Gore Wins Big in
Idaho Caucuses
By James Weatherby, professor of political science, Boise State University
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March 9, 2000, 4:45 pm EST -- In Idaho on March 7, only the Democrats conducted caucuses. The Idaho Republican presidential primary is on May 23, one of the last dates in the primary election calendar. As in most states, the Idaho GOP establishment is solidly for Bush.
If you are an Idaho Democrat in the most Republican state in the nation (legislature is 85% GOP, only two statewide Democratic officeholders), what can you do to energize your party and to get some state and national attention? Hold your caucuses on "Super Tuesday" in a year in which there is a real nomination contest! The timing seemed to be perfect until Bill Bradley stumbled in Idaho's neighboring state (Washington) primary on February 29. Bradley failed to generate the necessary momentum going into "Super Tuesday." For Democrats who wanted hotly-contested caucuses, the bloom was coming off the Idaho rose and to make matters worse, just minutes before the caucuses were to open in Idaho, Bradley all but conceded to Al Gore on national television. Idaho's chance to share in some of the national spotlight was lost.
As he did in most other Super Tuesday states, Gore defeated Bradley by a two-to-one margin in Idaho earning 12 of the 18 delegate votes at stake in the caucus process. Gore won every region of this very regionalized state by lopsided margins.
Gore made a minimal effort moving two paid organizers in the state prior to the caucuses. He gained the endorsement of the Idaho AFL-CIO and Bethine Church, widow of the late U.S. Senator Frank Church, who continues to be a major party figure.
Among the Bradley backers was former Governor Cecil Andrus, still one of the state's most popular political figures, and 9 of the state's 16 Democratic legislators. They argued that Bradley was the only Democrat who had a chance of winning Idaho's four electoral votes. The last time a Democratic presidential candidate carried Idaho (or "non-Republican," if you will) was in1964.
As is typical of caucuses, the statewide turnout was low. According to the Idaho Statesman, turnout did not match 1988 numbers, when the Democrats had stronger county organizations, or even the 1992 turnout. But the big caucus showing in southwestern Idaho (Boise area) has given hope to Democrats that they again could put together an effective grass roots efforts -- as occurred in the late 1980s. In 1990, those efforts paid off when Democrats took half the seats in the state senate. In that same election, Democratic Governor Cecil Andrus scored a landslide victory and Democrat Larry LaRocco was elected to one of the state's two congressional seats. But for the Democrats it has been downhill ever since. On March 7, 2000, they did not get the attention they hoped for but maybe a boost toward energizing their party.
