2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho

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

November 2, 2010
All 2 Idaho seats to the United States House of Representatives
Party Republican Democratic Last election 1 1 Seats won 2 0 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 263,699 150,884 Percentage 58.97% 33.74% Swing 0.26% 7.03%
2010 election results by district

Overview

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

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

Overview

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

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 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

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

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

Results

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

Campaign

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

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

1. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2010election.pdf
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. "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 111th Congress." The Cook Political Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2011. <>.
4. http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2009/nov/02/minnick-makes-vulnerable-top-10/
5. http://washingtonexaminer.com/editorials/2009/02/blue-dog-nips-obama-better-stimulus-idea%5B%5D
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 2010-05-27.
13. Popkey, Dan; Bonner, Jessie (May 14, 2010). "Vaughn Ward didn't vote in 2008". Idaho Statesman.
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
17. http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/10/15/in-idaho-debate-raul-labrador-lands-punches-as-walt-minnick-def/
18. Stein, Sam (April 15, 2010). "Walt Minnick Tea Party Endorsement: Minnick Campaign Accepts". Huffington Post.

External links

• Elections Division at the Idaho Secretary of State site
• U.S. Congress candidates for Idaho at Project Vote Smart
• Idaho U.S. House from OurCampaigns.com
• Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Idaho from OpenSecrets.org
• 2010 Idaho General Election graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
• House - Idaho from the Cook Political Report