GOP winning new District 7 seats
SANDPOINT — Republicans in District 7 were well on their way to victory by press time on the evening of the election.
According to data from the Idaho Secretary of State’s office, Sheryl L. Nuxoll is poised to take the District 7 senate seat with 3,547 votes versus Independent Jon Cantamessa’s 1,546 votes.
Meanwhile, Republicans held a similar stronghold on District 7 representative seats by 10:30 p.m. Shannon McMillan’s 3,599 votes bested Democrat Casey Drews’ 1,351 votes, while Paul E. Shepherd carried a substantial lead over Democrat Nancy M. Lerandeau.
As for Boundary County, all seven precincts reported in before press time Tuesday evening. Seventy-seven percent of registered voters turned out to make their voices heard. In the county’s only contested race, Republican sheriff candidate Greg Sprungl beat independent Gary Leonard with 2,483 versus 1,460 votes.
On the balloted propositions and state constitutional amendments, Boundary County followed statewide trends. Bonner County, on the other hand, only had two precincts reported in by press time, making the outcomes too early to call. Three hundred and sixty-eight out of 967 precincts on a statewide level had reported in by press time.
SJR 102, an amendment giving management of adult felony probation and parole to the state board of corrections, passed 3,024 to 1,318 in the county. In Bonner County’s recorded precincts, 638 supported the measure, while 249 opposed it. On a state level, 195,993 yeas were recorded versus 65,833 nays.
HJR 2aa, an amendment protecting the right to hunt, fish and trap in Idaho, also passed handily in the county at 290 versus 95. The two Bonner County precincts supported it 667 versus 247. Statewide, 198,113 voters were in support of the amendment versus 67,852 against it.
As for education reforms, a majority of Boundary County was against the measures. Residents cast 2,430 nays versus 2,084 yeas on Proposition 1, 2,502 versus 2,013 on Proposition 2 and 2,976 versus 1,548 on Proposition 3.
This reflected the statewide numbers of 154,294 nays versus 122,219 yeas on Prop 1, 156,744 versus 120,054 on Prop 2 and 180,089 versus 96,598 on Prop 3.
Bonner County’s two precincts set the region on track to follow suit with 505 nays versus 430 yeas on Prop 1, 512 versus 423 on Prop 2 and 601 versus 329 on Prop 3.