Phil McGrane defeated Dorothy Moon and Mary Souza in the May 17 Republican Party primary for Idaho Secretary of State. Incumbent Lawerence Denney (R), who was first elected in 2014, did not file for re-election.

At the time of the primary, McGrane was the Ada County Clerk, a position to which he was first elected in 2018. On his campaign website, McGrane said, "It is now more important than ever to protect Idaho’s elections from the influence of D.C. and beyond. Since 2005, I have been involved with almost every aspect of Idaho elections; from counting ballots to training counties. I know our election system from the inside out and will bring my experience as your next Republican Secretary of State."^[1]

At the time of the primary, Moon had represented District 8B in the Idaho House of Representatives since 2016. In an interview with Idaho Dispatch, Moon said she was running for secretary of state because "I knew that if we do not have fair elections in this state, we're done—the entire country is done. We'll lose our republic. To me this is the biggest issue we're dealing with as Idaho, and as the country.^[2] On her campaign website, Moon said: "I believe my legislative work, education career, business acumen and life experiences have uniquely qualified me to serve Idaho as your next Secretary of State. And no one can question my commitment to conservative principles."^[3] She listed her issues as election integrity, business services, and endowment lands.^[3]

Souza was, at the time of the primary, a member of the Idaho State Senate since 2014, representing District 4. She said: "In the wake of last year’s tumultuous election, it’s clear that to preserve voters’ faith and trust in our democratic process, we must safeguard election integrity. That goal will be my lodestar as Idaho’s Secretary of State.”^[4] On her campaign website, she listed three issues: Securing our Elections, Serving Future Generations, and Supporting our Economy.^[5]

The Idaho Secretary of State is responsible for running the state's elections, licensing businesses, trademarks, notaries and other professions and various other duties involving the maintenance and publication of official documents. Republicans have held Idaho's secretary of state office since 1967.

This page focuses on Idaho's Republican Party Secretary of State primary. For more in-depth information on Idaho's Democratic Secretary of State primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Republican primary for Idaho Secretary of State

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Phil McGrane	43.1	114,355
	Dorothy Moon	41.4	109,959
	Mary Souza	15.5	41,209

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 265,523
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Chad Houck (R)

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Phil McGrane

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I have made a career of running fair and secure elections in Idaho. Since 2005, I have been involved at almost every level of running elections, from training poll workers and counting ballots, to administering entire elections and being a candidate on the ballot. I currently serve as the elected Clerk in Ada County. In 2018, I helped to establish the first-ever Idaho Elections Conference. In addition to my Idaho elections experience, I served as a law clerk to the United States Election Assistance Commission in Washington, D.C. I have a Bachelor's degree from the University of Washington, a Master's degree in public administration from Boise State, a law degree from the University of Denver, and I'm a member of the Idaho Bar."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Protect Our Elections: Idaho depends upon officials who are committeed to the accuracy, security, and transparency of our elections. Since 2005, I've been involved with almost every aspect of Idaho elections; from counting ballots to training counties. I know our election system from the inside out and will bring my expereince as the next Republican Secretary of State.

Protect Our Lands: In Idaho, our land is one of our greatest treasures. As a member of the Idaho Land Board, I'll work to protect our lands and invest in our children's education by working with the ranchers, loggers, miners, sportsmen, and recreationalists to maximize our state-owned land now and for future generations to come.

Protect Our Values: As a 4th generation Idahoan, I was raised with the conservative values that have drawn so many to this great state. Self-sufficiency, fiscal responsibility, and the value of a hard day's work are all values he gained while being raised in Idaho and ones he hopes to pass down to his own kids. As Secretary of State, I'll fight to protect our conservative way of life so that future generations may be blessed as we have been.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Idaho Secretary of State in 2022.

Dorothy Moon

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Idaho House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2016)

Biography: Moon graduated from Missouri State University with a bachelore's degree in secondary education and a master's in resource planning. Her professional experience includes teaching environmental law at Drury College, geology and science methods at Missouri State University, and special education classes in the Challis School District. In 1994 Moon and her husband founded Moon and Associates, Inc., a land surveying and engineering company.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Moon said she believes "Everything from voter identification to purging voter data bases of inactive voters is on the table of concerns that must be addressed. We must restore faith in our election systems so Idahoans can enjoy the blessings of our precious Republic."

