In 2022, Steve Scanlin won the Democratic primary for attorney general. However, after Raúl Labrador defeated incumbent Lawrence Wasden in the Republican primary, Scanlin withdrew, allowing Idaho Democrats to appoint Tom Arkoosh to the race.
Also that year, Jill Ellsworth won the Democratic primary for state treasurer, but Deborah Silver ended up on the ballot to face incumbent Republican Julie Ellsworth in the general election.
Earlier this year, two Democratic candidates in District 11 attempted to switch places. In the Senate race, Toni Ferro filed to run against incumbent Chris Trakel, while Anthony Porto filed to run for the House seat held by Julie Yamamoto. However, in the GOP primary, Trakel was defeated by Camille Blaylock, and Yamamoto by Kent Marmon. This reversed the gender dynamics, which may be why the District 11 Democrats tried to swap their challengers, contrary to the law.
At the national level, incumbent President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary, including a 95% showing in Idaho. Nevertheless, he withdrew from the campaign in July, leading the Democratic delegates to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris, despite her not winning a single primary in either 2020 or this year. Democrats made this move only after realizing they could no longer hide Biden’s cognitive decline, which would likely cost them the election.
In 2022, Democrats did not field a primary candidate for Senate in District 1. When Scott Herndon unexpectedly defeated incumbent Jim Woodward in the Republican primary, they rallied around perennial candidate Steve Johnson in a write-in campaign. Herndon won with 59.1% of the vote to Johnson’s 40.9%. Johnson had originally filed for House Seat A as a Democrat but withdrew when Mark Sauter won the Republican primary, which was perhaps an acceptable outcome for the Democrats.
In 2024, Johnson filed for the primary as an independent. However, when Woodward won a rematch, Johnson withdrew, most likely because Democrats were satisfied with the result once again.
Do you get the picture? We consider the primary election a party’s nomination contest, where voters decide who will represent them in the general election. Democrats, however, seem to treat it as optional. They have made a habit of using stand-ins and swapping candidates like a wrestling tag team.
It’s time to close the loophole that allows the Democratic Party to play games with our elections.
Currently, Idaho Code 34-717 regulates the withdrawal of candidates from primary and general elections:
(1) A candidate for nomination or candidate for election to a partisan office may withdraw from the election by filing a notarized statement of withdrawal with the officer with whom his declaration of candidacy was filed. The statement must contain all information necessary to identify the candidate and the office sought and the reason for withdrawal. The filing officer shall immediately notify the proper central committee of the party, if any, of the individual withdrawing. A candidate may not withdraw later than forty-five (45) days before an election, except in the case of a primary election, when the deadline shall be no later than the eighth Friday preceding the primary election, or a general election, when the deadline shall be no later than September 7. Filing fees paid by the candidate shall not be refunded.
(2) Any candidate who has filed a statement of withdrawal pursuant to this section shall not be allowed to be appointed to fill a vacancy unless such vacancy occurs because of the death of a previous candidate.
What if we changed this law so that once a candidate wins the primary, he or she is required to compete in the general election? If Democrat voters nominate Steve Scanlin for attorney general, then Steve Scanlin should Raúl Labrador, not a ringer that leftists hope might win over independent voters.
Obviously, there must be exceptions, such as death or moving out of the jurisdiction. The Legislature can quibble over the details. As it stands, the primary has become essentially meaningless, and that’s not how our elections were ever intended to function. It makes a mockery of our republican system of government.
The Legislative District 14 Republican Central Committee recently passed a resolution supporting this proposal, and I will carry it to the State Central Committee at the Winter Meeting in January. I look forward to the discussion and debate. Feel free to read and share the resolution:
I’ll also be working with lawmakers to draft a bill reflecting this idea. If you’re a legislator interested in sponsoring such a bill, let’s talk!
Of course, if, Heaven forbid, Prop 1 passes and ranked-choice voting becomes law, all bets are off. In that case, the very election integrity I’m trying to protect will already be shattered, and we’ll have to adapt to the new reality.
I believe that elections, both the primary and the general, should mean something. Our republican system of government depends upon citizens making informed choices. Treating the primary as optional demeans this system and shows disrespect to the voters. Let’s close this loophole next year.
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