Voters mandate status quo in local races

SANDPOINT — Bonner County voters overwhelmingly opted to stay the course Tuesday in contested local races.

Longtime incumbent District 1 Sen. Shawn Keough handily defeated declared Democrat Steve Tanner, while incumbent state representatives Sage Dixon and Heather Scott fended off challengers in lopsided wins.

“I am humbled that a majority of voters have honored me with their continued support of my public service for our area! I will work to represent our area guided by common sense,” Keough said on Wednesday.

Keough garnered 74 percent of the Bonner County vote with 13,391 votes, while Tanner finished with 4,128 votes, according to unofficial final election results. Incumbent District House B Rep. Sage Dixon picked up to 11,724 votes to beat declared Democrat Steven Howlett, who won 5,736 votes.

Dixon said he was excited by the voter turnout and is hopeful that robust participation will continue in future elections.

“I also am grateful that I will be able to continue my service to District 1, and that the voters again put their trust in me to be their representative,” said Dixon.

House A Rep. Heather Scott collected 10,689 votes, which was 59.6 percent of the vote in Bonner County. Democrat Kate McAlister finished the contest with 7,247, which amounted to 40.4 percent of the vote, according to the Bonner County Clerk’s Elections Office.

Keough, Dixon and Scott also found overwhelming support of voters in Boundary County, which further cemented their victories.

In the only contested county-level race, incumbent Republican Sheriff Daryl Wheeler defeated retired Idaho State Police Trooper Terry Ford, who ran as a write-in after losing the contest for the GOP nod in the primary. Wheeler locked up 75.6 percent of the general election vote with 13,533 ballots cast in his favor. Ford finished the race with 4,862 votes, which amounted to 26.4 percent of the vote.

“It is an honor to lead the many dedicated and talented members of the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. Our staff has been and will remain committed to providing the best service possible to those who live in and visit our community,” said Wheeler.

Ford was admittedly disheartened that he could not get through to some voters that administration at the sheriff’s office is in disarray and overtime budgets are swelling beyond spending plans.

“They just don’t know what’s going on there,” Ford said of Wheeler’s true believers.

Ford said he is unaware of the status of an attorney general’s investigation into the actions of former Undersheriff David Hale, who is accused of creating a website lampooning Ford’s candidacy and representing it as a product of Ford’s political supporters.

County commission District 2 GOP nominee Jeff Connolly and District 3 GOP nominee Dan McDonald effectively won their contests in the primary as no general election challengers emerged. Connolly and McDonald won their shoo-in races Tuesday with 16,023 votes and 15,536 votes, respectively.

“I am once again humbled by the support of the voters. I want to thank my campaign staff and volunteers for their tireless efforts and look forward to serving the citizens of Bonner County,” McDonald said on Tuesday.

In the race for U.S. president, a majority of Bonner County voters cast ballots in favor of GOP nominee Donald Trump, who collected 13,434, or 63.7 percent of the vote. Democratic party nominee Hilary Clinton finished with 5,819 votes (27.8 percent). Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson amassed 762 votes in the county, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein managed just 396 local votes.