IDAHO 4 Electoral Votes

With Idaho securely in the Republican column some attention turned to neighboring Nevada.  As Kerry State Director Jim Grossman noted in an Oct. 10, 2004 e-mail, "We are sending lots of volunteers south, some for an event next weekend in Elko and some for the next few weeks in Reno and even Las Vegas...  Even if you can't travel, you can make phone calls down there."

The 0.52% (3,084 votes) obtained by the Constitution Party candidate Michael Peroutka was his third best performance percentage wise. 
 
Bush-Cheney '04 Kerry-Edwards 2004
Organization details...  details...
BC'04 State Chair: Gov. Dirk Kempthorne

Idaho Republican Party
State Chair: J. Kirk Sullivan
Exec. Director: China Veldhouse

KE State Director: Jim Grossman

Idaho Democratic Party
State Chair: Carolyn Boyce
Exec. Director: Maria Weeg

Travel
BUSH-CHENEY KERRY-EDWARDS
July 17, 2004  - Teresa Heinz Kerry spoke a fundraising luncheon at the home of Alan and Melinda Blinken in Ketchum, ID.  ($) -more than 300,000 according to news accounts.

In addition, the Kerrys spent time at their vacation home in Ketchum March 17-24 and August 14-17, 2004.

Newspaper Endorsements source: Editor & Publisher
BUSH
Times-News (Twin Falls) 
Coeur d'Alene Press
KERRY
Idaho Statesman (Boise; state's largest paper "with reluctance and regret") >
Bonner County Daily Bee

Third Party and Independent
Nader Ballot Access
Nader needed to collect 5,016 valid signatures to appear on the ballot.  Secretary of State Ben Ysura announced on Aug. 24 that supporters had submitted only 4,388 signatures verified by county clerks, and Nader would not appear on the ballot.  On Sept. 13 supporters went to the Fourth Judicial District Court, arguing that close to 900 signatures had been improperly disqualified.  A hearing was held on Oct. 6, 2004, and Judge Deborah Bail ruled against Nader on technical grounds.  Nader's attorney pressed forward with the suit, but on Oct. 19, shortly before another hearing was to be held they dropped the lawsuit and filed papers for him to appear on the ballot as a write-in candidate.

State Coordinators
Nader: Jonathan Howard
Badnarik: Mikel Chapman
Cobb: Matthew Denney

More Candidate Visits
NADER-CAMEJO
Sept. 5, 2004 - Ralph Nader spent the evening in Boise, holding a press conference, delivering a campaign speech, and doing a fundraising pitch and book signing at Boise State University.  He concluded with dinner and meeting volunteers.

also: According to a Nov. 1, 2004 Nader press release the campaign "dispatched a team of Corporate Crimebusters" to Idaho as well as Montana, Wyoming and Utah.   The release states that "they held mock debates among Nader, Bush and Kerry, and met with students at the University of Idaho and Boise State."

COBB-LaMARCHE
Aug. 8, 2004 - David Cobb spoke to a small group at City Park in Coeur d'Alene.
 

Copyright ©  2005  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action