The University of Idaho Argonaut

Cooke grew up in Vermont, a heavily Democratic state, and served as a page in the state legislature when he was 12 years old. Since then, he said he has considered himself a party member.
He came to the University of Idaho to work in the department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology. However, it wasn’t until his wife decided she wanted to run for office he became involved with the Latah County Democrats.
“I wanted to make sure they were running a strong office,“ Cooke said. “What I found was a great organization … it’s been a pleasure to work with them.”

The blaring Republican voice:
He said when he thinks of Democrats, he thinks of a strong and fair party that cares about the common man. Cooke said many people who call themselves Republican are trapped in the feeling of safety a majority mentality provides.

“My attitude about Idaho Republicans is that they have a strong populist streak,” Cooke said. “They like to be big and together … it we could create that feeling for them I think they’d be surprised how much more they have in common with our party.”
In the Idaho State Legislature, Republicans control over 2/3 of the vote, meaning if they decide to pass a piece of legislation, the state’s Democrats have no power to stop them.
“This isn’t how governments should run, not in this country,” Cooke said. “What I want the voters to realize is that in this country the ballot is our revolution. If you don’t like the policies then vote the bastard out. In Idaho, our government isn’t recognizing the voice of all its people.”

He said the Republican control prevents any open discussion within the state government. The Democratic Party only needs to fill five more seats to achieve the minimum 1/3 necessary to have power in the house.
“Democrats can smell blood in the water this time,” Cooke said. “With Obama at the top of the ticket, we can actually win.”

He said Brown is running on a platform of bringing jobs to Idaho and reinvesting in K-12 education. The average Idaho resident wants these things in addition to fewer prisons and reduced price of Medicare, Cooke said.
“But instead they get the opposite of what they want,” he said. “But if we’re going to have a year where we might see a legitimate shift, this is the year.”
Cooke said he loves the energy he’s seen caused by Barack Obama. As an Irish Catholic schoolboy living in Vermont, he said the last time he’s observed such fervor surrounding a candidate was John F. Kennedy.

“I think Obama generates that same powerful personality where young people are eager to vote for him,” he said. “And I was a Hillary supporter.”
Cooke said his biggest fear is the national election creating a disconnect between the top and the bottom of the ticket.
“We have all these young voters registering, and that’s a great thing,” he said. “But what happens after they vote for one candidate, whoever they choose, and they realize they don’t know anything about the rest of the names. Students need to inform themselves.”

Edith Martinez is the UI adviser for Students for Barack Obama and the group’s Latah County field organizer. A senior early education major, Martinez said this is the second time she has been able to vote and she looks forward to it, now that she considers herself an informed voter.
“The last time, I didn’t vote for a Democrat — unfortunately,” she said. “It took me two years to get organized and learn what was best for me as a young voter, as a Catholic, as a migrant.”

Local vs. national elections:
Martinez is from Warden, Wash. and came to UI through the College Assistance Migrant Program. After the election four years ago, she and her friends decided to study every candidate from both sides of the aisle to choose whom they would support.
“I don’t think you ever find a candidate that mirrors all the things you’re looking for,” she said. “Obama was pretty close though.”
After setting her mind on Obama, Martinez began dedicating her time to educating others on her candidate and registering her fellow students. She said trying to get people to register is one of the hardest parts of the process.

“The excuse I hear most often is, ‘My vote won’t count for anything anyways. Idaho will just stay a Republican state,’” Martinez said. “If all the people who thought that turned their thoughts around, Idaho would turn around.”
Throughout October, Students for Barack Obama have tabled. So far they’ve registered 250 UI students and over 300 people have pledged to vote for Obama. Martinez said she focuses more on the national election than local government but she hopes all the students who have pledged for Obama will mark the rest of the ticket Democrat.

“These last four years I‘ve had a really hard time believing in my country and who‘s running it,” she said. “I’ve started believing in it again. I know it sounds cheesy but I’m excited to be part of this process … I know this is something I’ll always remember.”
Martinez said she is glad to see so many Democratic politicians coming to UI, but she is slightly annoyed it took the national election and it’s focus on youth, minority and women voters to bring them.

“Part of me doubts the sincerity of it,” she said. “I just keep thinking what happens in another four years? Will they keep this momentum or will it go back to how it use to be?”

