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Idaho held an election for governor on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 9, 2018.
| SETTING THE STAGE | |
Idaho was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election.
Idaho Governor, 2018
| Poll | Brad Little (R) | Paulette Jordan (D) | Third-party candidate | Unsure | Margin of error | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Voices for Change Now (July 12-15, 2018) | 38% | 28% | 7% | 26% | +/-2.77 | 1,061 |
Idaho Governor, 2018
| Poll | Raul Labrador | Brad Little | Tommy Ahlquist | Lisa Marie | Lawrence Wasden | Undecided/Other | Margin of error | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Politics Weekly (November 8-15, 2017) | 17% | 21% | 14% | 4% | 4% | 41% | +/-3.94 | 619 |
Race ratings: Idaho gubernatorial election, 2018
| Race tracker | Race ratings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 5, 2018 | October 30, 2018 | October 23, 2018 | October 16, 2018 | |
| The Cook Political Report | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican |
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican |
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican |
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Idaho from 2000 to 2016.
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Idaho every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), Idaho 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
59.26% |  Hillary Clinton |
27.49% | 31.77% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
64.53% | Barack Obama |
32.62% | 31.91% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
61.52% | Barack Obama |
36.09% | 25.43% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
68.38% | John Kerry |
30.26% | 38.12% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
67.17% | Al Gore |
27.64% | 39.53% |
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Idaho from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), Idaho 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Mike Crapo |
66.13% | Jerry Sturgill |
27.73% | 38.40% |
| 2014 | Jim Risch |
65.33% | Nels Mitchell |
34.67% | 30.66% |
| 2010 | Mike Crapo |
71.18% | Tom Sullivan |
24.93% | 46.25% |
| 2008 | Jim Risch |
57.65% | Larry LaRocco |
34.11% | 23.54% |
| 2004 | Mike Crapo |
99.18% | Scott McClure |
0.82% | 98.36% |
| 2002 | Larry Craig |
65.16% | Allan Blinken |
32.55% | 32.61% |
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2014. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Idaho.
Election results (Governor), Idaho 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | C. L. 'Butch' Otter |
53.52% | A. J. Balukoff |
38.55% | 14.97% |
| 2010 | C. L. 'Butch' Otter |
59.11% | Keith Allred |
32.85% | 26.26% |
| 2006 | C. L. 'Butch' Otter |
52.67% | Jerry Brady |
44.11% | 8.56% |
| 2002 | C. Dirk Kempthorne |
56.28% | Jerry Brady |
41.73% | 14.55% |
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Idaho Party Control: 1992-2019
No Democratic trifectas • 25 years of Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Demographic data for Idaho
| Idaho | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 1,652,828 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 82,643 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 49.9% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 91.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 0.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 11.8% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.5% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 25.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,583 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Idaho. | ||
As of July 2017, Idaho had a population of approximately 1,716,943 people, and its three largest cities were Boise (pop. est. 223,154), Meridian (pop. est. 95,623), and Nampa (pop. est. 91,382).
