Raúl Rafael Labrador (born December 8, 1967) is an American lawyer and politician who is the Attorney General-elect of Idaho. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the

Idaho Republican Party The Idaho Republican Party (IDGOP) is the Idaho state affiliate of the United States Republican Party, headquartered in Boise. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling both of Idaho's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, ...

from 2019 to 2020 and served as the

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for from 2011 to 2019. He also represented the 14B district in the

Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate se ...

from 2006 to 2010. Labrador sought his party's nomination for

governor of Idaho A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

in the 2018 election, opting not to seek another term in Congress to focus on his campaign; he lost the Republican primary to Idaho Lieutenant Governor

Brad Little Bradley Jay Little (born February 15, 1954) is an American politician serving as the 33rd governor of Idaho since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Idaho from 2009 to 2019 and as an Ida ...

. Labrador sought the nomination for

Attorney General of Idaho The Attorney General of Idaho is an elected office that assists local law enforcement agencies in the state of Idaho. They provide legal representation for state agencies, state corporations and any persons holding ownership of property, as well as ...

in the 2022 election, defeating incumbent

Lawrence Wasden Lawrence Garth Wasden is an American attorney and politician who served as the Idaho Attorney General from 2003 to 2023. First elected in 2002, he was the longest-serving attorney general in Idaho history. Wasden was re-elected four more times be ...

for the Republican nomination. Labrador defeated Democratic nominee Tom Arkoosh in the general election.

Early life and education

Born in

Carolina, Puerto Rico Carolina (; ) is a city and municipality located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. It lies immediately east of the capital San Juan and Trujillo Alto; north of Gurabo and Juncos; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread ove ...

, Labrador relocated to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, as a child and graduated from

Las Vegas High School Las Vegas High School is a public high school in Sunrise Manor, Nevada, part of the Clark County School District. It is the oldest high school in Las Vegas and originally opened in 1905 on what was then the outskirts of town. The school's first c ...

in 1985. He was raised by a single mother who struggled financially. He attended

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

, and spent two years as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

for the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

from 1987 to 1989. Labrador returned to BYU and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

in 1992 with an emphasis in Latin American literature. He was admitted to the

University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington. The 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' law school rankings place Washingt ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

and received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

in 1995.

Early career

Married in 1991, Labrador relocated to his wife's home state of Idaho and practiced law and

immigration law Immigration law refers to the national statutes, regulations Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the ...

in private practice from 1995 until his election to the

in 2006.

Idaho House of Representatives

2006

Labrador ran for and won the Republican nomination for Idaho House Seat B against two other challengers. He won the general election with 65.55% against Daniel S. Weston.

2008

He was unopposed in the May 2008 Republican primary. Labrador defeated Glida Bothwell in the general election, winning 69.1% of the vote.

Committee assignments

Labrador served on the Environment, Energy, and Technology Committee in 2007, Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee from 2007 to 2010, the State Affairs Committee from 2007 to 2010, and the Transportation and Defense Committee from 2009 to 2010.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2010

In 2010, Labrador defeated Vaughn Ward in the Republican primary 48%–39% on May 10, in what was widely considered a major upset. In the general election, Labrador defeated first-term Democratic incumbent

Walt Minnick Walter Clifford Minnick (born September 20, 1942) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is in the western part of the state, and ...

51%–41%.

2012

Labrador supported

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

for president.

2014

On August 14, 2013, Labrador decided not to challenge incumbent Idaho Governor

Butch Otter Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (born May 3, 1942) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 32nd governor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2006, and reelected in 2010, and 2014. Otter ...

in the Republican primary, instead running for reelection to Congress for a third term. On August 19, 2013, Democratic State Representative

Shirley Ringo Shirley G. Ringo (born October 29, 1940, Fort Collins, Colorado) was a Democratic Idaho State Representative since 2002 representing District 5 in the B seat since the 2012 redistrict, District 6 seat B prior to 2012. Ringo previously served i ...

decided to challenge Labrador instead of running for an eighth term in the Idaho state legislature. Labrador announced on June 13 that he would challenge Majority Whip

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Rep ...

for the leadership position; in a vote held June 19, 2014 the House selected McCarthy. Labrador won both the Republican primary (78.6%) and the general election (65%). ;2016 Labrador supported

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

in the 2016 election. He won both the Republican Primary (81%) and the general election (68.2%).

