2010 Idaho elections

2010 Idaho elections

← 2008 November 2, 2010 2012  →
Registered	790,676
Turnout	57.9% [1]

A general election was held in the U.S. state of Idaho on November 2, 2010. All of Idaho's executive offices were up for election, as well as a United States Senate seat and Idaho's two seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on May 25, 2010.

Federal offices

United States Senate

Main article: 2010 United States Senate election in Idaho

One of the two United States Senators representing Idaho was up for election. Incumbent Republican Mike Crapo was re-elected to a third term with 71% of the votes.

United States Senate election in Idaho, 2010 ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Crapo (incumbent)	319,953	71.2
	Democratic	Tom Sullivan	112,057	24.9
	Constitution	Randy Bergquist	17,429	3.9
	Write-in		91	0.0
Total votes			449,530	100%

United States House of Representatives

Main article: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho

Idaho has two representatives in the United States House of Representatives. While incumbent Republican Mike Simpson comfortably won re-election, Democrat Walt Minnick was seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbents heading into election day as he worked to build a moderate profile. Republican state representative Raúl Labrador won the Republican primary and eventually defeated Minnick, flipping his district.

United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho, 2010 [3]
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	—

Governor

Main article: 2010 Idaho gubernatorial election

Incumbent Republican governor Butch Otter won re-election, defeating Democrat Keith Allred.

Idaho gubernatorial election, 2010 ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Butch Otter (incumbent)	267,483	59.1
	Democratic	Keith Allred	148,680	32.9
	Independent	Jana Kemp	26,655	5.9
	Libertarian	Ted Dunlap	5,867	1.3
	Independent	Pro-Life	3,850	0.8
Total votes			452,535	100%

Lieutenant governor

2010 Idaho lieutenant gubernatorial election

← 2006 November 2, 2010 2014  →

Nominee Brad Little Eldon Wallace Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 299,979 120,174 Percentage 67.8% 27.2%

County results Little:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Wallace:      50–60%

Lieutenant Governor before election Brad Little Republican Elected Lieutenant Governor Brad Little Republican

Republican Brad Little was appointed to the office of lieutenant governor by Butch Otter in 2009 to fill the vacancy left by Jim Risch following his election to the United States Senate in 2008. ^[5] Little ran for a full term and easily won both the Republican primary and then the general election, defeating Democrat Eldon Wallace. ^[6]

Republican primary

Candidates

• Brad Little, incumbent. ^[7]
• Joshua Blessinger, media director. ^[8]
• Steven Dana Pankey ^[9]

Primary results

Republican primary results ^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Little (incumbent)	95,758	67.6
	Republican	Joshua Blessinger	26,808	18.9
	Republican	Steven Dana Pankey	19,096	13.5
Total votes			141,662	100%

Democratic Nominee

• Eldon Wallace ^[9]

Primary results

Democratic primary results ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Eldon Wallace	23,960	100%
Total votes			23,960	100%

Third party candidates

• Paul Venable ^[9] (Constitution Party)

General election

Idaho lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2010 ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Brad Little (incumbent)	299,979	67.8
	Democratic	Eldon Wallace	120,174	27.2
	Constitution	Paul Venable	22,007	5.0
Total votes			442,160	100%
	Republican hold

Attorney general

Incumbent Republican attorney general Lawrence Wasden won re-election to a third term unopposed as no other candidate filed to run.

Republican Nominee

• Lawrence Wasden, incumbent. ^[9]

Primary results

Republican primary results ^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lawrence Wasden (incumbent)	134,842	100%
Total votes			134,842	100%

General election

Idaho Attorney General election, 2010 ^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lawrence Wasden (incumbent)	367,737	100%
Total votes			367,737	100%
	Republican hold

Secretary of state

Main article: 2010 Idaho Secretary of State election

Incumbent Republican secretary of state Ben Ysursa won re-election to a third term with a landslide victory over Democrat Mack Sermon.

Idaho Secretary of State election, 2010 ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ben Ysursa (incumbent)	326,453	74.3
	Democratic	Mack Sermon	113,164	25.7
Total votes			439,617	100%

Treasurer

Incumbent Republican state treasurer Ron Crane won re-election to a fourth term unopposed as no other candidate filed to run.

