Idaho
2024 Idaho Primary Election Results
. Please note that these results do not become official until they are certified on June 5, 2024.
Congressional Districts 1 and 2 U.S. Representative Races:
In the race for District 1 U.S. Representative, incumbent Republican Russ Fulcher ran unopposed in the GOP Primary. He automatically advances to the November election.
For the Congressional District 2 U.S. Representative seat, Republican incumbent Mike Simpson received 54.7% of the vote, beating challengers Scott Cleveland (35.8%) and Sean Higgins (9.5%).
Just one candidate ran in each of the Congressional Districts 1 and 2 U.S. Representative races on the Democratic ballot. CD1 candidate Kaylee Peterson and CD2 candidate David Roth both automatically advance to the general election.
The Libertarian Party also had one candidate for each CD U.S. Representative race. Matt Loesby will be on the November ballot for CD1 Representative and Todd Corsetti for CD2 Representative.
The Constitution Party had one candidate on the ballot for CD1 Representative, Brendan Gomez. He automatically advances to November. In the CD2 Representative race, two Constitution Party candidates ended the night with very close results. A candidate named Idaho Law – Carta Sierra received 51% of the ballots cast, while a candidate named Pro-Life garnered 49%. Idaho Law – Carta Sierra will advance to the general election.
The following is information on races across Idaho’s 35 Legislative Districts. The current Legislative District map can be seen here.
Idaho Legislative District 1:
In the state Senate race, former Senator Jim Woodward beat incumbent Senator Scott Herndon, 52% to 48%. There was no primary in any other party for the LD1 Senate seat.
In the House of Representative race Seat A, Republican Mark Sauter beat two challengers. Democrat Karen Matthee ran unopposed and will advance to November.
For House of Representatives Seat 1B Democrat Kathryn Larson beat Bob Vickaryous overwhelmingly, 92% to 8%. Republican Cornel Rasor beat Chuck Lowman 52% to 48%.
In Idaho Legislative Districts 2 and 3, all state Senate and House of Representatives candidates ran unopposed and will advance to the November general election.
Idaho Legislative District 4:
The only contested primary in LD4 was for State Representative Seat B. Republican incumbent Elaine Price beat Dave Raglin 60% to 40%. All other candidates ran unopposed.
Idaho Legislative District 5:
The only contested race in LD5 was for State Senate. Republican incumbent Carl Bjerke overwhelmingly defeated challenger Cheri Zao, 77.5% to 22.5%.
Idaho Legislative District 6:
Two Republican challenges took place in LD6. Incumbent Senator Dan Foreman beat challenger Robert Blair, 53% to 47%. In the GOP battle for House of Representatives seat 6A, incumbent Lori McCann beat two challengers and will advance to November to face a Democratic challenger.
Idaho Legislative District 7:
LD7 also saw two contested GOP races. Kyle Harris beat Jim Chmelik in the State Rep Seat A contest. For State Rep Seat B, Charlie Shepherd defeated challenger Larry Dunn to secure his November appearance.
Idaho Legislative District 8:
This area – which is comprised of Elmore, Boise, Custer, and Valley Counties – is the center of much discussion in this primary. For State Rep Seat 8A, GOP challenger Rob Beiswenger beat incumbent Matt Bundy, 54% to 46%. For State Rep Seat 8B, Republican challenger Faye Thompson beat longtime incumbent Megan Blanksma, 51% to 49%. The State Senate seat was also contested in the Republican party. Incumbent Geoff Schroeder was beat by former Representative/former Senator Christy Zito.
Idaho Legislative District 9:
In the GOP race for the nomination for State Senate, Brandon Shippy beat former Representative Scott Syme. For State Rep seat 9A, GOP incumbent Jacyn Gallagher was defeated by challenger John Shirts, 38% to 62%.
Idaho Legislative District 10:
Incumbent GOP State Senator Tammy Nichols easily beat challenger Lori Bishop, 64% to 36%. Speaker of the House Mike Moyle was challenged by Rachel Hazelip for State Rep seat 10A. Moyle narrowly won the Republican nomination, beating Hazelip by 799 votes, and will face a Democrat in November.
