Notable Idaho races, 2016

Notable Idaho races
Primary	May 17, 2016
General	November 8, 2016

2016 Notable Races
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Ballotpedia identified nine notable Idaho state legislative races in 2016. Two state House incumbents lost their primary races.

HIGHLIGHTS

Of the nine races, four featured conservatives challenging Republican incumbents.

Two legislative races were candidate rematches.

Five Republicans faced each other in District 11A for an open seat.

Overview

State legislature remained Republican

Main articles: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2016 and Idaho State Senate elections, 2016

Republicans held commanding majorities in the state House and state Senate.

Partisan breakdown of the Idaho Legislature
Party	Republicans	Democrats
Idaho House	56 seats	14 seats
Idaho Senate	28 seats	7 seats

What makes a race notable?

Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable races:

• Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
• Rematches between candidates
• Races that receive considerable media attention
• Races that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
• Competitive races involving party leaders
• Open, competitive races with Republican and Democratic primaries
• Races that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements

Know of an interesting race we should include here? Email us!

Notable primary elections

State Senate District 9

The primary contest featured two conservative Republicans.

Incumbent state Sen. Abby Lee (R) ran for re-election. She defeated Viki Purdy (R) in the Republican primary contest. Lee faced Carol Bogue (D) in November.

Both Republican candidates emphasized their conservative stances on public policy issues. Lee's campaign website highlighted issues such as local control of public education, states' rights, support for the Second Amendment, and opposition to tax increases. Purdy's campaign website highlighted issues such as opposition to Common Core and Medicaid expansion, support for the Second Amendment, and support for free market-driven healthcare policies.

The Republican candidates received the following key endorsements:

Key endorsements
Purdy	Lee
Former state Sen. Monty Pearce (R)	Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden (R)
Former state Sen. Russ Fulcher (R)	Payette County Sheriff Chad Huff
	Payette, Idaho Mayor Jeff Williams

State Senate District 22

The Republican primary contest featured a rematch between two conservative Republicans.

Incumbent state Sen. Lori Den Hartog (R) ran for re-election. She defeated Charles Pratt Porter (R) and Ernie Terrell (R) in the Republican primary contest. No Democrats filed to run. Den Hartog was unopposed in the 2016 general election.

The race was a rematch between Porter and Den Hartog, who won the 2014 Republican primary contest by a margin of 53 to 46.

Den Hartog and Porter emphasized their conservative policy stances. Den Hartog's campaign website highlighted her support for local control of public education and the Second Amendment, as well as her opposition to abortion and Obamacare. Porter's campaign website highlighted his support of the Second Amendment and the transfer of federal land to state control, as well as opposition to same-sex marriage and Common Core.

The two candidates received the following key endorsements:

Key endorsements
Den Hartog	Porter
State Sen. Cliff Bayer (R)	Karen Calisterio - Chairman of Republican Liberty Caucus of Idaho
Former state Sen. Russ Fulcher (R)
Idaho Chooses Life

State House District 8B

A Republican incumbent faced a more conservative challenger.

Incumbent state Rep. Merrill Beyeler (R) ran for re-election and was by defeated Dorothy Moon (R) in the Republican primary contest. Moon faced Ammon Emanuel Prolife, the Constitution Party candidate, in November.

Moon challenged Beyeler on his conservative credentials, casting herself as the conservative alternative. Moon referenced Beyeler's 32 percent score on the Idaho Freedom Index (2013) in 2015, citing his votes "to hike taxes" and "to preserve public pension perks for state legislators," among other votes. "District 8 needs a real conservative," Moon's website stated.

Moon's campaign website highlighted her conservative stances on other policy issues, including her opposition to Common Core and Obamacare and support for school choice and the transfer of federal land to state control.

Beyler's campaign website highlighted his support for "the conservative values of Idaho," "business-friendly policies," and the "sanctity of life."

Moon received the following key endorsements. As of May 5, 2016, Beyeler's website did not list any endorsements:

Key endorsements
Moon	Beyeler
Former state Sen. Russ Fulcher (R)
Former state Rep. Elizabeth Allan Hodge (R)
Former state Rep. JoAn Wood (R)
Boise County Republican Central Committee
Republican Liberty Caucus of Idaho PAC
Idaho Farm Bureau Federation
Gun Owners of America
Lemhi County Tea Party

State House District 11A

Five Republicans competed for the open seat left by the Republican incumbent.

Incumbent state Rep. Gayle Batt (R) declined to run for re-election. Five Republican candidates competed for the GOP nomination: Myron Amsden (R), Marty Galvin (R), Tammy Nichols (R), Mike Pullin (R), and Scott Syme (R). Syme won the Republican nomination and faced Edward Savala (D) in November.

At a May 2016 candidate forum attended by four of the Republican candidates, the candidates discussed several policy issues, including healthcare and federal land policy. Syme, Pullin, Galvin, and Nichols said that they opposed Medicaid expansion in the state but agreed that some policy was needed to address Idaho's uninsured population.

The candidates were also asked about the transfer of federal land to state control and how state management of land could be funded. Syme said that the state should first consider the costs of managing the land and suggested expanding grazing permits to pay for land management. Pullin and Galvin said that they supported state control of federal land but over a graduated period of time. Nichols said that he supported state control of the land for the purposes of recreation and logging.

