Boise attorney to face Labrador for Idaho attorney general

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Boise attorney Tom Arkoosh announced Tuesday that he’s running for Idaho attorney general as the Democratic nominee.

Arkoosh announced his candidacy amid family and friends at the Statehouse. He’s replacing Steve Scanlin, who withdrew from the race last week and was a placeholder for the Democrats.

Arkoosh will face former U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador in the November general election. Labrador defeated five-term incumbent Attorney General Lawrence Wasden in the May Republican primary.

Arkoosh is a fourth-generation Idahoan with 44 years of legal experience. He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor of arts in government and economics. He received his law degree from the University of the Idaho College of Law.

Arkoosh’s campaign manager is Jim Jones, a former Republican Idaho attorney general as well as a former chief justice of the Idaho Supreme Court.

Jones is with Take Back Idaho, a group of Republicans that opposes far-right Republicans and seeks to put forward more moderate candidates.

Wasden is well known for his strategy of simply calling balls and strikes when interpreting the law, which irked some Republican lawmakers who didn’t like his legal advice. Labrador has said he will make the office much more partisan.