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Idaho gubernatorial election, 2018

From Ballotpedia

General election

General election for Governor of Idaho

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brad Little
Brad Little (R)
 
59.8
 
361,661
Image of Paulette Jordan
Paulette Jordan (D) Candidate Connection
 
38.2
 
231,081
Bev Boeck (L)
 
1.1
 
6,551
Walter Bayes (Constitution Party)
 
1.0
 
5,787
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
51

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 605,131
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.



2022
2014
Governor of Idaho
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline:March 9, 2018
Primary: May 15, 2018
General: November 6, 2018

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Butch Otter (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Idaho
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Idaho
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Secretary of state
Treasurer
Controller
Superintendent of public instruction

Idaho held an election forgovernor onNovember 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 9, 2018.


Democratic PartyFor more information about the Democratic primary,click here.
Republican PartyFor more information about the Republican primary,click here.

For more information about gubernatorial elections in 2018,click here.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the election, the sittinggovernor wasButch Otter (R), who was first elected to the post in 2006 and re-elected in 2010 and2014. Otter declined to run for re-election.
  • Heading into the election,Idaho was aRepublican trifecta. It had held this status since formerGov. Phil Batt (R) took office in 1995. Idaho was also aRepublican triplex.
  • Idaho was won by theRepublican candidate in each of the past five presidential elections. The widest margin of victory wasGeorge W. Bush's 40 percent margin in 2000 while the narrowest wasJohn McCain's 25 percent margin in 2008.
  • Idaho was one of36 states that held an election forgovernor in 2018.Democrats gained seven previouslyRepublican-held seats, andRepublicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were16Democratic governors,33Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with aRepublican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with aDemocratic governor held a gubernatorial election.Seventeen of the36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election. Clickhere for more information on other 2018 gubernatorial elections.

    Candidates and election results

    See also:Statistics on gubernatorial candidates, 2018

    General election

    General election for Governor of Idaho

    Brad Little defeatedPaulette Jordan,Bev Boeck, andWalter Bayes in the general election for Governor of Idaho on November 6, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    Image of Brad Little
    Brad Little (R)
     
    59.8
     
    361,661
    Image of Paulette Jordan
    Paulette Jordan (D) Candidate Connection
     
    38.2
     
    231,081
    Bev Boeck (L)
     
    1.1
     
    6,551
    Walter Bayes (Constitution Party)
     
    1.0
     
    5,787
     Other/Write-in votes
     
    0.0
     
    51

    Ballotpedia Logo

    There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

    Total votes: 605,131
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

    Democratic primary election

    Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho

    Paulette Jordan defeatedA.J. Balukoff andPeter Dill in the Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho on May 15, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    Image of Paulette Jordan
    Paulette Jordan Candidate Connection
     
    58.4
     
    38,505
    Image of A.J. Balukoff
    A.J. Balukoff
     
    40.1
     
    26,423
    Image of Peter Dill
    Peter Dill Candidate Connection
     
    1.4
     
    954

    Ballotpedia Logo

    There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

    Total votes: 65,882
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

    Republican primary election

    Republican primary for Governor of Idaho

    The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Idaho on May 15, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    Image of Brad Little
    Brad Little
     
    37.3
     
    72,548
    Image of Raúl Labrador
    Raúl Labrador
     
    32.6
     
    63,478
    Tommy Ahlquist
     
    26.2
     
    51,008
    Image of Lisa Marie
    Lisa Marie
     
    1.7
     
    3,397
    Image of Steven Pankey
    Steven Pankey Candidate Connection
     
    1.4
     
    2,704
    Image of Harley Brown
    Harley Brown
     
    0.4
     
    874
    Ben Cannady
     
    0.3
     
    527

    Ballotpedia Logo

    There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

    Total votes: 194,536
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

    Context of the 2018 election

    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
    Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

    Polls

    See also:Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
    Idaho Governor, 2018
    PollBrad 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
    Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.


    Idaho Governor, 2018
    PollRaul LabradorBrad LittleTommy AhlquistLisa MarieLawrence WasdenUndecided/OtherMargin of errorSample size
    Idaho Politics Weekly
    (November 8-15, 2017)
    17%21%14%4%4%41%+/-3.94619
    Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.

