Since Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown won their parties’ nominations in June, tens of millions of dollars have been spent trying to break the statistical tie that’s gripped the race for months.
Whitman, in particular, has blanketed the state in radio and TV ads touting her corporate experience and depicting Brown as a failed career politician. Brown hasn’t spent anything on advertising yet, but his union allies have aired commercials attacking Whitman as the heartless former CEO of the online auction firm eBay.
With the general election season now at its halfway point, 10 weeks from the primary and 10 until the Nov. 2 vote, the campaigns remain stuck where they started – tied in every public opinion poll.
With four days and counting before the primary, Democrats vying to become the next State Superintendent of Public Education find themselves in a tough spot: get their message out so voters will understand the difference between them and their Republican counterparts.
The two Democrats, Penny Kotterman and Jason Williams, are battling each other to win their party’s nomination. Both candidates hope their extensive classroom experience will convince voters to end 16 years of Republican control.
While Idaho’s unemployment rate didn’t budge from 8.8 percent from June to July, the fortunes of workers in different parts of the state varied.
The five-county Boise region and the Treasure Valley saw jobless rates drop from 9.7 to 9.3 percent, the labor force grew and the unemployed dropped by more than 1,000.
Unemployment rates rose in 28 counties, according to the Idaho Department of Labor.
What else is happening in the West?
