Race for open Idaho Supreme Court seat attracted big money

Campaign finance reports show that the most expensive seat on the 2016 ballot was for an open spot on the Idaho Supreme Court – a rarity in the state. Twin Falls attorney Robyn Brody won the competitive race against Sen. Curt McKenzie after spending nearly $285,000 while campaigning for the seat. McKenzie spent roughly $126,000, but also received more than $80,000 in independent expenditures from outside groups. Combined, it was the most expensive race for the nonpartisan judicial seat in Idaho’s history. That’s mainly because Idahoans rarely see a Supreme Court runoff election. In Idaho, a candidate must win the majority in the May primary. If not, the top two candidates face off in a runoff election in November, and the last time that happened was in 1998. Back then, the top two candidates raised a total of nearly $161,600.