Idaho Senate candidates clash during debate

Idaho may be one of the few states where Republicans aren’t playing defense in the battle for the Senate, but that didn’t prevent a lively and colorful debate Tuesday night in the race to replace Sen. Larry Craig (R). 

Republican Jim Risch, the state’s lieutenant governor, faced off against the Democratic candidate, former Rep. Larry LaRocco, in a 90-minute debate that showed off both candidates’ sharply opposing political philosophies. The debate also featured independent candidate Rex Rammell and an organic farmer who has changed his name to Pro-Life and twice choked up when discussing his opposition to abortion rights.

{mosads}Polls show Risch far ahead in the race for the seat of the retiring Craig — the most recent RealClearPolitics polling average gives him a 21-point lead over LaRocco.

On Tuesday night, the front-runner touted his leadership experience and his working relationship with incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Crapo. Risch served seven months as Idaho’s governor after Dirk Kempthorne resigned to become President Bush’s secretary of the interior, but he chose not to seek the governor’s office in 2006 and instead defeated LaRocco for lieutenant governor.

Risch reminded voters of tax cuts he has pushed through while in office, said healthcare costs need to be cut and shied away from endorsing another economic stimulus package being considered in the Senate. He attacked LaRocco as a liberal Democrat who is out of touch with the state’s voters.

“We have very different political philosophies,” Risch said.

LaRocco pushed back aggressively, criticizing Risch for favoring wealthy Idahoans in his tax-cut policies and ignoring the needs of middle-class families. He said he supported a second stimulus package.

“Working families are hurting,” he said. “I think we should do some nation-building right here in the U.S.”

Rammell described himself as the race’s real conservative, describing abortion as murder and criticizing federal spending. Pro-Life said much the same, adding that he is opposed to all spending on public education and saying the country has “turned our back on God.”

The Idaho Senate race also includes Libertarian candidate Kent Marmon, who was absent from Tuesday’s debate because he did not meet fundraising criteria.