Moon said she believes serving "Idaho’s business community is key to maintaining a strong community" and that because she has lead an Idaho corporation, she is "very familiar with filing requirements for Idaho small businesses."

Moon said, "State involvement in the management of Idaho’s federal lands could benefit schools and county services through the Good Neighbor Authority. All effort should be made to maintain resilient forests on all lands within the state, protect Idaho’s water and provide abundant habitats for our diverse wildlife communities."

Show sources

Sources: Dorothy Moon 2022 campaign website, "Home page," accessed April 3, 2022; Idaho Legislature, "Rep. Dorothy Moon," accessed April 3, 2022; Dorothy Moon 2022 campaign website, "Home page," accessed April 3, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Idaho Secretary of State in 2022.

Mary Souza

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Idaho State Senate (Assumed office: 2014)

Biography: Souza earned a bachelore's degree in nursing from Pacific Lutheran University and a master's in health education from Whitworth University. Her professional experience includes working as a critical care nurse and clinical nursing instructor. She also worked as the general manager for a small business her husband started.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Souza said she "will provide clear communication and pro-active leadership for all 44 county election offices to make sure your vote is protected and guarantee our elections are safe and secure" and "prevent Big Tech money from trying to influence our elections."

Souza said she believes "access to career technical education, charter schools and education choice are key opportunities our children deserve. She will also work to ensure our children’s mental health is prioritized and accessible for those who need it most."

Souza said that as a small business owner, "sees first-hand how red tape makes it more difficult to do business. She will use her experience on the Senate Commerce and Human Relations Committee which prioritizes reducing regulations to help create more jobs and strengthen our economy."

Show sources

Sources: Mary Souza 2022 campaign website, "Issues," accessed April 3, 2022; Idaho Legislature, "Sen. Mary Souza," accessed April 3, 2022; Mary Souza 2022 campaign website, "About," accessed April 3, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Idaho Secretary of State in 2022.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Phil McGrane

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Phil McGrane while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Dorothy Moon

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Dorothy Moon while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Mary Souza

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Mary Souza while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Mary Souza

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Election spending

Campaign finance

Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Idaho Secretary of State. Click here to access those reports.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.^[6]^[7]^[8]

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

Election context

Idaho Secretary of State election history

2018

See also: Idaho Secretary of State election, 2018

General election

General election for Idaho Secretary of State

Incumbent Lawerence Denney defeated Jill Humble in the general election for Idaho Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lawerence Denney (R)	62.5	370,654
	Submit photo	Jill Humble (D)	37.5	222,073

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 592,727
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho Secretary of State

Jill Humble defeated Joseph Chastain in the Democratic primary for Idaho Secretary of State on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jill Humble	74.8	42,611
	Submit photo	Joseph Chastain	25.2	14,361

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 56,972
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho Secretary of State

Incumbent Lawerence Denney advanced from the Republican primary for Idaho Secretary of State on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lawerence Denney	100.0	157,014

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 157,014
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2014

See also: Idaho secretary of state election, 2014

Secretary of State of Idaho, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Lawerence Denney	56.2%	241,851
	Democratic	Holli High Woodings	43.8%	188,353
Total Votes				430,204
Election results via Idaho Secretary of State

State profile

Demographic data for Idaho
	Idaho	U.S.
Total population:	1,652,828	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	82,643	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	91.7%	73.6%
Black/African American:	0.6%	12.6%
Asian:	1.3%	5.1%
Native American:	1.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.6%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	11.8%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	89.5%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	25.9%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$47,583	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	16.9%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Idaho. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Idaho

