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Walt Minnick

Former U.S. Representative

(Official photo)

Why He Matters

A Democrat with the one of the most conservative voting record in the House, Minnick bucked his party on nearly every marquee piece of legislation during his single term in office.

Representing Idaho's 1st Congressional District where President Obama won only 36 percent of the vote in 2008, House Democrats were loathe to criticize Minnick. According to a House staffer, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) put it best when he said: "He's a Democrat from Idaho. He can vote however he wants."

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Chairman, SummerWinds Nursery, (1996-2008); president/CEO, TJ International (1974-1995); White House aide (1971-1973)
Birthday: Sept. 20, 1942
Hometown: Walla Walla, Wash.
Alma Mater: Whitman College, B.A., 1964; Harvard University, M.B.A., 1966; Harvard University, J.D., 1969
Spouse: A.K. Lienhart-Minnick
Religion: Unitarian Universalist

Committees: Agriculture ; Financial Services
DC Office: 1517 Longworth House Office Building, 202-225-6611
State/District Office: Meridian, 208-888-3188; Lewiston, 208-743-1388; Coeur d'Alene, 208-667-0127; Cardwell, 208-454-5518
Email
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Path to Power

Minnick was born in 1942 in Walla Walla, Wash., and was raised on his family's wheat farm.

Minnick studied economics at Walla Walla's Whitman College, where he also served as president of the College Republicans. He later graduated from Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School.

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After spending two years in the U.S. Army, Minnick joined the Nixon White House in 1971 and helped establish the Drug Enforcement Administration. He resigned in 1973 in protest after Nixon fired the special prosecutor who was investigating the Watergate scandal.

Former Republican

Minnick considered himself a Republican until he moved to Idaho in 1974, when he came to believe the party was overtaken by the "radical right." In Idaho, the politically-independent Minnick worked for the Boise-based lumber company TJ International Corp. He would eventually become the president and CEO of the company that sold recycled wood products.

1996 Senate Bid

Minnick resigned from the company in 1995 and entered the 1996 race against Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) after being recruited by Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), then head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. A political unknown, Minnick wanted to run as an independent, which he said Kerrey would accept. But after it became clear state Democrats wanted to field a party member, be it Minnick or someone else, Minnick joined the Democratic Party.

Minnick campaigned trying to connecting Craig to an unpopular deal to store nuclear waste in Idaho. Craig led throughout the campaign, holding comfortable margins in polls, though Minnick said his internal campaign surveys showed the newcomer trailing by only two percentage points in October 1996. They must have been erroneous, as Minnick lost by 17 percentage points, after spending nearly $900,000 on his own campaign.

After the loss, Minnick launched the SummerWinds Garden Centers, a Boise-based chain, which runs high-end plant and flower nurseries in the U.S. and Canada.

Return to Politics

Minnick re-entered Idaho politics in 2008 and challenged Rep. Bill Sali (R-Idaho), who Democrats viewed as vulnerable due to erratic behavior and an ineffective freshman term. Attorney Larry Grant (D), Minnick's primary challenger who came within five points of beating Sali in 2006, bowed out before the Democratic primary, handing Minnick the party's nomination.

Minnick's campaign cost $2.5 million, nearly doubling that of his Republican opponent. Analysts say Minnick benefitted from a weak Sali campaign, which alienated his Republican congressional colleagues. Minnick won the election by about 4,000 votes, or less than two points.

Minnick sits on the House Agriculture and Financial Services committees.

Sali is mounting a possible 2010 rematch challenge against Minnick, though he is not the only Republican mulling a bid.

The Issues

Through October 2009, Minnick voted with his party only 65.7 percent of the time, making him the most independent representative of either party in the 111th Congress.

A member of the Blue Dog Democrats, Minnick developed a reputation for being a spending hawk. He was a staunch supporter of gun owners' rights and has said the Blue Dogs would not allow any additional gun control measures during the 111th Congress. He was more liberal on social issues and drew opposition from anti-abortion rights groups.

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The Economy

Minnick voted against all versions of the $787-billion economic stimulus package that passed in February 2009. The bill, he said, permitted excessive, inefficient spending. In February 2009, Minnick authored his own stimulus plan, a $174 billion proposal that sought to cut taxes by $100 billion, direct $70 billion to infrastructure projects and create a $4 billion job-training program.

In April 2009, Minnick said he wouldn't submit any earmark requests for the fiscal year 2010 federal budget, saying spending and national debt must be slashed in the poor economy.

Conservation and The Environment

Minnick sought to compile a record that balanced economic needs with environmental concerns.

In January 2009, one of Minnick's first legislative actions was supporting the pet project of Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho): making Idaho's Boulder and White Cloud Mountains a wilderness protection region. The plan would create a wilderness area stretching over nearly 500-square- miles while opening up more than 200-square-miles to potential development.

After the Obama administration suspended changes to the endangered species list pending from the George W. Bush years, Minnick and other Idaho lawmakers requested in February 2009 that the White House resume the delisting of gray wolves in order to open up the species to hunting and population control.Interior Secretary Ken Salazar decided to remove the wolves from the list in March 2009.

Minnick voted against the 2009 climate change bill, opposing the "cap-and-trade" system that would limit industrial emissions on grounds the bill would raise prices, make investing more difficult and hurt job creation.

Health-Care Reform

Minnick outlined his stance on health-care reform in a series of August 2009 townhall meetings and local events in his district. He said that health care should be available to everyone legally residing in the country, though any reform plan must pay for itself and not increase the deficit.

Minnick criticized a potential public option for health care, saying it would make "'big government' the nation's dominant insurance company." He supported setting rules encouraging competition that would guarantee coverage for all. "I would prefer to try a free-market solution," Minnick said in August 2009. "I'd rather make the radical step later if it turns out that we can't get the market to work more effectively."

Minnick also said he wanted to allow small businesses and groups of individuals to negotiate for the same plans that government workers and big companies may receive. He also advocated for higher rates based on personal lifestyle decisions such as overeating and smoking.

The Network

Minnick proved to be one of the closest allies of Simpson, Idaho's other congressman. The two held local events together and worked together on Idaho-specific environmental issues.

Minnick is a close friend of former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Both men got their political start in the Nixon White House.

Additional Resources