State House District 24B

A Republican incumbent faced a conservative challenger.

Incumbent state Rep. Stephen Hartgen (R) ran for re-election. He defeated Mary C. Bello (R) in the Republican primary contest. Catherine Talkington (D), who challenged Hartgen in 2014, was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Hartgen and Talkington faced off in the 2016 general election.

Bello is a Tea Party organizer who supported Rex Rammell (R) in his campaign against Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R) in the 2010 Republican primary race. Bello stated her support for lower taxes and less government spending. "I'm very conservative. ... I believe that the free market is almost always the answer to almost every single one of our problems," Bello told The Times-News.

State House District 25A

A Republican incumbent faced a conservative challenger.

Incumbent state Rep. Maxine Bell (R) ran for re-election. She defeated Reggy A. Sternes (R) in the Republican primary contest. No Democrats filed to run. Bell was unopposed in the 2016 general election.

Sternes said he decided to challenge Bell because of her low score on the Idaho Freedom Index, a measure of legislative voting records from the conservative Idaho Freedom Foundation, which gave Bell a -56 score on its 2015 index (a higher score indicates a more conservative voting record). "We need a representative that believes in free markets, less regulations, and less taxes. We need to return to our county’s founding principles, that government’s role is to preserve liberty not to rule over us with more laws, more taxes, and less freedom," Sternes told The Times-News.

State House District 34A

A Republican incumbent faced a more moderate challenger.

Incumbent state Rep. Ronald M. Nate (R) ran for re-election. He defeated Doug Ricks (R) in the Republican primary contest. No Democrats filed to run. Nate was unopposed in the 2016 general election.

At an April 2016 candidate forum, Nate and Ricks discussed their conservatism. Ricks, who described himself as a "common-sense conservative," said, "I don't subscribe to far right principles. I think it's important for us as Republicans that we have the ability to work together and to promote our conservative values." Ricks also said that Nate's conservative views hindered his ability to get legislation passed. Nate responded that the term common sense conservative meant "sacrificing my principles." Nate also cited his role in getting an anti-abortion bill passed in the state House as a victory for conservative principles. "You don’t have to go along to get along. You have to have principles," Nate said.

State House District 35B

A Republican incumbent faced a rematch against a conservative challenger.

Incumbent state Rep. Paul Romrell (R) ran for re-election but was defeated by Karey Hanks (R) in the Republican primary contest. Romrell defeated Hanks in the four-way 2014 primary contest where he garnered 50 percent of the vote. Hanks was unopposed in the 2016 general election.

Taxes and Obamacare were major issues in the District 35B race. Hanks' campaign website highlighted her conservative views on policy issues, including taxes. Hanks signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a campaign spearheaded by Americans for Tax Reform, a conservative group that opposes all tax increases. Hanks' website also highlighted her opposition to Obamacare and Medicaid expansion in the state. "I will oppose any further government expansion into the area of health care," her website stated.

Romrell said that he supports Medicaid expansion to reduce Idaho's uninsured population—a group commonly known nationwide as the "gap population." In February 2016, Romrell voted against a tax cut in the state House. "I am dedicated to that gap population. ... I would have hated to have voted for a tax cut and come home, and had that gap population out there in trouble." As a member of the state House Health and Welfare Committee, Romrell also pledged that he would vote against all legislation before the committee in the 2017 legislative session until the committee is allowed an up-or-down vote on Medicaid expansion.

Romrell was also criticized by the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance (ISAA), a gun rights group, saying he would support banning certain semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines in an ISAA survey. "Banning such items would be a clear violation of the Second Amendment," said the group's president, Greg Pruett. Hanks answered that she would oppose such bans. Romrell also voted in favor of a bill allowing concealed carry without a state permit, which was signed by Gov. Butch Otter (R).

Freshman legislators

The following is a list of challengers who won election on November 8.

1. Bryan N. Zollinger (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 33B
2. Carl G. Crabtree (Republican), .Idaho State Senate, District 7
3. Christy Zito (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 23A
4. Dan Foreman (Republican), .Idaho State Senate, District 5
5. Dorothy Moon (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 8B
6. Dustin W. Manwaring (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 29A
7. Gayann DeMordaunt (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 14B
8. Jeff C. Agenbroad (Republican), .Idaho State Senate, District 13
9. Karey Hanks (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 35B
10. Mark Nye (Democratic), .Idaho State Senate, District 29
11. Megan C. Blanksma (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 23B
12. Mike Kingsley (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 6B
13. Paul Amador (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 4B
14. Priscilla Giddings (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 7A
15. Randy Armstrong (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 28A
16. Sally Toone (Democratic), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 26B
17. Scott Syme (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 11A
18. Thyra Stevenson (Republican), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 6A

Defeated incumbents

The following is a list of incumbents who were defeated on November 8.

1. Dan Schmidt (Democratic), .Idaho State Senate, District 5
2. John Rusche (Democratic), .Idaho House of Representatives, District 6B

See also

• Idaho House of Representatives
• Idaho State Senate
• Idaho State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2016

External links

• Idaho Secretary of State - Primary candidate list
• Idaho Secretary of State - Third party general election candidates