Larry LaRocco

{{Short description|American politician (born 1946)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Larry LaRocco 2.jpg | name = Larry LaRocco | state = Idaho | district = {{ushr|ID|1|1st}} | term_start = January 3, 1991 | term_end = January 3, 1995 | predecessor = Larry Craig | successor = Helen Chenoweth-Hage | birth_name = Lawrence Paul LaRocco | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|8|25}} | birth_place = Van Nuys, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | education = University of Portland (BA)<br>Boston University (MS) | spouse = Chris Bideganeta | website = {{URL|laroccoforsenate.com|Campaign website}} | branch = {{army|United States}} | service_years = 1969–1972 | rank = Captain | unit = United States Army Europe and Africa }} '''Lawrence Paul LaRocco''' (born August 25, 1946) is an American politician who served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the Idaho's 1st congressional district from 1991 to 1995.

LaRocco ran for the state's lieutenant governorship in 2006 and for the U.S. Senate in 2008, but was defeated by Jim Risch in the general election both times.<ref>[http://www.sos.idaho.gov/ELECT/results/ENR/statewide_total.html 2008 statewide totals] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220191630/http://www.sos.idaho.gov/ELECT/results/ENR/statewide_total.html |date=February 20, 2015}}</ref>

==Early life and family== LaRocco was born in Van Nuys, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Portland in 1967. He earned his M.S. from Boston University in 1969. He also studied at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.<ref>[http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/l000098/ Larry LaRocco] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725184727/http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/l000098/ |date=July 25, 2008 }} ''Washington Post'' Congress votes database</ref>

LaRocco and his wife Chris have two children and two grandchildren.

==Military service== LaRocco joined the U.S. Army and was commissioned on August 15, 1969; he was eventually promoted to captain and served in military intelligence at the Intelligence Data Handling Systems (IDHS) at 7th Army Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany towards the end of his army career. On May 24, 1972, the Baader-Meinhof Gang, the precursor of the Red Army Faction, exploded a car bomb outside of Campbell Barracks which killed three of LaRocco's fellow soldiers. LaRocco was honorably discharged on June 10, 1972.<ref>[http://www.idahostatesman.com/letters/story/444427.html Military Record] Larry LaRocco, ''Idaho Statesman'', July 17, 2008</ref>

==Political career== [[File:Tim Ryan with Larry LaRocco and Sheldon D. Repp.jpg|thumb|right|LaRocco with Tim Ryan and Sheldon D. Repp in 2003]] In 1975, LaRocco took a job as northern Idaho field co-ordinator for Idaho U.S. Senator Frank Church, a position he held until Church's defeat in 1980; in 1976, he also was the co-ordinator for the Oregon primary election for Church's Presidential run.

In the 1982 elections, LaRocco was the Democratic nominee for Idaho's 1st congressional district; he lost to incumbent Larry Craig, but received 46.5 percent of the vote on his first try for public office. LaRocco also gained notice that year for taking jobs for one week in each of the district's 19 counties. He variously worked on a garbage truck, picked apples, waited on tables, worked in a nursing home and on a logging road crew, fed Coho smolt and processed cheese, among other things.

After the 1982 race, he became the vice-president of a brokerage firm in 1983. In 1986, he ran for the Idaho Legislature, losing an Idaho State Senate race in Ada County to Republican incumbent Jim Risch.

===U.S. representative=== LaRocco won Idaho's 1st congressional district seat in the United States House of Representatives in 1990 when incumbent Larry Craig ran successfully for the United States Senate. He was easily re-elected in 1992, winning every county in the district and with a 58% to 37% margin over his main opponent—a surprising margin, considering the 1st has historically been a very Republican district.

LaRocco was the only member of Congress from Idaho to vote for the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993.<ref>[https://clerk.house.gov/evs/1993/roll199.xml Final Vote Results for Roll Call 199]</ref> The vote proved to be quite unpopular in the district, and was exploited by Republicans in LaRocco's subsequent election campaigns.

LaRocco was decisively defeated in his attempt to win a third term in 1994 by Republican Helen Chenoweth, becoming one of a large number of Democrats to lose their seats in a nationwide string of Republican victories as the Republicans took control of the House for the first time in 40 years. LaRocco would be the last Democrat to represent Idaho in Congress until the election of Walt Minnick to the 1st congressional district seat in 2008.

===Lieutenant Governor campaign=== On March 18, 2006, LaRocco filed to run for Lieutenant Governor of Idaho. In the May 23 primary he won the nomination but lost to Risch in the November 7, 2006 general election.<ref name="2006election">[http://www.idsos.idaho.gov/elect/RESULTS/2006/general/tot_stwd.htm November 7, 2006 General Election Results] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416022939/http://www.idsos.idaho.gov/elect/RESULTS/2006/general/tot_stwd.htm |date=April 16, 2009 }} ''Idaho Secretary of State'', accessed January 4, 2007</ref>

===U.S. Senate campaign=== {{see also|2008 United States Senate election in Idaho}} In April 2007, LaRocco announced that he would be a candidate for the U.S. Senate. It was the third time LaRocco ran against Risch in an election, as LaRocco and Risch both decisively won their respective primaries on May 27, 2008. LaRocco's campaign invested in a grassroots network.<ref>[http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/443427.html Fundraising and campaign strategy] ''Idaho Statesman''</ref>

