Quick Hits on ID-02

Here are some quick hits on the ID-02 race:

• The Spokesman-Review profiles Bryan Smith who descibes himself as “a real conservative.” Idaho GOP activist Rod Beck calls Smith “the first credible opponent to Mike Simpson since 1998.” (The Spokesman-Review, 6/27/2013)

• RedState.com editor Erick Erickson joins the Club for Growth PAC in endorsing conservative Bryan Smith. Erickson said “This isn’t some outside group meddling in Idaho affairs. This is the Club for Growth [PAC] listening to the people of Mike Simpson’s district and going with the choice of conservatives in that district.” (Redstate.com, 7/10/2013)

• The Times-News columnist Randy Stapilus asks “Is Bryan Smith Actually a Threat to Mike Simpson?” He acknowledges that Smith is getting an “early start,” but cautions that “Simpson has been taking the possibility of a challenge seriously.” Stapilus also notes that Idaho’s other long-serving congressmen (White, Smith, and French) “all were beaten in the end, in runs for re-election when the tides eventually turned against them.” (Times-News, 7/8/2013)

• Bryan Smith responds to the Club’s PAC endorsement saying “I am honored to have the endorsement and support of the Club for Growth [PAC],” in a news release. “It is a group that shares the same conservative principles and values as I do and values I wish to bring to Washington.” (The Spokesman-Review, 7/10/2013)