Idahoans will vote Tuesday in the Gem State's primary election. Given that many counties and legislative districts are dominated by Republicans, determining the top Republicans in the primary will likely give us a clue as to which candidates will win in November.
Much of the attention has gone to statewide races, but there are also legislative races of interest in north Idaho.
Redistricting has changed some of the Panhandle’s legislative boundaries and pushed current members into different districts. Several incumbents, all of them Republicans in the five northernmost districts, face primary challenges.
In District 2, there’s an open Senate seat with three candidates. They include former Shoshone County Commissioner Jon Cantamessa and Phil Hart, who served eight years in the state House before he was voted out in 2012 amid controversy over his federal tax debt. One House seat in District 2 is also open, with one candidate each from the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties participating.
There’s an open House seat in District 3 with three Republicans chasing it.
In District 4, Coeur d’Alene Senator Mary Souza’s decision to run for Secretary of State has created a competition among two Republicans. Ben Toews, who runs a company that makes specialty construction tools, and Tara Malek, the wife of a former legislator from Coeur d’Alene, are the candidates.
The polls will be open in most counties from 8 am to 8 pm.
In Washington, there's only one race featuring statewide officeholders, for Secretary of State. The incumbent, Democratic Steve Hobbs, was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to the post last year after Republican Kim Wyman left for an election-related post in the Biden administration. Hobbs is running to win the seat on a permanent basis. He will likely face Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, who is running as a non-partisan candidate, and Republican state Senator Keith Wagoner.
U.S. Senator Patty Murray is seeking a sixth term and expects to be challenged by Republican Tiffany Smiley.
This is the year the Spokane County commission expands from three members to five. In one of the races, Republican Al French is expected to face a challenge from Democrat Maggie Yates in one race. Yates recently resigned as the county's regional law and justice administrator.
Also in Spokane County races, Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich is stepping down after four terms and will likely be replaced by a current or former sheriff's department employee. Three have announced their candidacies. Prosecutor Larry Haskell, a Republican, may face a primary challenge from two deputy prosecutors, one current and one former.
Washington's primary election is August 2.