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Mayoral election in Boise, Idaho (2019)

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2019 Boise elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: September 6, 2019
General election: November 5, 2019
Runoff election: December 3, 2019
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor and city council seats 1, 3, and 5
Total seats up: 4 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2019

The city of Boise, Idaho, held a general election for mayor on November 5, 2019. The filing deadline for this election was September 6, 2019.[1] After no candidate won a majority of votes in the general election, a runoff election was held on December 3, 2019.[2]

Lauren McLean and incumbent David Bieter advanced from the general election for Mayor of Boise.

Elections

Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.

Candidates and results

General runoff election

General runoff election for Mayor of Boise

Lauren McLean defeated incumbent David Bieter in the general runoff election for Mayor of Boise on December 3, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Lauren McLean
Lauren McLean (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
65.5
 
30,306
Image of David Bieter
David Bieter (Nonpartisan)
 
34.5
 
15,998

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 46,304
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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General election

General election for Mayor of Boise

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Boise on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Lauren McLean
Lauren McLean (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
45.7
 
23,669
✔
Image of David Bieter
David Bieter (Nonpartisan)
 
30.3
 
15,711
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Rebecca Arnold (Nonpartisan)
 
13.2
 
6,863
Image of Brent Coles
Brent Coles (Nonpartisan)
 
7.3
 
3,804
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Wayne Richey (Nonpartisan)
 
1.6
 
847
Image of Adriel J. Martinez
Adriel J. Martinez (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
1.1
 
588
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Cortney Nielsen (Nonpartisan)
 
0.7
 
360

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 51,842
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.

David Bieter

  • Boise Central Trades and Labor Council[3]
  • International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 486[4]
  • International Association of Firefighters Local 149[5]


Rebecca Arnold

  • Boise Regional Realtors[6]


Lauren McLean

  • Conservation Voters for Idaho[7]
  • Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii[8]

Past elections

2015

See also: Boise, Idaho municipal elections, 2015

The city of Boise, Idaho, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was September 4, 2015.[9]

In the mayoral race, incumbent David Bieter defeated Seth M. Holden and Judy M. Peavey-Derr in the general election on November 3, 2015. Myron L. Gilbert originally filed for the race but withdrew in September 2015.[10][11][12]

Mayor of Boise, General election, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png David Bieter Incumbent 68.8% 22,722
Judy M. Peavey-Derr 26.4% 8,716
Seth M. Holden 4.5% 1,489
Write-in votes 0.27% 90
Total Votes 33,017
Source: Ada County, Idaho, "General Election Results," accessed November 3, 2015

2011

In 2011, Bieter defeated David B. Hall in the Boise mayoral election.

Mayor of Boise, 2011
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Bieter Incumbent 74.3% 12,640
David B. Hall 25.7% 4,377
Total Votes 17,017

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Idaho elections, 2019

What's on your ballot?
Click here to find out using My Vote

Mayoral partisanship

Once mayors elected in 2019 assumed office, the mayors of 65 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party. Out of the 31 mayoral elections that were held in 2019 in the 100 largest cities, five partisan changes occurred. Democrats gained three mayorships: two previously held by Republicans and one previously held by an independent. Republicans won one office held by an unaffiliated mayor, and one office where the incumbent's partisan affiliation was unknown.

In the elections in Phoenix, Arizona and Wichita, Kansas, Democrats won seats with Republican incumbents. In Wichita, Democrat Brandon Whipple defeated Republican incumbent Jeff Longwell. In Raleigh, North Carolina, a Democrat won a seat previously held by an independent. In Aurora, Colorado, a Republican succeeded an unaffiliated mayor. In Garland, Texas, a Republican succeeded a mayor with unknown party affiliation. Incumbents did not seek re-election in Phoenix, Raleigh, Aurora, or Garland.

Click here to learn more.

What was at stake?

Report a story for this election

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Candidate survey

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Click here to fill out the survey.