Idaho Legislative District 11:
GOP challenger Camille Blaylock beat incumbent State Senator Chris Trakel, 52% to 48%. For State Rep seat 11A, Republican challenger Kent Marmon beat incumbent Julie Yamamoto, 57% to 43%. Lucas Cayler and Sarah Chaney faced off in the GOP primary for House Rep seat 11B. In a very close result, Cayler beat Chaney 1,695 votes to 1,656 votes and will now face Democrat Marisela Pesina in the November general election.
Idaho Legislative District 12:
In the State Senate GOP race, incumbent Ben Adams defeated challenger Victor Rodriguez, 58% to 42%. For State Rep seat 12A, Republican Jeff Cornilles beat Jarome Bell, 60% to 40%. State Rep seat 12B shows a big win by incumbent Republican Jaron Crane over challenger John (Jay) Noller, 78% to 22%. All other candidates ran unopposed in their respective parties.
Idaho Legislative District 13:
For State Senate in LD13, GOP incumbent Brian Lenney beat former Senator Jeff Agenbroad by 541 votes. There was a three-way race for State Rep seat 13B. Incumbent Kenny Wroten and challenger Amy Henry were both defeated by Steve Tanner.
Idaho Legislative District 14 had no contested primary races.
Idaho Legislative District 15:
In the Democratic primary for State Rep seat 15B, Shari Baber defeated Ivan Hurlburt, 67% to 33%. All other races were uncontested.
Idaho Legislative District 16:
Two seats in LD16 saw Democratic contests. For State Senate, incumbent Ali Rabe beat challenger Justin “Justice” Mitson by one of the largest margins – 89% to 11%. Four candidates were vying for the Democratic nomination for State Rep seat 16B. Todd Achilles won the race with 46.54% of the vote. The other three candidates split the remaining 53.46%.
Idaho Legislative Districts 17, 18, and 19 did not have any contested races in the primary.
Idaho Legislative District 20:
State Senate Pro Tempore Chuck Winder lost his seat to GOP challenger Josh Keyser, 2,926 votes to 3,207 votes. The House seats did not have any contested races.
Idaho Legislative District 21:
GOP incumbent Treg Bernt beat challenger Brenda Bourn to earn the Republican nomination for State Senate, 59% to 41%. In the race for State Rep seat 21A, there was a three-way race in the GOP. Incumbent James Petzke easily secured the win with just over 55% of the vote.
Idaho Legislative District 22:
State Rep seat 22B saw incumbent Jason Monks challenged by Marisa Stevens Keith. With a 67% to 33% margin, Monks won the race. The other two seats in LD22 did not have contested races in the primary.
Idaho Legislative District 23:
In the GOP race for State Rep seat 23A, Chris Bruce beat Melissa Durrant in a close race with the totals being about 51% to 49%. Incumbent Tina Lambert was defeated by challenger Shawn R Dygert in the race for State Rep seat 23B. The vote count was 3,129 for Lambert and 3,324 for Dygert.
Idaho Legislative District 24:
State Senate GOP incumbent Glenneda Zuiderveld was challenged by Alex Caval but won the race with a 54.59% to 45.41% result. In the race for State Rep seat 24A, Chenele Dixon was defeated by Clint Hostetler who received 1,558 more votes. Republican Steve Miller beat Republican Jeff Faulkner for State Rep seat 24B by 11.5% of the votes cast.
Idaho Legislative District 25:
Linda Wright Hartgen, GOP incumbent in the State Senate, was defeated by Josh Kohl by a large margin, 63% to 37% to win the nomination. There is no nominee in any other party, so Kohl will win the seat in November. David Leavitt beat Greg Lanting for the GOP nomination for State Rep seat 25B. With no challenger from any other party for this seat, Leavitt will be the winner in November.
Idaho Legislative District 26:
Republican Mike Pohanka beat Kally Schiffler for the GOP nomination for State Rep seat 26A in a 60% to 40% result. In the race for State Rep seat 26B, Lyle Johnstone lost to Jack Nelsen by 169 votes.