A key feature of the LaRocco campaign was his "Working for the Senate" program.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080813080859/http://www.laroccoforsenate.com/pages/working_for_senate.htm Working for the Senate]}} ''LaRocco for Senate website''</ref> During the campaign, LaRocco worked at thirty-five separate positions around the state of Idaho. He engaged his opponents in a series of debates around the state of Idaho. On August 18, 2008, he and Independent candidate Rex Rammell met for a one-hour debate in Coeur d'Alene.<ref>[http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/645787 LaRocco-Rammell Debate #1] ''Ustream''</ref> These two met again in Sandpoint on September 10. A third debate took place on the campus of the College of Idaho in Caldwell on September 25. LaRocco and Rammell were joined at this event by Libertarian candidate Kent Marmon and independent candidate Pro-Life (the legal name of the former Marvin Richardson).<ref>[http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/740160 Idaho Senate Debate #3], ustream.tv; accessed April 25, 2018.</ref>

A fourth debate<ref>[http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/756472 LaRocco-Rammell Debate #4] ''Ustream''</ref> was held between LaRocco and Rammell on October 1, 2008, at the University of Idaho, in Moscow.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

KLEW-TV, the CBS affiliate located in Lewiston, hosted a debate<ref>[http://www.klewtv.com/news/30669619.html Idaho Senate Debate #5] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130127042323/http://www.klewtv.com/news/30669619.html |date=January 27, 2013 }} ''KLEW-TV''</ref> on October 8 which featured Larry LaRocco, Jim Risch and Rex Rammell. This was the first time that the Republican candidate joined his opponents in a debate in 2008.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/casper-star-tribune-candidates-spar-in-l/149138615/ |title=Candidates spar in Lewiston |first=Todd |last=Dvorak |newspaper=Casper Star-Tribune |agency=Associated Press |place=Lewiston, Idaho |page=20 |date=2008-10-10 |access-date=2024-06-11 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Rammell and LaRocco met once again<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081031225429/http://www.laroccoforsenate.com/pages/videos/debate_6.htm LaRocco-Rammell Debate #6]}} ''LaRocco for Senate website''</ref> for a debate in Idaho Falls on October 13. Three days later, the two debated for the seventh time. This time the debate was held on the campus of the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-news-rammell-larocco-debate-a/149138807/ |title=Rammell, LaRocco debate at CSI; agree Risch is wrong for Idaho |newspaper=Times-News |publication-place=Twin Falls, Idaho |page=5 |date=2008-10-17 |access-date=2024-06-11 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

KTVB-TV, the NBC affiliate located in Boise sponsored a debate<ref>[http://www.ktvb.com/video/index.html?nvid=295455 Idaho Senate Debate #8] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026125111/http://www.ktvb.com/video/index.html?nvid=295455|date=October 26, 2008}} ''KTVB-TV''</ref> on October 21 between Jim Risch, Larry LaRocco, Rex Rammell and Pro-Life on the campus of Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa. This 90 minute forum was co-hosted by the ''Idaho Press-Tribune'' and the ''Idaho Business Review''. It marked only the second time that Republican Jim Risch was present for any of these debates.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

The statewide debate<ref>[http://www.idahoptv.org/asxgen.cfm?showfile=/debates/2008/general/senate_hi.wmv Idaho Senate Debate #9] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031556/http://idahoptv.org/asxgen.cfm?showfile=%2Fdebates%2F2008%2Fgeneral%2Fsenate_hi.wmv |date=March 4, 2016 }} ''KAID-TV (.wmv file)''</ref> hosted by Idaho Public Television, the League of Women Voters and the Idaho Press Club was held on October 23 in Boise. Four of the five candidates for the United States Senate were in attendance. Republican Jim Risch was not present.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-spokesman-review-senate-hopefuls-rip/149139749/ |title=Senate hopefuls rip absent Risch |first=Betsy Z. |last=Russell |newspaper=The Spokesman-Review |publication-place=Spokane, Washington |place=Boise |page=63 |date=2008-10-24 |access-date=2024-06-11 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070428233654/http://www.laroccoforsenate.com/ Larry LaRocco for U.S. Senate]}} ''official campaign website'' * {{CongLinks | congbio=L000098 | votesmart=26829 | fec=S8ID00076 | congress= }} *[http://opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?ID=IDS1&Cycle=2008 Campaign contributions] at OpenSecrets.org *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070926224613/http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Larry_LaRocco Profile] at SourceWatch * {{C-SPAN|29420}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{s-bef|before=Larry Craig}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the U.S. House of Representatives<br>from Idaho's 1st congressional district|years=1991–1995}} {{s-aft|after=Helen Chenoweth-Hage}} |- {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Bruce Perry}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Idaho|years=2006}} {{s-aft|after=Eldon Wallace}} |- {{s-bef|before=Alan Blinken}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Idaho<br>(Class 2)|years=2008}} {{s-aft|after=Nels Mitchell}} |- {{s-prec|usa}} {{s-bef|before=Rick White|as=Former U.S. Representative}} {{s-ttl|title=Order of precedence of the United States<br>''{{small|as Former U.S. Representative}}''|years=}} {{s-aft|after=Brad Carson|as=Former U.S. Representative}} {{end}}

{{IdahoUSRepresentatives}} {{USCongRep-start |congresses=103rd United States Congress |state=Idaho}} {{USCongRep/ID/103}} {{USCongRep-end}} {{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larocco, Larry}} Category:1946 births Category:20th-century United States representatives Category:American people of Italian descent Category:Candidates in the 2008 United States elections Category:Democratic Party United States representatives from Idaho Category:Living people Category:Members of the United States Congress who became lobbyists Category:Military personnel from California Category:People from McCall, Idaho Category:People from Van Nuys, Los Angeles Category:Politicians from Los Angeles Category:Stanford University alumni Category:United States Army officers Category:University of Portland alumni