I Hope to See Bill Sali Elected Again…

But Idaho’s 1st District would be a tough race in 2010. A Sali entry would make the race incredibly unstable. All we’ve got to suggest that Sali’s going to make the move is the speculation of Dennis Mansfield, and one of Dennis’ big reasons for speculation was that Raul Labrador hadn’t yet filed, but as of today, he’s in it.

What would a Sali entry into the primary mean?  Sali’s big in-district supporters have gone over to Labrador for the most part, most of Sali’s biggest out of district backers have gone to Ward. How he would get a campaign together at this point is iffy.

On the other hand, while the political types have committed, many of the people haven’t. And a Sali entry would put us into the same type of six-person field that got him nominated in 2006. (Albeit, this would be a weaker six person field. I could only imagine Sali, Labrador, or Ward winning. Last time around, five of the six candidates were feasible primary winners.)

However, it’d be an incredibly bad play. It’d be doubtful that Sali could win given the lack of political capital. Even if he did, he’d be stepping on some folks, notably Raul Labrador, who has left his state house seat. I don’t think Sali would do that. I think Sali won’t run for Congress.

However, that’s not to say Sali couldn’t run for something else. Governor Sali has a nice ring to it, so does Lieutenant Governor Sali. In the Governor’s race, there’s been a lot of conservative concern about how Governor Otter’s been doing his job, and no big name has come forward to challenge Lieutenant Governor Brad Little. Either of these could be a real opportunity for Sali to catch fire without burning a friend.

If Sali doesn’t run this year, that doesn’t mean that Sali’s gone forever from Idaho politics. Consider that J.D. Hayworth waited 4 years after his congressional defeat to launch his comeback bid. Sali could do the same.  Like Hayworth, Sali faced some absolutely revolting attempts at character assassination and may just need some type to get ready to roll.