Idaho voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

More Idaho coverage on Ballotpedia

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

	2026 → ← 2018
Idaho Secretary of State
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election;
Election details
	Filing deadline: March 11, 2022
	Primary: May 17, 2022; General: November 8, 2022; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Lawerence Denney (Republican)
How to vote
	Poll times: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Voting in Idaho
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2022; Impact of term limits in 2022; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Idaho; executive elections
	Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Secretary of State; Treasurer; Controller; Superintendent of Public Instruction

See also: Presidential voting trends in Idaho and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Idaho, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Idaho's 1st	Russ Fulcher	Republican	R+22
Idaho's 2nd	Mike Simpson	Republican	R+14

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Idaho^[9]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Idaho's 1st	29.5%	67.7%
Idaho's 2nd	36.9%	59.8%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 95.9% of Idahoans lived in one of the state's 41 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 3.5% lived in the state's two Solid Democratic counties: Blaine and Latah. Overall, Idaho was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Idaho following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Idaho county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Republican	41	95.9%
Solid Democratic	2	3.5%
New Democratic	1	0.6%
Total voted Democratic	3	4.1%
Total voted Republican	41	95.9%

Historical voting trends

Idaho presidential election results (1900-2020)

9 Democratic wins
22 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	D	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Idaho

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Idaho.

U.S. Senate election results in Idaho
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	62.6%	33.3%
2016	66.1%	27.8%
2014	65.3%	34.7%
2010	71.1%	25.0%
2008	57.7%	34.1%
Average	64.6	31.0

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Idaho

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Idaho.

Gubernatorial election results in Idaho
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	59.8%	38.2%
2014	53.5%	38.6%
2010	59.1%	32.9%
2006	52.7%	44.1%
2002	56.3%	41.7%
Average	56.3	39.1

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Idaho's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Idaho, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	0	0
Republican	2	2	4
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	2	4

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Idaho's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Idaho, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Brad Little
Lieutenant Governor	Janice McGeachin
Secretary of State	Lawerence Denney
Attorney General	Lawrence Wasden

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Idaho State Legislature as of November 2022.

Idaho State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	7
	Republican Party	28
	Vacancies	0
Total		35

Idaho House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	12
	Republican Party	58
	Vacancies	0
Total		70

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Idaho was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Idaho Party Control: 1992-2022
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-eight years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Governor	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Idaho and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Idaho
	Idaho	United States
Population	1,839,106	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	82,644	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	88.4%	70.4%
Black/African American	0.7%	12.6%
Asian	1.4%	5.6%
Native American	1.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.2%	0.2%
Other (single race)	3.8%	5.1%
Multiple	4.3%	5.2%
Hispanic/Latino	12.7%	18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate	91.3%	88.5%
College graduation rate	28.7%	32.9%
Income
Median household income	$58,915	$64,994
Persons below poverty level	11.9%	12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

[1] Phil McGrane 2022 campaign website, "Main page," accessed April 3, 2022

[2] Idaho Dispatch, "Watch: Exclusive Interview with Rep. Dorothy Moon, Republican Candidate for Secretary of State," January 20, 2022

[mooncampaign-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Dorothy Moon 2022 campaign website, "Main page," accessed April 3, 2022

[4] Coeur d'Alene Press, "Souza leaving Senate, running for Secretary of State," March 31, 2021

[5] Mary Souza 2022 campaign website, "Issues," accessed April 3, 2022

[definition-6] OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021

[stats-7] OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021

[8] National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021

[9] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

Idaho	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis

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Idaho Secretary of State election, 2022 (May 17 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho Secretary of State

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

Campaign advertisements

Phil McGrane

Dorothy Moon

Mary Souza

Endorsements

Election competitiveness

Polls

Election spending

Campaign finance

Satellite spending

Election context

Idaho Secretary of State election history

2018

General election

General election for Idaho Secretary of State

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho Secretary of State

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho Secretary of State

2014

State profile

Presidential voting pattern

Election analysis

Presidential elections

Cook PVI by congressional district

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2012-2020

Historical voting trends

Statewide elections

U.S. Senate elections

Gubernatorial elections

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

State executive

State legislature

Idaho State Senate

Idaho House of Representatives

Trifecta control

Demographics

2022 battleground elections

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

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2024 Election analysis

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