Idaho’s GOP primary winners and losers
A handful Idaho’s GOP primary candidates began the long road to November Tuesday night, while many saw their campaigns come to an abrupt end.
Lawrence Wasden, the longest-serving attorney general in Idaho history, is one step closer to a fourth term. Wasden topped Chris Troupis with 59 percent of the vote. In November’s general election Wasden will face Democrat Bruce Bristline.
“I happen to know Bruce, I’ve known him for a long time,” said Wasden. “He’s a very diligent attorney, so we’ll just have to see.”
Brad Little, Idaho’s incumbent lieutenant governor, won overwhelmingly Tuesday night with 67 percent of the vote. Little will now face Democrat Bert Marley in the general election
“In the primary you’re putting together your team, and now we’ve got our team together,” said Little. “Tomorrow, we’ll get together and start off the campaign.”
But a majority of Tuesday’s candidates walked away defeated. Little’s challenger, Jim Chmelik earned just 33 percent of the vote.
“We got our clocks cleaned,” said Chmelik.
Even so, Chmelik took the loss in stride.
“My feeling’s now, ‘How do I help Brad get elected,'” said Chmelik. “I walked over and congratulated him, and that’s what I told him, ‘Let’s go get the Republicans elected.'”
Others, like viral gubernatorial candidates Harley Brown and Walt Bayes, not so much.
“Right now, it looks like the wrong guy is winning,” said Bayes.
Brown took it a few steps further.
“My morale is somewhere between bitterly disappointed and suicidal, but I’ll get over it,” said Brown.
Incumbent Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter won the GOP gubernatorial primary earning 51 percent of the vote, with Russ Fulcher trailed with 44 percent. With a combined 5 percent of the vote, Brown and Bayes say they have every intention of running again.
“If I’m here in four years I plan on running,” said Bayes. “I don’t know how to put it, but I would rather lose and be right, than win and be wrong.”
“Their going to have to kill me to stop me,” said Brown. “I’m one of these fanatical guys, you know, Tora Tora Tora!”
We have more results from Tuesday’s primaries here.
