Grangeville Republican announces run for Congress

A Grangeville businessman and former Idaho County commissioner announced he will challenge Rep. Raul Labrador in the May 2018 Republican primary.

James M. Rockwell, 56, is seeking the party’s nomination for the seat Labrador now holds in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Idaho’s Congressional District 1.

Labrador has not yet announced whether he will seek re-election to the position he has held since 2010 or if he will instead enter the race next year for Idaho governor.

“In each of the past three elections, Republican congressmen promised us that they’d repeal Obamacare if given the chance. So, we gave them the chance,” Rockwell said, in a prepared statement. “Now, with historic Republican control of the House, the Senate and the Presidency, and after working on repeal legislation for seven years, when presented with the final bill, our Republicans choked.

“President Trump’s entire ‘America First’ agenda hangs in the balance.”

Rockwell, a longtime independent investment adviser, has extensive experience in banking and business in Vietnam. He is a general partner in Emerging Vietnam Ventures Fund, LP.