Idaho State Rep. Ends Campaign Against Rep. Minnick

[ccharles000]

One of the two Republicans challenging freshman Idaho Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick is ending his 2010 campaign in the state's 1st District.

State Rep. Ken Roberts said in a statement Tuesday that he was withdrawing "with great reluctance" because of an unspecified and "unexpected health issue that has affected my candidacy and hampered my ability to make this run."

"I feel that it is my responsibility to my family to step out of the race at this time and concentrate on my health," Roberts said.

Roberts' withdrawal leaves Vaughn Ward, a former Senate aide and CIA employee who served in Iraq with the Marine Corps, as the only Republican challenger to Minnick - for the time being.

Ward entered the race months before Roberts and raised four times as much as Roberts, whose campaign manager resigned Nov. 5 because he felt Roberts wasn't raising enough money.

Roberts said that the Republican primary could include more candidates. Former Rep. Bill Sali, whom Minnick unseated in 2008, is weighing a comeback.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/11/idaho-state-rep-ends-campaign.html