Raul Labrador (R-Idaho)

U.S. Representative (since January 2011)

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Why He Matters

Labrador won Idaho's 1st district House seat in 2010, besting conservative Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho).

The 2010 GOP primary was a microcosm of the national GOP fight between the tea party, embodied by Labrador, and the establishment pick Vaughn Ward. Though Labrador continued throwing barbs at national Republicans after his nomination, he soon made up with the GOP realizing he would need their funds to oust Minnick, who had the distinction of being the only Democrat to receive an endorsement by the Tea Party Express until he rejected it.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Idaho Representative (2006-2011); Managing Partner, Labrador Law Offices (2000 - 2011)
Birthday: Dec. 8, 1967
Hometown: Carolina, Puerto Rico
Alma Mater: Brigham Young University, B.A. (1992); University of Washington, J.D. (1995)
Spouse: Rebecca
Religion: Mormon
Committees: Natural Resources ; Oversight and Government Reform

DC Office: 1523 Longworth House Office Building, (202) 225-6611
State/District Office: Caldwell, (208) 454-5518; Coeur d'Alene, (208) 667-0127; Lewiston, (208) 743-1388; Meridian, (208) 888-3188
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Path To Power

Born in 1967 in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Labrador was raised by his mother who lost an advertising job for having a child out of wedlock. His mother would later become a television personality and a sales representative for Mars.

Educated in various institutions including a military school and a bilingual school, Labrador moved with his mother to Las Vegas, Nev. The two became Mormons and his mother rose to become a restaurant manager. Labrador attended Brigham Young University on the dime of his church bishop.

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From 1987 to 1989, Labrador was in Chile on a church mission. After finishing his degree in Spanish in 1992, Labrador briefly moved to Boise with his wife before earning his law degree from the University of Washington.

After working as a law clerk and in a private firm in Seattle, Labrador returned to Boise where he would eventually open his law firm known for its immigration casework. Among his notable cases was that of Javier Sotelo, a Mexican citizen legally residing in the U.S. who was convicted in 2000 in connection to smuggling to immigrants into the U.S. "My job as an immigration lawyer is to present to the judge a case and say, yes, he committed the crimes, and he's coming to ask forgiveness of the court," said Labrador about the case. "Will you allow him to stay in the United States?"

In 2001, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) appointed Labrador to a Senate advisory committee on Hispanic issues.

Labrador won his first elected seat in 2006, claiming a seat in the state House. Labrador's major impacts on state politics included helping oust the state GOP's moderate chairman, Kirk Sullivan, and helping sink Gov. Butch Otter's (R) plan to increase the fuel tax in 2009.

2010 House Race

Labrador entered the race to unseat first-term Rep. Walt Minnick (D) in 2010. With surprising force and by nine percentage points, Labrador won the nomination by besting Vaughn Ward, a decorated Iraq veteran who was the party leaders' pick, a National Republican Congressional Committee Young Gun who had support from high-profile party leaders like former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Minnick led Labrador in both early fundraising and polling. Minnick also had the honor of being the only national Democrat to win the endorsement of the Tea Party Express. After Minnick rejected it, the organization supported Labrador.

Labrador also continued to criticize then-House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (Ohio). But after resisting national party support for several months after his primary victory, Labrador realized he couldn't win the close race without the NRCC; he doubled back and joined the Young Guns in August 2010.

Despite being an underdog to the conservative Minnick, Labrador trumped the incumbent by 10 points, 51 to 41 percent. Pundits attributed the upset to underestimated voter discontent.

The Issues

Labrador jumped into the 2010 House race casting himself as an outsider, both from Washington and his own party. "I thought we needed someone in the race with a reliable record, someone who had a history of standing up for conservative values," Labrador said.

On government spending, Labrador campaigned by calling to end future bailouts of firms such as mortgage giant Fannie Mae, auditing every government department and eliminating the Department of Education. He says future funding should be based on three priorities: national defense, protecting the elderly and promoting economic development.

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The Network

Labrador was endorsed in his 2010 House race by ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R). He substituted for tea-party national idol Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) at "Fire Pelosi" speaking series. But overall, he had a rocky relationship with national Republican leaders, who endorsed another candidate in the GOP primary and embraced him only late in the game.

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