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Corder survives challenge; Wootan, Steele and Fisher win
Local incumbents had a tough time in Tuesday night's primary election, as the two contested incumbents on the Republican ballot for county offices fell to challengers, while in a key race for the legislative senate seat, incumbent Republican District 22 state senator Tim Corder turned back a challenge from Marla Lawson.
Corder won by a 2,505 to 1,796. overall margin. In Elmore County, Corder edged Lawson 1,456 to 1,308, while handily defeating her in Boise County, where she lives, 1,049 to 488. He will face Democrat Henry Hibbert of Glenns Ferry in November.
For the four-year term for District 2 county commissioner, long-time Republican incumbent Larry Rose was soundly defeated by newcomer Wes Wootan. 1,849 to 894. Both are from Glenns Ferry.
In the race for clerk of the district court, Republican incumbent Marsa Plummer was upset by her employee, Barbara Steele, by a 1,446 to 1,185 margin.
To replace retiring county assessor Jo Gridley, Republican Ron Fisher defeated Mark Russel 1,633 to 986.
With no Democrats on the ballot in November for either county clerk or assessor, Steele and Fisher have functionally been elected to those posts.
Also unopposed for county seats on either side of the ballot, and thus functionally elected, were Republican incumbent Jerry Rost for county coroner, who garnered 2,450 votes, and Democratic incumbent treasurer Rose Plympton, who earned 261 votes.
For the District 3 commissioner's race, there were no challenges on the Republican ballot, where Albert Hofer received 2,037 votes, and on the Democratic ballot where incumbent Connie Cruser earned 259 votes
Unopposed on the Republican ballot were District 22 representatives Rich Wills, who received 3,294 votes (including 1,083 from Boise County), and Pete Nielsen, who earned 3,179 votes (including 1,096 from Boise County.
On the Republican ballot, the Elmore County totals were:
* Incumbent governor C.L. "Butch" Otter handily turned back challenges by five other candidates. Otter received 1,676 votes, Rex Rammel 466, Walt Bayes 99, Ron Peterson 196, Sharon Ullman 210 and Tamara Wells 97.
* Incumbent lieutenant governor Brad Little earned the favor of local voters garnering 1,738 votes to 452 for challenger Joshua Blessing and 240 for Steven Pankey.
* Incumbent state treasurer Donna Jones received 1,438 votes to challenger Todd Hatfield's 933.
* Unopposed were incumbents Secretary of State Ben Ysursa with 2,318 votes, Treasurer Ron Crane with 2,208 votes, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden with 2,210 votes and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna with 2,020 votes.
* Incumbent United States Sen. Mike Crapo handily earned the nod of local voters, receiving 2,192 votes to challenger Claude Davis' 514 total.
* Incumbent Second District Congressman Mike Simpson also outpaced his challengers. Simpson received 1,951 votes, Katherine Burton had 299, M.C. Chick Heileson 167 and Rusell Matthews 244.
On the Democratic ballot, the Elmore County vote totals were:
* The U.S. Senate nomination, saw P. Tom Sullivan defeat William Bryk (a New York lawyer who has never been in Idaho), by a 172 to 91 margin.
* Mike Crawford of Elmore County received 256 votes for Second District Congressman.
* Keith Allred defeated Lee Chaney Sr. 196 to 80 for the Democratic nomination for governor.
* Unopposed for state office nominations were Eldon Wallace with 253 votes for lieutenant governor, Mack Sermon with 256 for secretary of state, Bruce Robinett with 251 votes for state controller and Stan Olson with 260 votes for superintendent of public instruction.
* Henry Hibbert received 336 votes for the District 22 state senator nomination (including 84 in Boise County).
In the only contested judicial race, incumbent Supreme Court Justice Roger Burdick earned the favor of local voters over challenger John Bradbury by a 1,373 to 1,258 margin.
The results of the contested Republican precinct committeemen races will be carried in next week's issue.
Turnout was relatively light, with only 3,191 voters in Elmore County casting ballots.
All results are unofficial until the official canvass of ballots later this week.
For state and federal offices, Elmore County voters followed the trends statewide.