Idaho Legislative District 27:
The only contested primary in LD27 was for State Rep seat 27B. Clay Handy beat Pat Field with a 59% to 41% result.
Idaho Legislative District 28:
In the GOP contest for the nomination for State Rep seat 28A, incumbent Rick Cheatum defeated two challengers. For State Rep seat 28B, Dan Garner beat Kirk Jackson with 55.53% of the vote.
Idaho Legislative District 29 had no primary contests.
Idaho Legislative District 30:
In the race for the State Senate Republican nomination, incumbent Julie VanOrden beat Jerry Truth Bingham 63% to 37%. In the House seat 30A GOP contest, David Cannon beat Josh Sorensen. For House seat 30B, Republican Ben G. Fuhriman beat incumbent Julianne Young by just 10 votes.
Idaho Legislative District 31:
LD31 had just one contested primary race. State Representative seat 31B GOP incumbent Rod Furniss beat former Representative Karey Hanks by 268 votes.
Idaho Legislative District 32:
In the race for GOP nomination for State Seante in LD32, Kevin J Cook defeated Keith Newberry, 69% to 31%. There was a three-way race in the GOP for State Rep seat 32A. Incumbent Stephanie Mickelsen easily won the race with over 60% of the vote. There was also a three-way contest for State Rep seat 32B. Incumbent Wendy Horman with 45.5% of the overall vote.
Idaho Legislative District 33:
The GOP primary race result for State Senate in LD33 shows incumbent Dave Lent defeating challenger Bryan Scholz 60% to 40%. The Republican race for House seat 33B resulted in incumbent Marco Erickson beating challenger Jilene Burger 55% to 45%.
Idaho Legislative District 34:
LD34 had just one primary race. The House seat 34B GOP incumbent Britt Raybould beat challenger Larry E Golden with 65% of the vote.
Idaho Legislative District 35:
GOP incumbent Mark Harris beat challenger Doug Toomer for State Senate by about 2,000 votes. In the Republican primary contest for House seat 35B, incumbent Joshua Wheeler defeated challenger Brett C. Skidmore 62% to 38%.
All judges who were up for election were retained by the people, including Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Bevan. You can find statewide results for all the bonds and levies here.
Tags: 2024 Primary Election, Constitution, Democrat, Idaho, Incumbent, Indepedent, Libertarian, Republican, State Legislature, State Representative, State Senator, U.S. House of Representative
Rapid population growth is reshaping Idaho’s politics and creating new tensions across the state, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane said Wednesday to the Boise business community.
“If there’s anything to reflect on, it’s just how much Idaho is changing, the rate of growth that we are seeing, and the rate of growth we’re going to continue to see,” McGrane said at an event hosted by the Boise Metro Chamber.
According to data by the U.S. Census Bureau, Idaho had the second-highest population growth in 2025, which was the largest nationwide in the past five years. With a 10.4% increase comes people from all walks of life.
McGrane pointed to Boise’s evolving skyline and with that comes new business. Idaho business filings have increased from 425,000 in 2020 to roughly 650,000 in 2025 — a 50% increase.
But it isn’t just the economy driving these newcomers. Natural disasters and people exhausted from their home state’s politics are also a force.
Look no further than California: the largest group of migrants to Idaho. McGrane noted that northern Idaho farmers picture them as “blue-haired hippies from the Bay Area.” In fact, it’s the exact opposite.
Seventy-seven percent of Californians moving to the Gem State are registered Republicans.
“When you see the fires in LA, what I see is people moving to Idaho,” McGrane said. “Your home burned down, you’re probably not going to build it where you’ve just burned down, you’re going to find someplace else to move.”
It isn’t just California refugees contributing to the significant increase in Idaho’s Republican makeup. Migrants from all across the country are sharing similar sentiments, highlighting the 58% to 62% increase of registered Republicans since McGrane first took office in 2023.
Migration patterns are creating more of a divide within the Republican Party of Idaho, he said. Multi-generational Idahoans are concerned with agriculture and water rights, while newer residents are fixated on social and policy debates.
