Idaho elections: Primary day (and night) blog

1:33 a.m. Calling it a night. Thanks for reading. We will be back this morning to try to sort out what these results mean.

1:17 a.m. Two-term state Rep. Steve Kren, R-Nampa, has lost in his GOP primary.

Challenger Christy Perry, a protege of former House Speaker Bruce Newcomb, captured 3,398 votes, or 56.6 percent, in Canyon County's District 13. Kren picked up 2,602 votes, or 43.4 percent.

Winners in other Canyon County legislative primaries:

SENATE, DISTRICT 10, GOP: John McGee
HOUSE SEAT B, DISTRICT 10, GOP: Darrell Bolz.

1:06 a.m. Republican Rep. Raul Labrador wins — going away.

The two-term Eagle state lawmaker has a 7,000-vote lead over Vaughn Ward, who had campaigned for more than a year in Idaho's 1st Congressional District.

With 853 of 936 precincts reporting:
Raul R. Labrador: 35,835, 48.6 percent.
Vaughn Ward: 28,798, 39.1 percent.
Michael L. Chadwick: 4,440, 6 percent.
Harley D. Brown: 2,644, 3.6 percent.
Allan M Salzberg: 2,018, 2.7 percent.

12:58 a.m. John Vander Woude is returning to the Legislature, defeating the lawmaker who beat him in 2008.

Vander Woude, R-Nampa, knocked of Rep. Rich Jarvis, R-Meridian, in a District 21 House race Tuesday.

Another incumbent, Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, survived a tough challenge from former Meridian City Council member Shaun Wardle.

Here are the legislative winners in Ada County primaries:

HOUSE SEAT A, DISTRICT 14, GOP: Reed DeMordaunt.
HOUSE SEAT A, DISTRICT 15, GOP: Lynn Luker.
HOUSE SEAT B, DISTRICT 15, GOP: Max Black.
SENATE, DISTRICT 17, GOP: Lucas V. Baumbach.
SENATE, DISTRICT 18, GOP: Mitch Toryanski.
HOUSE SEAT A, DISTRICT 18, GOP: Julie Ellsworth.
HOUSE SEAT A, DISTRICT 19, Dem: Cherie Buckner-Webb.
SENATE, DISTRICT 20, GOP: Shirley McKague.
HOUSE SEAT A, DISTRICT 20, GOP: Joe Palmer.
SENATE, DISTRICT 21, GOP: Russell M. Fulcher.
HOUSE SEAT A, DISTRICT 21, GOP: John Vander Woude.
HOUSE SEAT B, DISTRICT 21, GOP: Cliff Bayer.

12:44 a.m., ADA COUNTY FINAL RESULTS Vern Bisterfeldt is returning to the Ada County Commission. So is incumbent Rick Yzaguirre.

Final numbers:
Second District
Rick Yzaguirre: 17,207.
Roger Simmons: 15,478.

Third District
Vern L. Bisterfeldt: 16,741.
Fred Tilman: 16,003.

12:30 a.m. Another incumbent state senator is in trouble: 18-year veteran Gary Schroeder, R-Moscow, a moderate and chairman of the Senate Resources and Environment Committee.

With 24 of 33 precincts reporting, Gresham Dale Bouma has 1,299 votes, or 56.2 percent. Schroeder has 1,011 votes, or 43.8 percent.

12:22 a.m. Raul Labrador's lead continues to grow — and now is nearly at 3,500 votes.

With 712 of 936 precincts reporting, he has 24,935 votes, or 46.6 percent, to Vaughn Ward's 21,495 votes, or 40.2 percent.

12:13 a.m. In the latest Secretary of State's Office numbers, Raul Labrador has jumped to a 2,000-vote lead in the 1st Congressional District race.

The new statewide figures add in some numbers from Ada County. Labrador's lead in Ada County alone sits at about 2,000 votes.