    Republican winning streak

    See also:Winning streaks in 2018 gubernatorial elections

    Little's victory in the general election was the seventh in a series beginning with Philip Batt's (R) victory in 1994, continuing a record-long Republican winning streak in Idaho elections. The longest Democratic winning streak in state history was six elections, occurring between 1970 and 1990.

    Wave election analysis

    See also:Wave elections (1918-2016)

    The termwave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makessignificant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

    Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from PresidentWoodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 toDonald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016.We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

    Applying this definition togubernatorial elections, we found that Republicans needed to loseseven seats for 2018 to qualify as awave election.

    The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 11 gubernatorial waves from 1918 to 2016.Click here to read the full report.

    Gubernatorial wave elections
    YearPresidentPartyElection typeGubernatorial seats changeElections analyzed[1]
    1970NixonRFirst midterm-1235
    1922HardingRFirst midterm-1133
    1932HooverRPresidential-1035
    1920WilsonDPresidential-1036
    1994ClintonDFirst midterm-1036
    1930HooverRFirst midterm-933
    1938RooseveltDSecond midterm-933
    1966JohnsonDFirst midterm[2]-935
    1954EisenhowerRFirst midterm-833
    1982ReaganRFirst midterm-736
    2010ObamaDFirst midterm-733

    State overview

    Partisan control

    This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Idaho heading into the 2018 elections.

    Congressional delegation

    State executives

    • As of May 2018, Republicans held seven of 14state executive positions; the other seven were nonpartisan offices.
    • Heading into the 2018 election, the sitting governor of Idaho wasButch Otter (R).

    State legislature

    • Republicans controlled both chambers of theIdaho State Legislature. They had a 59-11 majority in the state House and a 29-6 majority in the state Senate.

    Trifecta status

    Idaho was a Republicantrifecta, meaning that the Republican Party held the governorship, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House.

    2018 elections

    See also:Idaho elections, 2018

    Idaho held elections for the following offices in 2018:

    Demographics

    Demographic data for Idaho
     IdahoU.S.
    Total population:1,652,828316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):82,6433,531,905
    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)
    Clickhere for more information on the 2020 census andhere for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Idaho.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere.

    As of July 2017, Idaho had a population of approximately 1,716,943 people, and its three largest cities wereBoise (pop. est. 223,154),Meridian (pop. est. 95,623), andNampa (pop. est. 91,382).[3]

    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[4]
    YearFirst-place candidateFirst-place candidate votes (%)Second-place candidateSecond-place candidate votes (%)Margin of victory (%)
    2016Republican PartyDonald Trump59.26%Democratic PartyHillary Clinton27.49%31.77%
    2012Republican PartyMitt Romney64.53%Democratic PartyBarack Obama32.62%31.91%
    2008Republican PartyJohn McCain61.52%Democratic PartyBarack Obama36.09%25.43%
    2004Republican PartyGeorge W. Bush68.38%Democratic PartyJohn Kerry30.26%38.12%
    2000Republican PartyGeorge W. Bush67.17%Democratic PartyAl Gore27.64%39.53%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results ofU.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[4]
    YearFirst-place candidateFirst-place candidate votes (%)Second-place candidateSecond-place candidate votes (%)Margin of victory (%)
    2016Republican PartyMike Crapo66.13%Democratic PartyJerry Sturgill27.73%38.40%
    2014Republican PartyJim Risch65.33%Democratic PartyNels Mitchell34.67%30.66%
    2010Republican PartyMike Crapo71.18%Democratic PartyTom Sullivan24.93%46.25%
    2008Republican PartyJim Risch57.65%Democratic Party Larry LaRocco34.11%23.54%
    2004Republican PartyMike Crapo99.18%Democratic Party Scott McClure0.82%98.36%
    2002Republican Party Larry Craig65.16%Democratic Party Allan Blinken32.55%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[5]
    YearFirst-place candidateFirst-place candidate votes (%)Second-place candidateSecond-place candidate votes (%)Margin of victory (%)
    2014Republican Party C. L. 'Butch' Otter53.52%Democratic Party A. J. Balukoff38.55%14.97%
    2010Republican Party C. L. 'Butch' Otter59.11%Democratic PartyKeith Allred32.85%26.26%
    2006Republican Party C. L. 'Butch' Otter52.67%Democratic Party Jerry Brady44.11%8.56%
    2002Republican Party C. Dirk Kempthorne56.28%Democratic Party Jerry Brady41.73%14.55%

