Light turnout, close races
Only 30 percent of registered county voters turned out for the primary election Tuesday, but several of the races were surprisingly close.
Incumbent Republican county commissioner Walt Kirby edged past challenger Donna Capurso by a mere 40 votes, 763 to 723. He will face Democratic challenger Orrin Everhart in November.
"I knew it was going to be a challenge,” Kirby said after the final results came in.
“Mrs. Capurso waged a good campaign and she put a lot of effort into it, and she apparently reached a lot of people. I tend to be a kind of quiet, hands on sort of guy, because it seems to me that it's more important to get a job done right than it is to sing about it,” he said.
“ I might not have done all I should have to toot my own horn to get re-elected, but that rubs against who I am. I'm grateful the majority of voters in Boundary County seem to appreciate that.”
In the governor's race, incumbent Republican Butch Otter led Rex Rammell by a mere two votes, 617-615.
Steve Tanner, who didn't expect but a handful of votes, did surprisingly well, garnering 468 votes in Boundary County and 150 in Bonner County with six of 33 precincts reporting, for an early total of 618 votes to Keough's early combined total of 1,521, 1,008 of them cast by Boundary County voters.
In other contested races, Vaughn Ward led in Boundary County in the Republican race for U.S. Representative, District 1, leading Raul Labrador by a vote of 449-421, though Labrador led early in statewide polling.
Brad Little won the Republican race by a wide in the county race for Republican lieutenant governor, leading Joshua Blessinger 632-294. Another close local race was that for Republican state controller, with Todd Hatfield edging Donna Jones by eight votes, 548-588.
On the Democratic side, P. Tom Sullivan led the race for U.S. Senator, garnering 81 local votes to 37 for William Bryk. Keith Allred took the lead in the race for governor, leady Lee Chaney Sr. 102-28.
In the non-affiliated race for Idaho Supreme Court, county voters favored challenger John Bradbury over incumbent Roger Burdick, 692-562, though Burdick led by a wide margin in early polling statewide.
In races for precinct committeeman on the Republican ticket, Linda Alt defeated Rick Dodd, 153-31, in the Valley View precinct, Walter Burrow beat James Gurnett in the North Bonners Ferry precinct, 87-51, and Jim Angle defeated Bruce Behrman in the Moyie Springs precinct, 167-147. There were no contested races for Democratic precinct seats.
In the “glamor” votes, incumbents running unopposed in both the primary and the general, unless new challengers arise between now and the filing deadline, Glenda Poston came out on top, garnering the most votes of anyone on the local ballot with 1,223, trailed closely by Jennifer Fessler, who received 1,220.
Commissioner Dan Dinningwill face Independent Mike Richardson in November. He garnered 1,099 votes.
Assessor David Ryals, who will face Jeffrey Stankiewicz of the Constitution party in the general election, had 1,153 votes.
Few elected to vote the Democratic ticket in the primary, with no contested local races . Some people opted instead to vote Republican in order to cast a ballot in the Kirby-Capurso race, according to a source at one polling site.
Orrin Everhart garnered 124 votes for the Democratic ticket for county commissioner. Mick Mellett, running unopposed for coroner, received 121 votes and at least one write-in on the Republican ticket.