Candidate Connection

Adriel J. Martinez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Martinez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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I am a military veteran and college graduate. I graduated from Nampa High School in 2009 and left for Basic Training immediately afterwards. I deployed to Afghanistan twice while on active duty, one in 2009 and 2011. I got out of the Army in 2013 and immediately started up at Boise State University. I volunteered on multiple local political campaigns while attending BSU. I also had a paid internship with NationBuilder one summer at Boise State. I ran for Boise City Council in 2015 and lost to the incumbent. I graduated from Boise State in 2016 with a degree in Political Science. I currently work at Fedex Express.
  • Affordable Housing.
  • Infrastructure/Transportation.
  • Local economy.
I care about making housing affordable for both renters and those looking to buy their own home. I also want to make our local transportation system better so that everyone in Boise can get around town. Wages are low in my city and I want to stimulate the increase of wages and better paying jobs. My city needs to address the exponential growth that we are seeing by instituting smart growth policy. I will also be capping property tax increases to 1% for my whole first term.
I look up to Bernie Sanders because he is a genuine politician who is trying to make a difference in this country. I would like to follow Teddy Roosevelt's example. "speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." He was a true bipartisan who cared about the people.
The Republic by Plato along with Leviathan by Hobbes.
Honesty, integrity, and selfless service.
Honesty, integrity, and personal courage. I am very humble.
They need to tend to their flock, the people. Transparency is also very important to whoever is elected to this office.
I want people to remember me for ending city corruption, the housing crisis, our transportation woes, and for making Boise the best city in America.
The impeachment of Bill Clinton, I was 8 years old.
I worked at a company called Shopko as a cashier, truck team, and electronics employee. I was there for one year before leaving for the Army.
The Harry Potter series. These books got me through some rough times in my life, when I was in foster-care.
Judge Dredd.
Flight(Man of Steel) by Hanz Zimmer, because this is my campaign theme song and motivational piece of music.
Getting into the political scene. I started strong at 17 by working with several local campaigns, but then left for the Army and lost all of my political status. I have been clawing back ever since getting out of the Army in 2013. I am not affiliated with the downtown political oligarchy and political machine so I have always been a outsider looking in. I will never bow to anyone or be a peon to our local politicians so my path to power will be much harder. I must never give up with this struggle or Boise will never change.
The mayor must lead by example and care for their people. This means being a public face who expresses their policy concerns and listens to the constituents. A mayor must make tough decisions based off of public opinion and their instinct.
Public Transit, Taxes, and housing.
It should be a symbiotic relationship where there is a understanding of separation of powers.
Our love for the outdoors and recreation.
Our exponential population growth.
Our state government needs to give my city more autonomy.
This relationship involved the use of federal funds to help certain aspects of our city so we must follow federal rules and regulations.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Candidate Connection

Lauren McLean completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McLean's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Though it may not be my hometown, Boise is the home of my heart. Over 20 years ago, my husband Scott and I set out West looking to start our lives. I'll never forget my first look at the Foothills from the airplane window: the hills were bathed with golden winter afternoon light and purple shadows. It was love at first sight: here in Boise we found good jobs, bought a home, raised two kids, and got to work serving this community. Anything felt possible.

But I'm worried about our Boise. Like so many here, I'm worried that future generations won't have any chance to build a life in Boise. We aren't the city we were 16 years ago and the challenges have changed. My priorities will be to address affordable homes for people, build a regional vision for transit to reduce traffic and congestion, and to increase transparency and accountability at City Hall.

I'm committed to providing a new style of leadership with an eye towards the future, not mired in the baggage of the past. Our brightest days can still be ahead, but we must be bold about keeping our city truly livable.


  • I will keep our neighborhoods people-scaled and people-friendly, knowing that strong neighborhoods need housing at every price point. As Mayor, I will introduce a slate of bold new measures to get at the root of our crisis.
  • I will deliver an actionable Plan for Regional Transit within my first term, relentlessly strengthening and resetting key relationships in our valley, and recognizing that our quality of life and air depends on it.
  • As Mayor, my agenda would center on a city for people, built together. In a city for everyone, it shouldn't matter who you are or what part of town you live in to be safe, feel at home, and make a prosperous life.
Conservation is a core value and has been a central theme throughout my career.

