Idaho Results and observations here

I dont understand why we are voting on indian gaming in Idaho. Why should we non-indians have anything to say about it?

Moscow ID

Looks like a real good turn out. As high as 2000 even with no real issues to bring them out.

Will Gary Schroeder win? Will Frank Bruneel? Gary Young?

Federal law requires a compact. Jim Risch shot down the Governors compact.

What does the no on two effort look like in your area? Im in Boise and they are doing a huge job.

I am actualy not for term limits the way they are implimented. I have a better plan...

1. State term limits should apply to primary elections only
2. To level the playing field in primaries, an encumbent should have to spot the chalanger, say 10%. The theory behind this is that if an encumbent cant get more than 50% in a primary, he or she must be pretty crappy.

Will Gary Schroeder win? Will Frank Bruneel? Gary Young?

Schroeder is a win easy. Never heard of Bruneel. Ringo has been running massive negative spots on the radio against Young. Ringo will get most of the university votes as would any democraps. Young beat her by 200 votes last time so it will be a close one, he played it strait positive with his message.

Good to see some other Latah County Freepers!!!!
I was really bummed about Ringo winning. She's worthless, and you're right about her negativity. It was the education distortion that beat Gary.
Too bad!!

Frank Bruneel got beat too.
The education thing that beat Gary Young did him in too.
Plus it looks as if the Nez Perce Demo's ran a really great campaign from top to bottom.

Idaho incumbents rule; Kempthorne and Howard keep their seats; Risch, Wasden also win

Tribune and Associated Press
BOISE -- Incumbent Republic Gov. Dirk Kempthorne easily held off a challenge from Democrat Jerry Brady, an Idaho Falls newspaper publisher, in Idaho's general election Tuesday.

In two other closely watched races, incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Marilyn Howard, a Democrat, defeated Republican newcomer Tom Luna of Nampa and Republican Lawrence Wasden downed Democrat Keith Roark in the attorney general's race.

And veteran state legislator Jim Risch, a Republican, defeated Boise accountant Bruce Perry, who was making his first run for office, to become the new lieutenant governor.

Kempthorne survived the toughest election challenge of his political career Tuesday, winning a second term over Brady.

With 90 percent of the precincts reporting, Kempthorne had 56 percent to 42 percent for Brady. Libertarian Daniel Adams polled 2 percent.

Brady, making his first bid for elective office, pounded away at the incumbent on education and the economy. But Kempthorne, claiming the second term that he says will be his last, shrugged off the attacks with his winning personality and conservative rhetoric.

"We have a four-year period," Kempthorne said. "It's a finite period of time. Let's make it the greatest four years Idaho has ever seen."

Still, his majority was far from the more than 67 percent of the vote he claimed to win the governor's office four years ago.

Although plagued by the worst economic crisis the state has faced in over two decades, Kempthorne ran a low-profile campaign, ignoring Brady as much as possible. His previous winning campaigns for mayor of Boise in the 1980s, the U.S. Senate in 1992 and governor four years ago never seriously tested him or the GOP's well-oiled statewide organization.

Howard had the tightest race among statewide candidates and was the only Democrat elected. With 75 percent of precincts counted, she had 53 percent of the vote.

Howard, an elementary school principal from Moscow, came out of political obscurity four years ago to upset the handpicked choice of former four-term Democratic Gov. Cecil Andrus in the primary.

Displaying little stomach for hardball partisanship, she rebuilt the working relationship the state previously had with the 114 school superintendents, and with the state Board of Education she began implementing the reading, math and testing initiatives backed by the Republican legislative majority and GOP Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.

But Luna, who earned his college degree from an Internet institution early this year in time to qualify for the office, spent the campaign lambasting the state's education system. His most frequently used phrase was ''Attendance is mandatory but learning is optional."

Wasden surprised some observers with his easy win over Roark. With 75 percent of votes counted, Wasden had 58 percent of the votes.

Wasden and Roark spent the final days of the campaign exchanging shots in a race to replace outgoing Republican Attorney General Al Lance and claim his seat on the state Land Board.

It was the most intense campaign in Idaho this year and tightened in the closing days.

Roark, a former prosecutor who has spent the past 17 years as a criminal defense attorney, emphasized his quarter century of legal experience from the first day he entered the race.

Roark, one of the first Idaho prosecutor's to secure a death sentence after execution was reinstated in 1977, accused Wasden of smear tactics. He questioned how Wasden could accept more than $50,000 in support from VanderSloot when 81 complaints against his company Melaleuca had been filed with attorney general's office and two were currently pending.

Risch parlayed a textbook primary campaign and his Democratic opponent's lack of statewide exposure into the win.

With 75 percent of the precincts reporting, Risch had 56 percent of the vote to 40 percent for Democrat Bruce Perry in his first political race. Libertarian Michael Kempf of Coeur d'Alene had 4 percent.

Perry used the campaign to expose the warts Risch has developed over more than two decades in politics, but Risch's personal wealth left the challenger at a disadvantage.

Risch spent more than $350,000 of his own money to overcome five other primary opponents, including Republican Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's personal choice, Jack Riggs. Riggs was the former state senator from Coeur d'Alene appointed by Kempthorne to the job over Risch nearly two years ago.

For the entire campaign, Risch was forced to explain just why he would spend so much money for a part-time job that has no real political power and pays just $26,000 a year.

Risch, whose desire to be governor is no secret in the Capitol, maintained winning the office and using it to promote economic development was his way of giving something back to a state that has been good to him and his family.

In the race for controller, Republican Keith Johnson, the deputy controller who was endorsed by retired Democratic Controller J.D. Williams, defeated Democrat Bob Sonnichsen, a Boise bank executive, and Libertarian Greg Nalder of Meridian. Johnson had 62 percent of the votes.

Republican Ben Ysursa, the chief deputy secretary of state who was endorsed last summer by the state Democratic Party chairman, easily won the race for secretary of state over token opposition.

And GOP Treasurer Ron Crane, who had only third-party opposition in his first statewide race four years ago, won re-election with 61 percent of the vote over inactive Democratic candidate Sally Beitia from American Falls and Libertarian Sherwin Fellen of Boise.

The Tribune is one of the main reasons for the big loss. Makes me sick! How could have so many people from Idaho actually vote for Blinken.