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2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho

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The 2010 congressional elections in Idaho were held on November 2, 2010, and determined who would represent the state of Idaho in the United States House of Representatives. Idaho has two seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; the winners served in the 112th Congress from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013.

2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho
← 2008 November 2, 2010 (2010-11-02) 2012 →
All 2 Idaho seats to the United States House of Representatives
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Republican Democratic
Last election 1 1
Seats won 2 0
Seat change Increase 1 Decrease 1
Popular vote 263,699 150,884
Percentage 58.97% 33.74%
Swing Decrease 0.26% Decrease 7.03%

Overview

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United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho, 2010[1]
Party Votes Percentage Seats +/–
Republican 263,699 58.97% 2 +1
Democratic 150,884 33.74% 0 -1
Independents 27,865 6.23% 0 —
Libertarian 4,696 1.05% 0 -
Totals 447,144 100.00% 2 —

By district

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Results of the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho by district:[2]

District Republican Democratic Others Total Result
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
District 1 126,231 51.02% 102,135 41.28% 19,061 7.70% 247,427 100.0% Republican gain
District 2 137,468 68.83% 48,749 24.41% 13,500 6.76% 199,717 100.0% Republican hold
Total 263,699 58.97% 150,884 33.74% 32,561 7.28% 447,144 100.0%

District 1

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See also: Idaho's 1st congressional district

Overview

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In this heavily conservative[3] district that consists of western Idaho and the Idaho Panhandle, incumbent Democratic Congressman Walt Minnick was seen as vulnerable,[4] especially considering the fact that he won in 2008 against an embattled, weakened incumbent. Minnick, however, worked to build a profile as a moderate-to-conservative Democrat, voting against the 2009 Stimulus,[5] the health care reform bill,[6] and the American Clean Energy and Security Act,[7] Furthermore, Congressman Minnick was the only Democrat to receive a perfect score from the Club for Growth, typically an organization that supports conservative Republican candidates for office.[8]

Republican primary

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Several Republican candidates, including Iraq War veteran Vaughn Ward, State Representatives Raúl Labrador and Ken Roberts, and physician Allan Salzberg, ran for the Republican nomination to challenge Minnick. Roberts eventually dropped out, as did Salzberg; both former candidates endorsed Labrador.[9] Vaughn Ward's campaign received coverage from as far away as Great Britain[10] as Sarah Palin came to Idaho to endorse Ward, who was one of the National Republican Congressional Committee's Young Guns.[11] Critics seized on various troubles with the campaign, including multiple instances of plagiarism,[12] Ward's failure to vote in the 2008 presidential elections[13] and his referral to Puerto Rico as a "country."[14] Ultimately, despite the fact that many prominent conservatives had lined up behind Ward, Labrador triumphed in a contentious primary election.

Republican primary results[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Raúl Labrador 38,711 47.6
Republican Vaughn Ward 31,582 38.9
Republican Michael Chadwick 5,356 6.6
Republican Harley Brown 3,168 3.9
Republican Allan Salzberg 2,471 3.0
Total votes 81,288 100

General election

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A contentious general election ensued, with both Minnick and Labrador launching aggressive campaign ads against each other. When Labrador accused the Congressman of supporting a middle class tax increase in a television ad, controversy quickly ensued; Idaho Public Television threatened to pull the ad for its inaccuracy and critics accused Labrador of taking Minnick's remarks out of context.[16] When Minnick aired an ad, Labrador attacked it for including pictures that made him "look like an illegal immigrant."[17] Minnick strongly stressed his independent credentials; his claims were seemingly validated when the Tea Party Express, the largest group affiliated with the broader movement, endorsed his campaign for re-election.[18] Going into election night, polling indicated Minnick with a lead over Labrador, but after the votes were tallied, Labrador defeated Minnick by a solid margin in a surprising upset.

Polling

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Poll source Date(s) administered Walt
Minnick (D) 		Raúl
Labrador (R) 		Undecided
Greg Smith & Associates[19] October 28–30, 2010 48% 38% -
Mason-Dixon[20] October 20–22, 2010 44% 41% -
Moore Information[21] October 5–6, 2010 37% 31% -
Mason-Dixon[22] September 13–15, 2010 46% 36% -
Qualtrics[23] September 1–9, 2010 59.8% 29.6% -
GS Strategy Group[24] July 29, 2010 52% 29% -
Moore Information[25] July 12–13, 2010 37% 27% 26%
Greg Smith & Associates[26] June 7–8, 2010 29% 40% -

Results

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Idaho's 1st congressional district election, 2010[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Raúl Labrador 126,231 51.02
Democratic Walt Minnick (incumbent) 102,135 41.28
Independent Dave Olson 14,365 5.81
Libertarian Mike Washburn 4,696 1.90
Total votes 247,427 100.00
Republican gain from Democratic

District 2

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See also: Idaho's 2nd congressional district

Campaign

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This conservative[3] district, based in eastern Idaho and the Magic Valley region of Idaho, has been represented by incumbent Republican Congressman Mike Simpson since he was first elected in 1998. Simpson did not face a serious challenge in his bid for a seventh term from Democratic candidate Mike Crawford or independent candidate Brian Schad and was re-elected by a large margin on election day.

Results

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Idaho's 2nd congressional district election, 2010[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Simpson (incumbent) 137,468 68.83
Democratic Mike Crawford 48,749 24.41
Independent Brian Schad 13,500 6.76
Total votes 199,717 100.00
Republican hold

References

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  1. ^ a b c Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010" (PDF). p. 15.
  2. ^ Haas, Karen L. (June 3, 2011). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010". Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 111th Congress." The Cook Political Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2011. <[1]>.
  4. ^ "Minnick Makes 'Vulnerable' Top 10 | the Spokesman-Review".
  5. ^ http://washingtonexaminer.com/editorials/2009/02/blue-dog-nips-obama-better-stimulus-idea [permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 887 (Affordable Health Care for America Act) House.gov
  7. ^ FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 477 (American Clean Energy and Security Act) House.gov
  8. ^ Cadei, Emily. Minnick Earns Perfect Score on 'RePork Card' CQ Politics. 13 August 2009.
  9. ^ Hurst, Dustin. "Labrador receives another endorsement from a former congressional foe". Idaho Reporter.
  10. ^ Adams, Richard (May 25, 2010). "Vaughn Ward: the dumb and paste Republican candidate". The Guardian. London.
  11. ^ Berman, Russell (May 18, 2010). "Republican favorite losing ground in Idaho primary". The Hill.
  12. ^ Neuman, Johanna (May 25, 2010). "Idaho Republican endorsed by Sarah Palin plagiarizes Obama's 'a brighter day will come' speech. Ouch". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  13. ^ Popkey, Dan; Bonner, Jessie (May 14, 2010). "Vaughn Ward didn't vote in 2008". Idaho Statesman.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Deshais, Nicholas (May 25, 2010). "Ward goes national". The Pacific Northwest Inlander.
  15. ^ "May 25, 2010 Primary Election Results". Secretary of State of Idaho. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  16. ^ http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/10/22/1388442/labrador-ad-takes-remark-by-minnick.html [dead link‍]
  17. ^ "HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. And World News". Archived from the original on October 17, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  18. ^ Stein, Sam (April 15, 2010). "Walt Minnick Tea Party Endorsement: Minnick Campaign Accepts". Huffington Post.
  19. ^ Greg Smith & Associates
  20. ^ Mason-Dixon
  21. ^ Moore Information
  22. ^ Mason-Dixon
  23. ^ Qualtrics Archived 2010-11-14 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ GS Strategy Group
  25. ^ Moore Information
  26. ^ Greg Smith & Associates
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