When House Assistant Minority Leader Grant Burgoyne ran for the Senate, we started keeping a close eye on who might go for that open leadership spot. Early on, Rep. Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, said he was interested.
We assumed that would be the most interesting race for the Dems, but we were wrong. No one else has announced they are going for Assistant Minority leader or said they are challenging Minority Leader John Rusche, but Minority Caucus Chairwoman Donna Pence, D-Gooding, said Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, is also going for that spot this time around.
I couldn’t find Rubel for comment, but that’s shaping up to be an interesting race. Pence has served in the legislature since 2004, and Rubel was appointed to fill a vacancy in the 2014 session.
Democratic caucus members might not care about seniority, however. Of the 14 Democrats who will serve in the 2015 session, 9 were elected in 2012 or 2014. Just five, including Pence herself, have been there longer than 2012.
We’re keeping an eye on all the leadership races in both chambers. Watch us on Twitter: @davlinnews and @idahoreports.
