2018 Idaho elections
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Idaho on November 6, 2018. All of Idaho's executive officers were up for election as well as both of Idaho's two seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on May 15, 2018.
Federal offices
United States House of Representatives
Both of Idaho's two seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2018.
In the first congressional district, Raúl Labrador did not seek reelection and unsuccessfully ran for governor. Former state senator and fellow Republican Russ Fulcher was elected to represent the district.
In the second congressional district, Mike Simpson ran for reelection and won comfortably.
Governor
Incumbent Republican governor Butch Otter chose not to seek a fourth term.[2] He was succeeded by lieutenant governor Brad Little.[3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brad Little | 361,661 | 59.8% | |
| Democratic | Paulette Jordan | 231,081 | 38.2% | |
| Libertarian | Bev Boeck | 6,551 | 1.1% | |
| Constitution | Walter Bayes | 5,787 | 1.0% | |
| Write-in | Lisa Marie | 51 | 0.0% | |
| Total votes | 605,131 | 100% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Lieutenant governor
Incumbent Republican lieutenant governor Brad Little did not run for re-election to a third full term, and instead ran for governor.[5] Former state representative Janice McGeachin won the general election with nearly 60% of the votes.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Janice McGeachin | 356,512 | 59.7% | |
| Democratic | Kristin Collum | 240,355 | 40.3% | |
| Total votes | 596,867 | 100% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Attorney general
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November 6, 2018
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 Wasden: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Bistline: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican attorney general Lawrence Wasden won re-election to a fifth term.[6]
Republican primary
Nominee
- Lawrence Wasden, incumbent.[7]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lawrence Wasden (incumbent) | 157,064 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 157,064 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
Nominee
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bruce Bistline | 47,637 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 47,637 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Governing magazine[11] | Safe R | June 4, 2018 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lawrence Wasden (incumbent) | 384,791 | 65.4% | |
| Democratic | Bruce Bistline | 203,283 | 34.6% | |
| Total votes | 588,074 | 100% | ||
Secretary of state
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November 6, 2018
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 Denney: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Humble: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican secretary of state Lawerence Denney won re-election to a second term.[6]
Republican primary
Nominee
- Lawerence Denney, incumbent.[13]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lawerence Denney (incumbent) | 157,014 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 157,014 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jill Humble | 42,611 | 74.8 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Chastain | 14,361 | 25.2 | |
| Total votes | 56,972 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Governing magazine[17] | Safe R | June 4, 2018 |
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
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| Lawerence Denney | Jill Humble | |||||
| 1 | October 11, 2018 | IdahoPTV | Melissa Davlin | Idaho PBS | P | P |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lawerence Denney (incumbent) | 370,654 | 62.5% | |
| Democratic | Jill Humble | 222,073 | 37.5% | |
| Total votes | 592,727 | 100% | ||
Treasurer
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November 6, 2018
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Incumbent Republican state treasurer Ron Crane did not run for re-election to a sixth term.[19] Former state representative Julie Ellsworth won the election unopposed as no Democrats filed to run for the race.[20]
Republican primary
Candidates
- Julie Ellsworth, former state representative.[21]
- Tom Kealey, Chicago Connection Restaurant Group owner and former certified public accountant.[22]
- Vicky McIntyre, Ada County Treasurer.[23]
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
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| Julie Ellsworth | Tom Kealey | Vicky McIntyre | |||||
| 1 | April 19, 2018 | KCTS | Melissa Davlin | Cascade PBS | P | P | P |
Primary results
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 30–40%
- 30–40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julie Ellsworth | 60,482 | 36.8 | |
| Republican | Tom Kealey | 55,657 | 33.8 | |
| Republican | Vicky McIntyre | 48,310 | 29.4 | |
| Total votes | 164,449 | 100.0 | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julie Ellsworth | 465,109 | 100% | |
| Total votes | 465,109 | 100% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Controller
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November 6, 2018
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 County results Woolf: 90–100% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican Controller Brandon Woolf was unopposed in both the Republican primary and in the general election.
Republican primary
Nominee
- Brandon Woolf, incumbent.[26]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brandon Woolf (incumbent) | 154,375 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 154,375 | 100.0 | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brandon Woolf (incumbent) | 465,105 | 100% | |
| Total votes | 465,105 | 100% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Superintendent of public instruction
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November 6, 2018
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Ybarra: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Wilson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican superintendent Sherri Ybarra won a second term by a 3% margin.[29] As of 2026, this is the last time a statewide race in Idaho was decided by margin of less than 20%.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cindy Wilson | 49,565 | 86.0 | |
| Democratic | Allen Humble | 8,051 | 14.0 | |
| Total votes | 57,616 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Sherri Ybarra, incumbent.[33]
- Jeff Dillon, Wilder School Superintendent.[34]
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
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| Sherri Ybarra | Jeff Dillon | |||||
| 1 | April 27, 2018 | IdahoPTV | Melissa Davlin | Idaho PBS | P | P |
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sherri Ybarra (incumbent) | 103,071 | 58.9 | |
| Republican | Jeff Dillon | 71,856 | 41.1 | |
| Total votes | 174,927 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Endorsements
Statewide officials
- Butch Otter, governor of Idaho.[36]
- Brad Little, lieutenant governor of Idaho.[36]
- Lawrence Denney, Idaho secretary of state.[36]
- Brandon Woolf, Idaho state controller.[36]
- Ron Crane, Idaho state treasurer.[36]
- Lawrence Wasden, Idaho attorney general.[36]
- Dave Leroy, former Idaho lieutenant governor and attorney general.[36]
Organizations
Statewide Officials
- Jim Jones, former Idaho attorney general and Idaho Supreme Court chief justice.[36] (Republican)
Individuals
- Frank VanderSloot, businessman.[36] (Republican)
Newspapers
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
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| Sherri Ybarra | Cindy Wilson | |||||
| 1 | October 12, 2018 | IdahoPTV | Melissa Davlin | Idaho PBS | P | P |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sherri Ybarra (incumbent) | 305,977 | 51.5% | |
| Democratic | Cindy Wilson | 288,488 | 48.5% | |
| Total votes | 594,465 | 100% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
By congressional district
Despite losing the election, Wilson won the second congressional district.[38]
| District | Ybarra | Wilson | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 58% | 42% | Raúl Labrador (115th Congress) |
| Russ Fulcher (116th Congress) | |||
| 2nd | 44% | 56% | Mike Simpson |
State legislature
All 35 seats in the Idaho Senate and 70 seats in the Idaho House of Representatives were up for election.[39]
Idaho Senate
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Idaho House of Representatives
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Judicial seats
Supreme Court
Incumbent Idaho Supreme Court Justice G. Richard Bevan was appointed by Governor Butch Otter in 2017 to succeed Daniel Eismann.[40] He ran unopposed and secured a full term.[41]
Court of Appeals
Two judges on the Idaho Court of Appeals ran for election.
Incumbent judge David Gratton has been serving since 2009 while Jessica Lorello was appointed by Governor Otter in 2017 to succeed John Melanson.[42] Both of them ran unopposed and secured another term.[43]
Ballot measures
Two statewide ballot measures appeared on the ballot.
Proposition 1
If approved, Proposition 1 would have authorized the usage of video terminals for betting on historical horse races. It was defeated 54%-46%.
Proposition 2
Idaho Proposition 2 was an initiative to expand Medicaid to those under sixty-five years old in the state. It was approved 61%-39%.