Voter turnout has been an issue nationwide, spilling into the Gem State. According to data from Idaho.gov, about 73% of its voting-age population is registered to vote. That means over a quarter of Idahoans who are eligible to vote aren’t registered.
To emphasize the importance of voter participation, McGrane pointed to a phrase often expressed by Gov. Brad Little: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”
Just 12% of Idaho’s voting-age population participated in the primary election to select a party nominee for governor. That figure underscores how primaries carry lots of weight in Idaho.
“The overwhelming majority of decisions were just made on the May 19 election,” McGrane said.
Consequences of low voter turnout are often visible in tight-knit elections, he added. In 2020, there was a race for the Ada County Highway District commission, featuring Rebecca Arnold vs. Alexis Pickering.
The contest ultimately came down to two votes out of roughly 40,000 ballots cast. Around 10,000 voters skipped the race entirely, which illustrates how a small number of ballots can determine elections.
McGrane said those dynamics will continue shaping the fast-growing state’s political sphere.
“One of the biggest decisions that we have as a state is just who gets engaged, who participates and who votes in our elections,” McGrane said.
The Idaho State Police say that Robert Giesick, 40, from Billings is the man missing in a crash on State Highway 55 near Cascade, about 80 miles north of Boise.
A pick-up truck driven by Giesick ended up in the Payette River after a head-on crash with another pick-up truck.
Watch Idaho crash story here:
Idaho state troopers identify Billings man missing in traffic accident
“I was able to find some people that saw a male, an adult man, swimming for the shore from the truck,” said Idaho State Trooper Richard Knapp, who attempted to rescue Giesick. “Unfortunately he didn’t make it. He got swept downriver. Witnesses lost sight of him, and that was the last time anybody saw him.”
Knapp says search crews looked extensively for the 40-year-old, but after 24 hours, it became a recovery effort for the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit.
After that on Monday came the monumental task of removing the pickup truck from the raging water.
“It was an intensive a recovery, honestly, our operators were tested, their knowledge was tested,” said Mark Boisvert, Code Red Towing owner. “They said it was a very extreme recovery for them, more than usual.”
Idaho business owners have less than a month to decide how to comply with a new state law criminally banning trans people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.
The law is set to take effect July 1, which would make it a misdemeanor for the first offense and a felony for subsequent offenses within five years.
It’s currently being challenged in federal court by the ACLU of Idaho.
On Tuesday, a panel sponsored by Idaho Employment Lawyers encouraged companies to prepare now as if the law will remain in effect as litigation continues.
Cody Earl, a lawyer for St. Luke’s Health System who spoke on the panel in his personal capacity, said there are several paths businesses can take.
Converting all bathrooms into single-use, gender-neutral facilities is one option, though it could be costly for larger businesses. Earl said companies could take other steps to make the transition more affordable.
“Even if it is a gender-specific restroom, [adding signage] that indicates where the closest gender-neutral restroom is so you could at least show that you’re giving employees an option or a choice,” he said.
Simply adding locks and only allowing one person at a time to a multi-stall bathroom is another choice, though panelists said that could be problematic for businesses with large amounts of customers, like restaurants and bars.
Idaho Employment Lawyers owner Pam Howland said companies also need to consider how this will affect their staff.
“This could definitely create some culture issues,” said Howland. “Do you have the policies you need to ensure your expectations as an employer of respect and civility are being followed? Possibly code of conduct provisions related to that? How about privacy?”
Those policies could include limiting or outright banning recording at the workplace.
Another legal wrinkle to complying with the law, the panel said, is that precedent in both the U.S. Supreme Court and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals prohibit discrimination based on someone’s gender identity.
Gender dysphoria, a mental health designation that causes severe distress to someone when their sex doesn’t align with their gender identity, has been considered a protected condition under the Americans with Disabilities Act in certain cases.
Republican state lawmakers argued earlier this year that Idaho needs to take this first-in-the-nation step to protect women and girls when they use the restroom in private businesses.
A 2025 study out of UCLA hasn’t found any increased risk to safety by allowing transgender people to use restrooms aligning with their gender identity.
A federal court in Boise will hear arguments over whether to approve or reject a preliminary injunction on June 5.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
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