Tenure

;Immigration Labrador was a member of the "Gang of Eight," a bipartisan group of House members working on immigration reform legislation, but on June 5, 2013, he left the negotiations because he wanted language in the bill requiring that

illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwa ...

be responsible for their own health care costs. Labrador said he would use his position on the House Judiciary Committee to pass immigration reform legislation. ;Health He voted for the

American Health Care Act of 2017 The American Health Care Act of 2017 (often shortened to the AHCA or nicknamed Trumpcare) was a bill in the 115th United States Congress. The bill, which was passed by the United States House of Representatives but not by the United States S ...

, which passed the House May 4, 2017. One of the few Republican lawmakers who hosted a town hall after this vote, Labrador received national attention for stating during the meeting at Lewis-Clark State College that "Nobody dies because they don't have access to healthcare." The statement caused a huge outcry from the audience present and on social media for several days. Labrador voted in favor of the

Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (also colloquially known as Micah's Law) is a congressional bill that would, in most cases, make it unlawful to perform an abortion if the estimated post-fertilization age of a fetus is 20 weeks or mor ...

in 2017. ;Civil liberties In June 2015, Labrador introduced HR 2802, titled the "

First Amendment Defense Act The First Amendment Defense Act (often abbreviated FADA) () is a bill introduced into the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate on June 17, 2015. The Senate sponsor of the bill is Mike Lee (R-Utah), and the House sponsor i ...

" (FADA) which was said to protect those who oppose same-sex marriage based on their religious beliefs from action by the federal government. Critics, such as Ian Thompson of the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

claimed that the bill would "open the door to unprecedented taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBT people, single mothers, and unmarried couples." ;Town halls Labrador was one of the few Republicans to host a town hall after the election of

and the only member of United States congressional delegations from Idaho to host one. ;Tax reform Labrador voted in favor of the

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 The Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, , is a congressional revenue act of the United States originally introduced in Congress as the Tax Cuts and Jobs A ...

. He says the bill will "allow hard-working Idahoans to keep more of their money," including helping them "meet their expenses and make crucial investments."

Committee assignments

* Committee on Natural Resources **

Federal Lands Federal lands are lands in the United States owned by the federal government. Pursuant to the Property Clause of the United States Constitution ( Article 4, section 3, clause 2), Congress has the power to retain, buy, sell, and regulate federal l ...

** Oversight and Investigations- Chair *

Committee on the Judiciary Committee on the Judiciary may mean: * United States House Committee on the Judiciary * United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standi ...

** Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security- Vice Chair ** Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations

Caucus memberships

Liberty Caucus The House Liberty Caucus was a congressional caucus consisting of conservative, libertarian, and libertarian conservative members of the United States House of Representatives. It hosted a bimonthly luncheon in Washington, D.C. The group was fo ...

Freedom Caucus The Freedom Caucus, also known as the House Freedom Caucus, is a congressional caucus consisting of conservative Republican members of the United States House of Representatives. It is generally considered to be the most conservative and farth ...

Congressional Western Caucus The Congressional Western Caucus is a caucus within the United States House of Representatives composed of 62 members. Although it has historically been bipartisan, it is currently composed almost exclusively of Republicans (with the sole excepti ...

Political positions

Domestic issues

Health care

On April 20, 2017 Labrador said he does not believe healthcare is a

human right Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

. Labrador supports the full repeal of the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

because he believes it will raise costs and eliminate jobs. Labrador supports requiring those illegally residing in the United States to be responsible for their own health care costs.

Economic issues

Elections

Labrador has stated that he supports the repeal of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which provides for the direct election of members of the U.S. Senate by the voters in each state. Before the amendment was ratified in 1913, Senators were selected by the legislatures of their respective states. With regard to this position, Labrador has stated "I have a consistent philosophy about government and the importance of states' rights."

Tax reform

Labrador is in favor of

tax reform Tax reform is the process of changing the way taxes are collected or managed by the government and is usually undertaken to improve tax administration or to provide economic or social benefits. Tax reform can include reducing the level of taxatio ...

, specifically reform that rids of

loophole A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system. Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow verti ...

s, lowers "overall rates," and reduces government spending so the national debt does not increase.

International issues

Energy & oil

Labrador is seen by many in eastern Idaho, which is not in his congressional district, as an opponent of the

Idaho National Laboratory Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is one of the national laboratories of the United States Department of Energy and is managed by the Battelle Energy Alliance. While the laboratory does other research, historically it has been involved with nu ...

