Idaho AG Race: Incumbent Raúl Labrador defeats Lori Hickman

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — Republican incumbent Raúl Labrador defeated Democratic challenger Lori Hickman in a closely watched race for Idaho Attorney General.

The Associated Press called the race for Labrador early Wednesday morning at 3:07 a.m.

The campaign garnered widespread attention across the Gem State, particularly after 54 prominent Republicans—including former U.S. Attorney for Idaho Guy G. Hurlbutt—cross-party endorsed Hickman

A central part of the race was a debate over the nature of the Attorney General’s office itself. Throughout the campaign, Hickman argued that Labrador had politicized the position to advance an ideological agenda. Labrador countered by asserting that while the election process is inherently political, the duties of the office are not.

“When you are elected by the people, obviously it's such an honor to be chosen by them to do it. But you also have to make sure that you're listening to the people and you're doing the things that they want you to do,” Labrador told Local News 8 in the lead-up to election day. “Because if you end up thinking you're too important or thinking that you don't really have to follow what your constituents want you to do, they can very easily get rid of you.”

On the campaign trail, Labrador highlighted key accomplishments from his first term, pointing specifically to his office’s efforts to clear a backlog of cases for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and his successful defense of Idaho's abortion law.

The victory guarantees Labrador another four years serving as the state’s Attorney General.