With 690 of 936 precincts reporting:
Raul Labrador 20,783 45.2%
Vaughn Ward 18,745 40.7%
Michael Chadwick 3,182 6.9%
Harley Brown 1,854 4.0%
Allan Salzberg 1,451 3.2%

11:59 p.m. The latest in the 1st Congressional District GOP race, with 600 of 936 precincts reporting:

Raul Labrador 16,214 42.7%
Vaughn Ward 15,964 42.0%
Michael Chadwick 2,891 7.6%
Harley Brown 1,633 4.3%
Allan Salzberg 1,291 3.4%

It's worth noting that Chadwick and Salzberg both withdrew — but too late to have their names pulled from the ballot — and both endorse Labrador.

11:48 p.m. Taking a look down the ticket, five incumbent GOP legislators are trailing at this point. They are:
• Rep. Steve Kren, Nampa
• Rep. Rich Jarvis, Meridian
• Sen. Michael Jorgenson, Hayden
• Sen. Lee Heinrich, Cascade
• Sen. Charles Coiner, Twin Falls
As previously posted, Shaun Wardle and state Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian are deadlocked, 627-627.

11:17 p.m. The 1st Congressional District primary, close all evening, has gotten a little bit closer with the latest round of numbers.

With 472 of 936 Idaho precincts counted, Raul Labrador leads by 285 votes:

Raul Labrador: 12,306, 43.4 percent.
Vaughn Ward: 12,021, 42.4 percent.

11:03 p.m. It was a more aggressive, and sometimes ugly re-election bid. But it appears incumbent Supreme Court Justice Roger Burdick has a solid edge over second-ime challenger John Bradbury.

With 395 of 936 precincts reporting:
Burdick: 41,771, 60.4 percent.
Bradbury: 27,336, 39.6 percent.

In 2008, Bradbury came within just 253 votes of unseating Justice Joel Horton.

10:48 p.m. With 362 of 936 precincts reporting, 1st District Congress, GOP:
Raul Labrador 9,236, 44.4 percent.
Vaughn Ward 8,732 42.0 percent.

10:33 p.m. With 15 out of 141 precincts reporting:
Ada County Commissioner, District 2, GOP:
Rick Yzaguirre: 3,670
Roger Simmons: 3,605

Ada County Commissioner, District 3, GOP:
Vern Bisterfeldt: 3,904
Fred Tilman: 3,402

9:40 p.m. It's early and returns are slow, but two Ada County legislative incumbents are trailing based on absentee reports. In District 20, Shaun Wardle is leading one-term Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian. In District 21, former Rep. John Vander Woude has a narrow nine-vote lead over Rep. Rich Jarvis, R-Meridian.

9:19 p.m. From the Ada County absentee ballots:
Ada commissioner, GOP:
SECOND DISTRICT
Roger Simmons: 2,670
Rick Yzaguirre: 2,540

THIRD DISTRICT
Vern L. Bisterfeldt: 2,758
Fred Tilman: 2,476

9:17 p.m. From the Ada County absentee ballots:
1st Congressional District, GOP:
Raul R. Labrador: 1,824
Vaughn Ward: 1,551
Michael L. Chadwick: 189
Harley D. Brown: 141
Allan M Salzberg: 127

6:02 p.m. Vaughn Ward's campaign problems caught the notice of three national online sites today.

• Ben Frumin at Talking Points Memo's TPMDC site offers up this headline: "Vaughn Ward: Worst Candidate Ever?"

The article relays an interesting exchange between Frumin and Ward spokesman Mike Tracy on the Puerto Rico flap:

"(Ward) clearly knows Puerto Rico is an American territory," Tracy said. "He served in Guantanamo for awhile."

When it was pointed out that Guantanamo is in Cuba, Tracy said, "I'm just saying he knows where and what Puerto Rico is."

• Alex Pareene at Salon.com doesn't go quite so far, but he calls Ward "the most incompetent candidate in America." "Sarah Palin-endorsed congressional candidate Vaughn Ward is apparently a big fan of President Obama. He loves the president so much, he stole many of his words for a speech."

