Challengers, incumbents split party seat nods
SANDPOINT — When final results were tallied in the early hours of the morning, it was a mix of incumbents and challengers who claimed the win in unofficial results.
In the Senate race, Sen. Shawn Keough held a 487-vote lead of 3,484 votes over challenger Dannielle Ahrens’ 2,997 votes for the GOP ticket.
As for representative candidates, challenger Sage Dixon defeated longtime Rep. George Eskridge for legislative District 1 Seat B with 3,444 votes versus his challenger’s 2,995 votes. In the race for retiring Rep. Eric Anderson’s Seat A, Heather Scott took an early lead for the seat and ended the night with 4,128 votes to 2,343 for Stephen Snedden.
On the Democrat side of the ticket, Laura Bry defeated Steve Tanner for the representative Seat A nomination with 523 votes versus 226 votes. For Seat B, Andrew Sorg defeated Bob Vickaryous, 494 to 233.
Christian Fioravanti defeated Jack Mervin in the Constitution Party’s nomination for District 1 state senator. With the support of the party driving his campaign, Fioravanti claimed 32 votes against Mervin’s 7 votes.
In District 7, Republican incumbents held a lead to regain their party nominations. Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll, running unopposed, received 4,226 votes. Also unopposed, Rep. Paul Shepherd had 4,117 votes. Finally, incumbent Rep. Shannon McMillan won with 2,723 votes against challenger Shauna Hillman’s 1,614 votes.
A trio of Democratic District 7 candidates also ran unopposed. Senate candidate Casey Drews had 1,076 votes, while representative candidates Jessica Chilcott and Kenneth Murray Meyers had 1,046 and 1,028 votes, respectively.
The Republican legislative races were marked this year by conflict between incumbents and challengers who questioned their conservative credentials. Scott, Ahrens and Dixon, bolstered by tea party organizations and an energetic following, succeeded in mobilizing their supporters into attending forums, posting campaign signs and writing candidate endorsements.
In forums and fundraisers, challengers criticized incumbents’ track record as not truly conservative. Meanwhile, they wondered if their several terms in office had tied them too closely to special interest groups.
Incumbents shot back that their interests were with their constituents. They also argued their decisions were based in full consideration of the issues and not simply on ideology.
Several tea party-favored issues became common talking points in candidate forums. Scott, Ahrens and Dixon repeatedly emphasized their intention to repeal the Idaho State Health Care Exchange and fight the federal government to reclaim Idaho lands for use and management by the state.
Keough and Eskridge called those goals unrealistic. They said the Idaho State Health Care Exchange was actually a shield against federal control of the state’s health care. They also said retaking Idaho’s federally-held lands was legally unfeasible.