In 2001, I helped lead the historic Boise Foothills Open Space Campaign, successfully protecting the Boise Foothills for future generations. This experience tied me deeply to our community, was an incredible honor, and shaped my beliefs about the power of organizing passionate people, helping them impact the communities and places they care about.

As Boise City Council President, I sponsored the Clean Energy Plan and advocated to accelerate our citywide goal of 100% clean energy to 2035 and, as Mayor, I will beat that goal.

I will continue the work of protecting and keeping the water of our treasured Boise River clean, from its headwaters to the heart of our city and beyond. I will recognize that healthy, clear air for all Boiseans is only possible through reduced car emissions, and will keep better transit at the top of my priorities. And I will prioritize open spaces, parks, and gathering places, especially for our neighborhoods who need them the most. We need to be protecting our open spaces and farmlands as quickly as we are developing.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

About the city

See also: Boise, Idaho

Boise is a city in Ada County, Idaho. As of 2010, its population was 205,671.

City government

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of Boise uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[13]

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic Data for Boise, Idaho
Boise Idaho
Population 205,671 1,567,582
Land area (sq mi) 83 82,644
Race and ethnicity**
White 89.3% 90%
Black/African American 1.9% 0.7%
Asian 2.8% 1.4%
Native American 0.5% 1.3%
Pacific Islander 0.2% 0.2%
Other (single race) 1.9% 3.5%
Multiple 3.4% 2.9%
Hispanic/Latino 9% 12.5%
Education
High school graduation rate 95.1% 90.8%
College graduation rate 41.6% 27.6%
Income
Median household income $60,035 $55,785
Persons below poverty level 13.7% 13.1%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**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.


State profile

See also: Idaho and Idaho elections, 2019
USA Idaho location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

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

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

Idaho Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas  •  Thirty one 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 23 24 25
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 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 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 R R R

Idaho quick stats
  • Became a state in 1890
  • 43rd state admitted to the United States
  • Idaho's state seal is the only one in the country designed by a woman.
  • Members of the Idaho State Senate: 35
  • Members of the Idaho House of Representatives: 70
  • U.S. senators: 2
  • U.S. representatives: 2
More Idaho coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Idaho
 IdahoU.S.
Total population:1,652,828316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):82,6433,531,905
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.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

No counties in Idaho are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Idaho with 59.3 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 27.5 percent. Independent candidate Evan McMullin received 6.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Idaho voted Republican 70 percent of the time and Democratic 30 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Idaho voted Republican all five times.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Idaho. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[14][15]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 4 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 13.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 4 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 17 points.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 31 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 38.6 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 31 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 39 points. Trump won three seats controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

See also

Boise, Idaho Idaho Municipal government Other local coverage
Boise Idaho City Seal.PNG
Seal of Idaho.png
Municipal Government Final.png
Local Politics Image.jpg

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Boise City Elections, "Information For Voters," accessed September 9, 2019
  2. ↑ Idaho Statesman, "Mayor David Bieter, Lauren McLean to face off in first Boise mayoral runoff," November 5, 2019
  3. ↑ David Bieter 2019 campaign website, "Boise Central Trades and Labor Council," accessed October 21, 2019
  4. ↑ David Bieter 2019 campaign website, "International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 486," accessed October 21, 2019
  5. ↑ David Bieter 2019 campaign website, "International Association of Firefighters Local 149," accessed October 21, 2019
  6. ↑ Boise Regional Realtors, "REALTORS® Endorse Local Candidates," October 3, 2019
  7. ↑ Conservation Voters for Idaho, "Conservation Voters for Idaho 2019 Endorsements," accessed October 21, 2019
  8. ↑ Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, "Planned Parenthood Endorses Lauren McLean For Boise Mayor," September 18, 2019
  9. ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed May 19, 2015
  10. ↑ City of Boise, "Official candidate list," accessed September 8, 2015
  11. ↑ Idaho Statesman, "Myron Gilbert, Paul Fortin pull out of races for Boise mayor, City Council," September 21, 2015
  12. ↑ Ada County, Idaho, "General Election Results," accessed November 3, 2015
  13. ↑ City of Boise, "City Government," accessed October 28, 2014
  14. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  15. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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