Running a new kind of race:
Larry LaRocco, Democratic nominee for senator, said he was excited by visiting campuses and said the atmosphere of college campuses makes it the appropriate place for political discourse. 

“We all know that this is a youth election,” he said. “But this is how it should be. You aren’t just the voters of the future, you’re the voters of today and it seems that politicians are understanding that.”
As LaRocco travels, he said dealing with traditionally Republican voters isn’t that different from dealing with Democrats. However, he said ultimately he is trying to reach out to the Moderates and Independents who need to be swayed.

“The important thing is to talk to people about the issues that concern us all,” LaRooco said. “The economic crisis, health care, education … these aren’t party issues, these are American issues.”
LaRocco said although he understands he is running in a race traditionally won by Republicans, he is “eager to see how everything turns out” because this is “the year of change.”

“People are tired of years of the same,” he said. “This year offers the possibility of our nation’s first African-American president or our first female vice president. I believe that the same way our nation is evolving, Idaho is ready to evolve.”
Martinez said she is afraid if Obama doesn’t win, it will have a ripple effect that will result in the return of the standardized political model: old, white, male candidates.

“Some people are really comfortable with their white America,” she said.
However, Cooke said “once the mold has been broken” it stays that way. Even if Obama doesn’t win, he said he feels one of the senator’s greatest contributions is the blurring of partisanship and the energy within the party.

“When we aired his (Democratic Convention) acceptance speech at the Kenworthy, we filled the theater,” Cooke said. “It really started at the February caucus, we were prepared for 400 and we got a thousand. This has been amazing … no, I don’t see us returning to a resemblance of same old, same old.”

The ever-optimistic Democrat:
Mary DuPree is the office manager for the Latah County Democrats. Standing in the middle of the room she laughs softly as she considers her life as a Democrat in Idaho.
“We’re almost a culture unto ourselves,” she said. “We like to stay close together, it keeps them (Republicans) from picking
us apart.”

She speaks with an almost religious zeal that raises the head of the volunteers who surround her. It wouldn’t seem inappropriate for someone in the back to offer an Amen.
Martinez said from the beginning she noticed that the Idaho Democratic Party was an organization filled with “excited people, with an amazing energy.”
“They’re devout about it,” she said. “They wake up knowing they’re entering enemy territory and they’re prepared for it.”
Her first encounters with Idaho Democrats was almost an intimidating experience, Martinez said. However, she said she related to their principals and feels a stronger Democratic voice would prove beneficial to the state.

“Ultimately we all want what’s best for Idaho and our nation,” LaRocco said. “But we need the right kind of change, we need a change in direction.”
If sent to Washington, LaRocco said it would prove that Idaho doesn’t have to remain stagnant, a message which is beneficial to it’s citizens.
“We’re at every event we can possibly attend reminding people that they have options because sometimes they need to be reminded,” Cooke said. “We’re trying to be as loud as we can and I hope we can get louder… The day’s of big business having pie while the rest of us have crumbs may soon be over.”

Sidebar: The Republican power

- Republicans control all-constitutional offices in Idaho, with C.L. “Butch” Otter as Governor. They also control by large margins the state Senate and House. Idaho’s Congressional delegation are all Republicans led by Senior U.S. Senator Larry Craig and Senator Mike Crapo. In the U.S. House of Representatives Idaho is represented by Mike Simpson and Bill Sali.

- In the Idaho state legislature, Republicans control over 2/3 of the vote, meaning if they decide to pass a piece of legislation, the states democrats have no power to stop them. But the Democratic Party only needs to fill five more seats to achieve the minimum 1/3 necessary to have power in the house.

- A Democratic candidate has not won Idaho’s electoral votes since 1964 when Lyndon Johnson earned the presidency.

- There are five people vying for the seat held by Craig, who has decided not to seek a fourth term. They are Republican Jim Risch, Democrat Larry LaRocco, Independent Rex Rammell, Libertarian Kent Marmon and an independent who changed his name to Pro-Life.

- According to Federal Election Commission filings, Risch spent nearly $705,000 on his campaign during the months of July, August and September, ending the quarter with more than $1.2 million cash on hand. In comparison, LaRocco spent more than $343,000 during that time period and had more than $408,000 cash on hand on Sept. 30, including a $300,000 loan he made to his campaign.