Poll: Otter holds 14-point advantage

Incumbent Gov. Butch Otter holds a 14-point lead in a poll conducted last week by Rasmussen Reports, a conservative-leaning polling company.

The Republican Otter had 50 percent backing in the poll of 750 likely Idaho voters, according to survey results released Wednesday. Democrat A.J. Balukoff, a Boise School Board trustee, had 36 percent support. Eight percent of voters supported another candidate, and 7 percent were undecided.

The margin for error in the telephone survey was 4 percent.

The poll was conducted May 28 and 29, barely a week after Otter and Balukoff secured their respective parties’ nominations in primary elections. Otter received 51 percent in a four-way race, with his main competition coming from conservative state Sen. Russ Fulcher of Meridian. Running against a virtual unknown, Terry Kerr of Idaho Falls, Balukoff secured a 65 percent majority.

Otter is seeking his third term as governor.

On Tuesday, Rasmussen released polling that showed incumbent U.S. Sen. Jim Risch holding a 25-point lead over Democratic challenger Nels Mitchell. Risch had 54 percent support to Mitchell’s 29 percent.

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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