.

Smith’s polls have not necessarily been indicative of electoral outcomes in recent years.  One month before Minnick ousted Republican Bill Sali from the seat in 2008, Smith’s polling among 200 likely voters in the district found that Sali enjoyed a 51-39 lead over his challenger.  Minnick went on to defeat Sali 51-49 on election night.   In 2006, Smith found Democrat Jerry Brady ahead of Republican Butch Otter by 5 percent in the gubernatorial race.  Otter defeated Brady at the polls 52-44.  Earlier in this election cycle, Smith found that Labrador was down by 18 points two weeks before he went on to defeat Vaughn Ward to win the GOP nod.

Smith would not say who funded the poll, but sources inside the Labrador campaign have confirmed that they did not commission the study.  Smith’s primary poll released on May 11 was a self-funded venture.

Minnick announced Monday that his campaign would have a series of events, including the launch of a new website and release of social media tools to engage potential voters, throughout the week to begin his 2010 re-election campaign. Minnick staffers planned to officially start the campaign with a press conference at Meridian City Hall Saturday, but that event has been postponed.  A press conference in Coeur d’Alene Sunday will also be delayed.

Foster believes it is likely that Minnick will appear in Nez Perce County Monday, in an official capacity, to participate in its Memorial Day events.  ”I know Walt was very much looking forward to officially kicking off his campaign, but the congressional current schedule leaves too much up in the air,” Foster said. “Although we will postpone the events planned for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the campaign is under way. I know Walt looks forward to being out on the campaign trail soon to talk to voters and meet with the media.”

Minnick is set to square off with Republican nominee Raul Labrador, a state representative from Eagle, in November’s general election.

A few weeks ago, Dan Popkey, a writer for the Idaho Statesman, wrote that Ward had borrowed wording from a speech he gave in March from then-Sen. Barack Obama’s address at the 2004 Democratic convention. IdahoReporter.com picked up on the story and added individual video clips of Obama and Ward giving their speeches, which can be seen here:

Obama in 2004:

Ward in 2010:

Lucas Baumbach, a legislative candidate for the Idaho State Senate, ardent Labrador supporter, and Tea Party Activist, took the two videos and edited them to put them side-by-side in one video presentation. Baumbach admitted Wednesday to a reporter with the Spokesman Review that his video was a piece of propaganda meant to destroy the Ward campaign. He also told the writer that he had done considerable editing to alter the videos to make them look like Ward was matching Obama word-for-word.

Baumbach’s version:

Baumbach’s video made a considerable splash in the local and national media. It was picked up by national news outlets Politico, Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, Salon, and even received a mention by the New York Times and comedian Jay Leno, who played the mashup on his show Tuesday, election night. All in all, Baumbach’s video has been viewed more than 100,000 times, with 88,000 of those coming on his campaign YouTube channel and 20,000 more on another channel. He told IdahoReporter.com Tuesday that he hadn’t expected the video to make such a splash, but was glad that it did. Baumbach said that the video likely hurt Ward the most among potential voters who were also in the armed services because, as he said, plagiarizing parts of a speech is incongruent with the values of honor and integrity taught in the military. Ward is a decorated veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Baumbach said one of the reasons the video amassed such popularity was who Ward borrowed the rhetoric from:

The Baumbach video wasn’t the only problematic piece of footage out there on YouTube. At a primary debate in Post Falls a week before Tuesday’s election, Ward incorrectly stated that Puerto Rico is a foreign country. Collin Mansfield, son of Labrador’s campaign spokesman Dennis Mansfield, posted video of the verbal slipup, in which also said that he doesn’t care about what the tiny island is. Though Mansfield’s video did not reach the heights of Baumbach’s, it has received more than 20,000 views, and also garnered national headlines.

Ward/Labrador debate in Post Falls:

Social media, according to Labrador spokesman Dennis Mansfield, has altered the campaign landscape forever. Even 10 years ago, the Ward remark about Puerto Rico might have been contained to the northern portion of the state, which is hundreds of miles away from Boise, the media hub of Idaho. The videos put out by Baumbach and Collin Mansfield easily bridged that gap and an even bigger one – from Boise to the two media hubs of the United States, New York City and Washington, D.C. The elder Mansfield said that social media was the defining factor in Labrador’s victory over Ward and the main reason Labrador prevailed in Tuesday’s contest.

