In 2024, an Eastern Idaho legislative primary was decided by four votes. And this year’s rematch between incumbent Rep. Ben Fuhriman of Shelley and former Rep. Julianne Young of Blackfoot was shaping up to be close again. 

But Fuhriman won more handily in the second bout, securing the GOP nomination by 713 votes, according to unofficial results. 

Fuhriman was among a slate of Eastern Idaho incumbents who fared well in Tuesday’s primary election. In races from Rigby to McCammon, more than half a dozen incumbent lawmakers won, including Rep. Mike Veile of Soda Springs — a House Education Committee member — and Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen of Idaho Falls, an outspoken critic of private school choice. 

Most Eastern Idaho legislative winners were among the Legislature’s mainstream faction while hardliners tended to have a more difficult time. Veteran lawmaker Rep. Barbara Ehardt of Idaho Falls fended off challenger Conner Cook in a race that was decided by a 52% to 48% margin. In another close race in Pocatello, incumbent Rep. Tanya Burgoyne lost her bid for a second term to challenger Jennifer Miles, who received 51% of votes. 

On the other side of the state, one other rematch was easily decided after a close race in 2024. In Kuna, incumbent Rep. Chris Bruce defeated challenger and former Rep. Melissa Durrant by 1,456 votes, a 62% to 38% margin. Bruce won the previous contest by just 83 votes.

One ‘Gang of Eight’ member survives in Magic Valley

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Tuesday’s shakeup in the Magic Valley — where three members of the “Gang of Eight” handily lost reelection bids — was that one survived. 

Rep. Clint Hostetler is a member of the faction of Republican lawmakers that has taken hardline stances on budgeting and policy issues. The group pledged to oppose all budget bills that included increases in federal or state spending. 

While Hostetler won his primary contest, three other Gang of Eight members from the Magic Valley lost Tuesday — and their races weren’t close.

• Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld lost to Brent Reinke by 2,025 votes 
• Sen. Joshua Kohl lost to Casey Swensen by 933 votes
• Rep. David Leavitt lost to Cherie Vollmer by 609 votes

Zuiderveld sat on the powerful budget-setting Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, where she was an automatic “no” vote on most spending bills. She made national headlines in the weeks leading up to the primary after she revealed that her family’s agriculture business was losing customers over her hardline stance on immigration enforcement.

All three Magic Valley winners have previous public service experience. Reinke is a former city council member, county commissioner and state agency director. Vollmer is a real estate agent and current member of the Twin Falls City Council. Casey Swensen is a business owner and former county prosecutor. 

Hostetler bucked the trend, defeating challenger Alexandra Caval. Caval, a Romania native who moved to Twin Falls as a child, also has government experience. She served as a city prosecutor in Kimberly before turning to bankruptcy law. But she lost to Hosteler by a 54% to 46% margin Tuesday. 

Altogether, five Gang of Eight members from across the state lost their seats, forcing a likely rebrand before next year’s legislative session, unless the group can recruit new members. Reps. Lucas Caylor of Caldwell and Faye Thompson of McCall also fell short in their reelection bids. 

Hostetler along with Sen. Christy Zito of Mountain Home and Rep. Kent Marmon of Caldwell are the three remaining members advancing to the general election.

What wasn’t surprising: Little dominates rural counties

While there were a couple surprises Tuesday, much of the election played out as expected. Idaho’s congressional delegation cruised to victories, school bonds failed and a candidate named Sauter won a House race in District 1. 

One other unsurprising result: Incumbent Gov. Brad Little continued to dominate in rural Idaho, and he remains undefeated against bar owners with Irish surnames. 

In 2022, Little handily beat then-Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, a bar owner from Idaho Falls. On Tuesday, Little won the gubernatorial primary with 59% of the vote while Eagle bar owner Mark Fitzpatrick was a distant runner-up, with 29%.

Zooming in on county-by-county results shows where Little’s support remains the strongest: Among rural voters in Eastern and Southern Idaho. While Little won all but one of Idaho’s 44 counties, his biggest wins were in Bear Lake (73%), Caribou (73%), Cassia (73%), and Power (70%) counties. He also outpaced his statewide margin in and around Idaho Falls and Twin Falls. 

Still, Fitzpatrick — a political newcomer and California transplant, who gained notoriety for hosting a heterosexual “pride” event in Boise and for offering free beer to patrons who get undocumented immigrants deported — collected 68,546 votes across the state. Little had 140,769 votes. 

The rural exceptions to Little’s dominance were in Central Idaho’s mountain towns. Fitzpatrick won Adams County, and Little’s support narrowed in Boise County, where the margin was 49% to 41%. Fitzpatrick also gained ground in North Idaho cities. Republican voters in Kootenai County (Coeur d’Alene) gave the challenger 43% of votes and GOP voters in Latah County (Moscow) gave him 37%, well above Fitzpatrick’s statewide average.  

Endorsements from Republican central committees might’ve helped Fitzpatrick in some counties, but not all. He fared better in Adams, Benewah, Boise, Elmore and Kootenai. But he also had endorsements from local parties in Clearwater, Nez Perce, Shoshone and Valley counties, where Little matched or surpassed his statewide margins.