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

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

    Idaho Party Control: 1992-2026
    No Democratic trifectas  •  Thirty-two years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year9293949596979899000102030405060708091011121314151617181920212223242526
    GovernorDDDRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
    SenateRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
    HouseRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR



    Pivot Counties

    See also:Pivot Counties by state

    No counties in Idaho are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted forBarack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and forDonald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

    In the 2016 presidential election,Donald Trump (R) won Idaho with 59.3 percent of the vote.Hillary Clinton (D) received 27.5 percent. Independent candidateEvan McMullin received 6.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Idaho voted Republican 70 percent of the time and Democratic 30 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Idaho voted Republican all five times.

    Presidential results by legislative district

    The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Idaho. Click[show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled byDaily Kos.[6][7]

    In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 4 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 13.5 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 4 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 17 points.
    In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 31 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 38.6 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 31 out of 35 state House districts in Idaho with an average margin of victory of 39 points. Trump won three seats controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.
    2016 presidential results by state House district
    DistrictObamaRomney2012 MarginClintonTrump2016 Margin
    133.87%62.34%R+28.526.01%65.46%R+39.5
    226.93%70.62%R+43.720.64%71.95%R+51.3
    329.14%68.14%R+3921.06%70.57%R+49.5
    439.16%57.97%R+18.832.30%58.13%R+25.8
    545.88%49.34%R+3.539.67%46.41%R+6.7
    637.09%60.34%R+23.327.14%63.35%R+36.2
    730.10%66.90%R+36.819.98%72.55%R+52.6
    829.55%67.36%R+37.821.50%69.20%R+47.7
    925.68%71.70%R+4617.21%74.09%R+56.9
    1038.47%58.37%R+19.929.81%58.12%R+28.3
    1123.55%73.82%R+50.317.04%72.09%R+55.1
    1231.70%65.46%R+33.824.33%62.75%R+38.4
    1330.45%66.85%R+36.425.08%62.48%R+37.4
    1428.40%69.37%R+4125.20%62.69%R+37.5
    1540.27%56.38%R+16.136.12%49.48%R+13.4
    1651.36%45.03%D+6.347.20%39.26%D+7.9
    1754.87%40.25%D+14.648.92%35.61%D+13.3
    1850.74%45.74%D+549.32%37.45%D+11.9
    1962.17%34.02%D+28.261.76%27.06%D+34.7
    2031.96%65.66%R+33.727.79%57.58%R+29.8
    2133.56%63.72%R+30.229.26%57.07%R+27.8
    2228.40%68.66%R+40.321.33%65.07%R+43.7
    2327.41%69.63%R+42.218.40%72.24%R+53.8
    2430.28%66.54%R+36.324.58%61.74%R+37.2
    2523.52%73.82%R+50.317.71%70.40%R+52.7
    2645.05%52.29%R+7.242.82%47.54%R+4.7
    2716.19%81.96%R+65.814.64%72.01%R+57.4
    2831.76%66.06%R+34.325.38%57.30%R+31.9
    2943.30%53.10%R+9.836.52%46.08%R+9.6
    3019.06%78.92%R+59.917.63%62.15%R+44.5
    3121.71%76.35%R+54.617.59%65.61%R+48
    3217.05%81.10%R+64.117.13%65.98%R+48.9
    3330.56%66.37%R+35.826.72%54.03%R+27.3
    346.92%92.00%R+85.18.01%59.90%R+51.9
    3512.96%85.32%R+72.49.79%72.97%R+63.2
    Total32.62%64.53%R+31.927.49%59.26%R+31.8
    Source:Daily Kos


    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsIdaho governor election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    See also

    Idaho government:

    Elections:

    Ballotpedia exclusives:

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. The number of gubernatorial seats up for election varies, with as many as 36 seats and as few as 12 seats being up in a single even-numbered year.
    2. Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
    3. United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Nampa city, Idaho; Meridian city, Idaho; Boise City city, Idaho; Idaho," accessed January 8, 2018
    4. 4.04.1Federal Election Commission, "Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," accessed January 5, 2018
    5. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, "Idaho Election Results," accessed January 5, 2018
    6. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
    7. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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