{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://labrador.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=919", "New Spokesman Joins Labrador Staff", "2014-07-29", "2014", "2014-07", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Ra\u00fal Labrador", "L000573", "labrador.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tFOR MORE INFORMATION:\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tTuesday | July 29, 2014\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tMike Cunnington - 202.225.6611\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tDoug Taylor - 208.888.3188\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tNEW SPOKESMAN JOINS LABRADOR STAFF\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tMERIDIAN \u2013 Congressman Ra\u00fal Labrador, R-Idaho, is pleased to announce that longtime Idaho Statesman political reporter Dan Popkey will become his new press secretary. \u00a0Dan\u00a0will be based in the Congressman\u2019s Meridian office and will coordinate communications in Idaho and Washington, D.C.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cI\u2019m very excited to have Dan on board as my new press secretary,\u201d said Congressman Labrador. \u201cHe brings a wealth of experience and considerable knowledge of Idaho political history that will be a tremendous asset to me and my staff throughout the First Congressional District. \u00a0I\u2019ve learned that one has to have an exceptional communications strategy to effectively represent Idaho in Congress. I know that Dan will help me better communicate my message to constituents and the media.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tPopkey began reporting on the congressional delegation and state government in 1987, and has covered 26 sessions of the Legislature.\r\n\r\n\tPopkey started covering Congressman Labrador after his election to the Idaho House in 2006 and has continued to follow him since he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve come to deeply respect Congressman Labrador\u2019s independence, integrity and fierce commitment to setting our nation\u2019s fiscal house in order,\u201d Popkey said. \u201cIt\u2019s bittersweet to leave journalism, my first love, but I\u2019m thrilled with the opportunity to apply what I\u2019ve learned to help advance our state\u2019s priorities in Washington.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tPopkey, 55, worked for three years as a reporter in California. In 1984, he joined the Statesman. \u201cI\u2019ve been privileged to work with people of great talent, character and devotion and I wish them the best,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\n\tHe has a bachelor\u2019s in political science from Santa Clara University (1980) and masters in journalism from Columbia University (1981). He was an American Political Science Association congressional fellow (1988-89) and University of Michigan journalism fellow (1997-98).\r\n\r\n\tBorn in Tucson, Ariz., Popkey attended public schools in Cupertino, Calif. His senior year of high school, 1975-76, he was a page in the U.S. House.\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t####", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://labrador.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=919"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0685469023883343, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}