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Idaho, Governor

Idaho held an election for governor on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 9, 2018.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the election, the sitting governor was Butch Otter (R), who was first elected to the post in 2006 and re-elected in 2010 and 2014. Otter declined to run for re-election.
  • Heading into the election, Idaho was a Republican trifecta. It had held this status since former Gov. Phil Batt (R) took office in 1995. Idaho was also a Republican triplex.
  • Idaho was won by the Republican candidate in each of the past five presidential elections. The widest margin of victory was George W. Bush's 40 percent margin in 2000 while the narrowest was John McCain's 25 percent margin in 2008.
  • Idaho was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election.

    Polls

    Idaho Governor, 2018

    Poll Brad Little (R) Paulette Jordan (D)Third-party candidateUnsureMargin of errorSample size
    Idaho Voices for Change Now
    (July 12-15, 2018)
    38%28%7%26%+/-2.771,061


    Idaho Governor, 2018

    Poll Raul Labrador Brad LittleTommy AhlquistLisa MarieLawrence WasdenUndecided/OtherMargin of errorSample size
    Idaho Politics Weekly
    (November 8-15, 2017)
    17%21%14%4%4%41%+/-3.94619

    Race rating

    Race ratings: Idaho gubernatorial election, 2018

    Race trackerRace ratings
    November 5, 2018October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018
    The Cook Political ReportSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
    Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
    Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican

    State election history

    This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Idaho from 2000 to 2016.

    Historical elections

    Presidential elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Idaho every year from 2000 to 2016.

    Election results (President of the United States), Idaho 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 59.26% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 27.49% 31.77%
    2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 64.53% Democratic Party Barack Obama 32.62% 31.91%
    2008 Republican Party John McCain 61.52% Democratic Party Barack Obama 36.09% 25.43%
    2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 68.38% Democratic Party John Kerry 30.26% 38.12%
    2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 67.17% Democratic Party Al Gore 27.64% 39.53%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Idaho from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), Idaho 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Republican Party Mike Crapo 66.13% Democratic Party Jerry Sturgill 27.73% 38.40%
    2014 Republican Party Jim Risch 65.33% Democratic Party Nels Mitchell 34.67% 30.66%
    2010 Republican Party Mike Crapo 71.18% Democratic Party Tom Sullivan 24.93% 46.25%
    2008 Republican Party Jim Risch 57.65% Democratic Party Larry LaRocco 34.11% 23.54%
    2004 Republican Party Mike Crapo 99.18% Democratic Party Scott McClure 0.82% 98.36%
    2002 Republican Party Larry Craig 65.16% Democratic Party Allan Blinken 32.55% 32.61%

    Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2014

    This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2014. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Idaho.

    Election results (Governor), Idaho 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Republican Party C. L. 'Butch' Otter 53.52% Democratic Party A. J. Balukoff 38.55% 14.97%
    2010 Republican Party C. L. 'Butch' Otter 59.11% Democratic Party Keith Allred 32.85% 26.26%
    2006 Republican Party C. L. 'Butch' Otter 52.67% Democratic Party Jerry Brady 44.11% 8.56%
    2002 Republican Party C. Dirk Kempthorne 56.28% Democratic Party Jerry Brady 41.73% 14.55%

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

    A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

    Idaho Party Control: 1992-2019
    No Democratic trifectas25 years of Republican trifectas

    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
    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
    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
    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



    Demographics

    Demographic data for Idaho

    IdahoU.S.
    Total population:1,652,828316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):82,6433,531,905
    Gender
    Female:49.9%50.8%
    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)
    for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Idaho.

    As of July 2017, Idaho had a population of approximately 1,716,943 people, and its three largest cities were Boise (pop. est. 223,154), Meridian (pop. est. 95,623), and Nampa (pop. est. 91,382).