The effective utilization of social media outlets, including YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, will become increasingly important as Labrador heads into November’s general election. John Foster, spokesman for Labrador’s opponent, freshman Democratic Congressman Walt Minnick, is experienced in the ways of social media and will be implementing the use of it throughout various aspects of the campaign. In an announcement earlier this week, Foster promised to use social media tools to re-engage voters from the 2008 election, in which Minnick ousted the Republican incumbent, and push Minnick supporters to share messages of support for their candidate through networking sites.

Following Labrador’s win, Foster released this statement to the local media:

Idaho voters know Walt Minnick as a businessman, a veteran and gun owner, and they appreciate his long record of effective work for Idaho families, seniors and veterans.  Raul Labrador’s reputation as a combative politician and his troubling rhetoric on key issues — such as his votes against Idaho veterans — make us confident that folks will re-elect Walt in November.

In the message, Foster did not explain which votes of Labrador’s could be construed as votes against Idaho veterans.  In a later e-mail to IdahoReporter.com, Foster said that two votes during Labrador’s tenure in the Idaho House had troubling implications for veterans.  One came in 2009, when Labrador opposed a plan to give close relatives of members of the armed services special licenses plates without the usual extra fees attached.

The other vote came early this year in the 2010 legislative session.  A bill proposed by a state legislator in north Idaho redefined how vacancies for publicly-elected officials occur.  Though the focal point of the legislation centered on a missing city councilman from Idaho who was found deceased after several weeks of searches by local authorities, the measure also contained a provision which removed military duty as a means of office revocation, thereby allowing those in the military to retain their offices through deployments

Labrador may have received some flak for having a combative personality due to past conflicts within the Idaho Republican Party.  In a previous debate with his primary challenger Vaughn Ward, Labrador said that his ability to stand up to his party’s leadership is why Idahoans should send him to Congress.  Party insiders say that a few years ago, Labrador was instrumental in ousting former state Republican Party Chairman Kirk Sullivan, who had the backing of Gov. Butch Otter, in favor of the more conservative Norm Semanko.  ”With me … I am willing to stand up, even against my own party, if I think the things my party is doing are not correct,” Labrador said at the Idaho Public Television debate on May 12 at the Capitol in Boise.   Labrador also touted his opposition to Otter’s 2009 plan to raise gas taxes in Idaho as evidence that he will represent Idahoans well in Congress.

Labrador spokesman Dennis Mansifeld has yet to respond to Foster’s charges.  Minnick and Labrador are set to square off in the general election on Nov. 2.

Ward took a limited amount of questions from reporters and was quickly herded away by Mike Tracy, his campaign spokesman, after about two and a half minutes of questioning. Ward thanked his supporters for their efforts over the past 14 months of the race. “We built a great campaign, and I’m proud of the work that went into it,” Ward said. When queried by reporters about some communication issues involving a speech he gave in March that contained language similar to a speech given by then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2004, Ward said that some aspects of his campaign could have been handled better. “I accept full responsibility for everything that happens on the campaign,” Ward said.

He also commented on the resignation of his former campaign manager, Ryan O’Barto, who was responsible for recycling a press release, to the dismay of the local media, and cribbing policy positions from the websites of other congressmen. Initial reports said that Ward fired O’Barto for the miscues, but Ward confirmed on a local radio station the day it happened that O’Barto had resigned, not wanting to be a distraction to the campaign effort. “The staffing issues, we took care of those, and we moved forward. Unfortunately it was too little too late.”

As for his future, Ward said he plans to remain in the state. “Idaho is my home,” Ward said. In the upcoming weeks, he said that he will take some time off to go camping with his wife and kids in north Idaho. He would not say if he has political plans for the future.

Tuesday night, comedian Jay Leno played a video mash-up of Ward’s speech in which he used some language from Obama’s address. One reporter asked Ward what he thought about the video becoming nationally recognized. “You know, I don’t care what the national press says. I realize that some of the mainstream media out there, they have an agenda, and I’m fine with that,” Ward said.

Ward did keep a promise made earlier in the campaign. He told those gathered at the Capitol that Labrador has his full support November. “I said I would and I do (support Labrador),” he said. Labrador moves on to face Democratic incumbent Walt Minnick in the 1st District.

See Ward’s complete remarks to reporters here: