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 County results Batt: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Echo Hawk: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1994 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 8 to select thegovernor of the U.S. state ofIdaho.Democratic incumbentCecil Andrus chose not to seek reelection after a total of fourteen years in office. Former state senator andRepublican Party chairPhil Batt rallied to defeat Democraticattorney generalLarry Echo Hawk; the victory was the first by a Republicanin 28 years.
Lieutenant governorButch Otter was considered a likely candidate for governor, but decided to run for re-election in 1994 after being arrested fordriving under the influence in August 1992. Otter went on to be elected governor in2006, though he publicly admitted that the incident could have ended his political career.[1][2] Batt was the Republican nomineetwelve years earlier, but narrowly lost to incumbentJohn Evans.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Phil Batt | 57,066 | 48.00 | |
| Republican | Larry Eastland | 38,664 | 32.52 | |
| Republican | Chuck Winder | 16,063 | 13.51 | |
| Republican | Doug Dorn | 7,098 | 5.97 | |
| Total votes | 118,891 | 100.00 | ||
The statewide primary was held on May 24, 1994.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Larry Echo Hawk | 42,661 | 73.81 | |
| Democratic | Ron Beitelspacher | 12,377 | 21.41 | |
| Democratic | David W. Sheperd | 2,759 | 4.77 | |
| Total votes | 57,797 | 100.00 | ||
| Elections in Idaho | ||
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Although at first many thought Echo Hawk would win the election and become the firstNative American governor in the United States, Batt prevailed with an aggressive campaign and with the help of a Republican tide that was especially powerful in Idaho in 1994, snapping a streak of 28 years of Democratic victories.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Phil Batt | 216,123 | 52.29 | +20.49 | |
| Democratic | Larry Echo Hawk | 181,363 | 43.88 | −24.33 | |
| Independent | Ronald D. Rankin | 15,793 | 3.82 | ||
| Write-ins | 67 | 0.02 | |||
| Majority | 34,760 | 8.41 | −28.00 | ||
| Turnout | 419,330 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | Swing | ||||
| Preceded by 1990 | Idaho gubernatorial elections | Succeeded by 1998 |
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