(INL).

Immigration

On the July 6, 2014, episode of ''

Meet the Press ''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television news/interview program broadcast on NBC. It is the longest-running program on American television, though the current format bears little resemblance to the debut episode on November 6, 1947. ' ...

'', Labrador stated that the Obama administration needed to "immediately deport" young

. The comment came as part of a discussion about the estimated 52,000 unaccompanied minors from Central America who had tried to cross the border since October 2013.

Social issues

Abortion

Labrador opposes

late termination of pregnancy Late termination of pregnancy, also referred to as late-term abortion, describes the termination of pregnancy by induced abortion during a late stage of gestation. In this context, ''late'' is not precisely defined, and different medical publicati ...

and believes "life begins at conception" and that "The unborn child is still a child – made in the image of God, who will one day have the same hopes and dreams as the rest of us. The fact that life begins at conception might be an uncomfortable truth for some. But it's a truth, all the same."

Family Rights

Idaho is one of the states that has faith-healing exemption. In a debate, Labrador said he would not change it.

Cannabis

Labrador has a "B" rating from

NORML The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML ) is a social welfare organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the reform of marijuana laws in the United States regarding both medical and non-medical use. Acc ...

for his voting history regarding

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

-related causes. Labrador is in favor of veterans having access to medical marijuana if recommended by their

Veterans Health Administration The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a national ...

doctor and if it is legal for medicinal purposes in their state of residence. He also supports industrial

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

farming.

Elections

2018 gubernatorial campaign

On May 9, 2017, Labrador filed to run in the 2018 Idaho gubernatorial race. Labrador did a kick off tour in the last week of May 2017 with stops in Boise, Post Falls, and Idaho Falls. Labrador was not able to run for

Idaho's 1st congressional district Idaho's 1st congressional district is one of two congressional districts in the U.S. state of Idaho. It comprises the western portion of the state. The 1st district is currently represented by Russ Fulcher, a Republican from Boise, who was first ...

and governor at the same time; leaving CD-1 an open seat for the 2018 Idaho election. In November 2017, Senator

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...

endorsed Labrador. Labrador placed second in the Republican primary after incumbent Lieutenant Governor

, winning 32.6% of the vote.

Later career

Idaho Republican Party (2019–2020)

In June 2019, Labrador announced that he would run for chairman of the

at its next State Central Committee meeting, having already received the backing and support of most IDGOP officers. On June 29, 2019, Labrador won

Chair by two votes, defeating former Superintendent of Education

Tom Luna Thomas Luna (born 1958)Superintendent of Public ...

. In June 2020, Labrador resigned from his position as party chair and joined a local law firm. He was succeeded by Luna.

Idaho attorney general

2022 election

Labrador filed as a candidate in the 2022 Idaho attorney general election on November 17, 2021. He challenged 20-year incumbent

for the Republican nomination. In the primary on May 17, Labrador won with 51.6% of the vote. Labrador defeated Democrat Tom Arkoosh in the general election on November 8, receiving 62.6% of the vote versus Arkoosh's 37.4%. He is set to take office on January 2, 2023.

Personal life

Labrador lives in

Eagle, Idaho Eagle is a city in Ada County, Idaho, 10 miles northwest of Boise. The population was 30,346 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water ...

, with his wife, Rebecca, and their five children. He is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

References

External links

* * * , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Labrador, Raul 1967 births 2020 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians American Mormon missionaries in Chile American politicians of Puerto Rican descent Brigham Young University alumni Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress Idaho Attorneys General Las Vegas High School alumni Latter Day Saints from Idaho Latter Day Saints from Nevada Living people Republican Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives People from Carolina, Puerto Rico People from Eagle, Idaho Puerto Rican Latter Day Saints Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Idaho State political party chairs of Idaho University of Washington School of Law alumni

Early life and education

Early career

Idaho House of Representatives

2006

2008

Committee assignments

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2010

2012

2014

Tenure

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions

Domestic issues

Health care

Economic issues

Elections

Tax reform

International issues

Energy & oil

Immigration

Social issues

Abortion

Family Rights

Cannabis

Elections

2018 gubernatorial campaign

Later career

Idaho Republican Party (2019–2020)

Idaho attorney general

2022 election

Personal life

See also

References

External links