• And, from the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza, comes this terse summary: "To say Ward has underwhelmed on the campaign trail would be a disservice to underwhelming performances everywhere."

12:30 p.m. I'll be blogging here through the day and into election night.

Come by for a little instant analysis of tonight's results — and share your questions and observations about what promises to be an interesting election night.

Also, if you have tales from the polling places, let me know. I voted this morning, and there were only a couple of other voters at my West Boise precinct. When I signed in to vote, I was only the second voter on my page of the poll book to show. Not a good sign for turnout.

If you're seeing more of the same — or a little bit better turnout — let me know.

Programming notes: As you're watching tonight's numbers, tune into KBOI AM 670 from 9 to 11 p.m.; Nate Shelman and I will break down the numbers, and knowing Nate, I'm sure we'll have some guests. And tune in at KIVI Channel 6 for election results too; I'll be on shortly after 10 p.m., along with Jasper LiCalzi of the College of Idaho, who always has a good take on Idaho politics.

And check back here at the blog. It'll be a busy multi-platform evening.

It will be boring till after 6:30 then it will be monotonous.

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Facebook is the enemy of privacy. Logging into it here or clicking Like is is insanity. We are free our sites should be clear of nonsense. Demand service.

I was also the second person to vote...and the person before me

was on the ballot. I usually see at least 10-20 people when I vote first thing in the morning. This time I saw only 3.

Maybe the Ward supporters are too ashamed to show their faces.

I would be. This plagierism stuff has hit nation wide. I bet Palin will be so angry at her handlers when she figures this one out.

No, she's supposed to be kin and this was cleanup.

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Facebook is the enemy of privacy. Logging into it here or clicking Like is is insanity. We are free our sites should be clear of nonsense. Demand service.

KR, perhaps you could rebut a candidate's comment that....

it is unethical for the Statesman to endorse candidates. Her point, if I understand correctly, is that you, as a paper, lose your objectivity when your "guys" win and don't do well in their elected position and the paper slants its coverage to cover any shortcomings your "guy" may exhibit. Seems like a valid point, I'd be interested in your response.

Comedy lives...

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Facebook is the enemy of privacy. Logging into it here or clicking Like is is insanity. We are free our sites should be clear of nonsense. Demand service.

Puerto Rico, Etc

"(Ward) clearly knows Puerto Rico is an American territory," Tracy said. "He served in Guantanamo for awhile."

When it was pointed out that Guantanamo is in Cuba, Tracy said, "I'm just saying he knows where and what Puerto Rico is."

Slightly off topic,but these gaffes speak clearly to the need to take away "Social Studies", and return to History and Geography as separate areas of the curriculum!

Couldn't agree more. After hearing President Obama say......

he intended to visit all 57 states, it makes you wonder about the quality of the decisions such a person is capable of making on our behalf. Oh wait, I guess we know the answer to that question.

57 as in where each Heinz variety comes from.

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Facebook is the enemy of privacy. Logging into it here or clicking Like is is insanity. We are free our sites should be clear of nonsense. Demand service.

Goodbye, Ward

You have certainly kept us entertained.

Hardly any surprises in a state supposedly full of TP sharks.

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Facebook is the enemy of privacy. Logging into it here or clicking Like is is insanity. We are free our sites should be clear of nonsense. Demand service.

Smoke filled room

I'm curious to as who the knuckleheads are who foisted Ward off on Idaho. Talk about not doing their homework and hubris that people would rally to such a light weight candidate.

Dirk Kempthorne

for starters. His DC insider friends. Then the whiz bang at IACI.

And the in the early morning of the day after, a moving van

leaves Eagle for the long drive east.

Naw, he needs to sell books now and the Bhagwan's kids are gone.

If he gets an alcohol license the book will go down easier here.

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Facebook is the enemy of privacy. Logging into it here or clicking Like is is insanity. We are free our sites should be clear of nonsense. Demand service.