Republican Nominee

• Ron Crane, incumbent. ^[9]

Primary results

Republican primary results ^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ron Crane (incumbent)	132,919	100%
Total votes			132,919	100%

General election

Idaho State Treasurer election, 2010 ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ron Crane (incumbent)	367,260	100%
Total votes			367,260	100%
	Republican hold

Controller

2010 Idaho state controller election

← 2006 November 2, 2010 2014  →

Nominee Donna Jones Bruce Robinett Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 308,207 125,571 Percentage 71.1% 28.9%

County results Jones:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Robinett:      50–60%

Controller before election Donna Jones Republican Elected Controller Donna Jones Republican

Incumbent Republican state controller Donna Jones won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Bruce Robinett.

Republican Primary

Candidates

• Donna Jones, incumbent. ^[9]
• Todd Hatfield ^[9]

Primary results

Republican primary results ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Donna Jones (incumbent)	80,569	56.4
	Republican	Todd Hatfield	62,206	43.6
Total votes			142,775	100%

Democratic Nominee

• Bruce Robinett, finance manager. ^[19]

Democratic primary results ^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bruce Robinett	23,721	100
Total votes			23,721	100%

General election

Idaho State Controller election, 2010 ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Donna Jones (incumbent)	308,207	71.1
	Democratic	Bruce Robinett	125,571	28.9
Total votes			433,778	100%
	Republican hold

Superintendent of Public Instruction

2010 Idaho superintendent of public instruction election

← 2006 November 2, 2010 2014  →

Nominee Tom Luna Bruce Robinett Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 270,081 176,098 Percentage 60.5% 39.5%

County results Luna:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Olson:      50–60%

Superintendent before election Tom Luna Republican Elected Superintendent Tom Luna Republican

Incumbent Republican superintendent Tom Luna won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Stan Olson. ^[22]

Republican Nominee

• Tom Luna, incumbent. ^[9]

Primary results

Republican primary results ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Luna (incumbent)	126,659	100
Total votes			126,659	100%

Democratic Nominee

• Stan Olson, educator. ^[24]

Primary results

Democratic primary results ^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stan Olson	24,152	100
Total votes			24,152	100%

General election

Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2010 ^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Luna (incumbent)	270,081	60.5
	Democratic	Stan Olson	176,098	39.5
Total votes			446,179	100%
	Republican hold

State legislature

All 35 seats of the Idaho Senate and 70 seats of the Idaho House of Representatives were up for election. ^{[27] [28]}

Idaho Senate Party Before After Change Republican 28 28 Democratic 7 7 Total 35 35

Idaho House of Representatives Party Before After Change Republican 52 57 5 Democratic 18 13 5 Total 70 70

Judicial seats

Supreme Court

Two incumbent justices on the Idaho Supreme Court sought re-election.

Justice Jim Jones who has been serving since 2005 ran unopposed and won another term. ^[29] However, justice Roger Burdick faced a challenger in his bid for re-election.

Burdick's seat

2010 Idaho Supreme Court Justice election

← 2008 May 25, 2010 2014  →

Nominee Roger Burdick John Bradbury Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 99,788 71,160 Percentage 58.4% 41.6%

County results Burdick:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Bradbury:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

Justice before election Roger Burdick Nonpartisan Elected Justice Roger Burdick Nonpartisan

Burdick was challenged by John Bradbury, a district judge from Idaho's second judicial district. ^[30]

Candidates

• Roger Burdick, incumbent. ^[9]
• John Bradbury, district judge. ^[31]

Results

2010 Idaho Supreme Court election ^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Roger Burdick (incumbent)	99,788	58.4
	Nonpartisan	John Bradbury	71,160	41.6
Total votes			170,948	100%

Court of Appeals

Incumbent Idaho Court of Appeals judge Karen Lansing ran unopposed and secured another term. ^[29]

Ballot measures

Four statewide ballot measures appeared on the ballot. ^[33]

2012 Idaho ballot measures

Name	Description	Votes				Type
		Yes	%	No	%
SJR 101	Imposes rates of tuition and fees on students in the University of Idaho. [34]	279,317	64.06	156,681	35.94	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment
HJR 4	Allows public medical facilities to enter debt to upgrade facilities. [35]	276,255	63.48	158,921	36.52
HJR 5	Allows airports to issue revenue and special facility bonds. [36]	227,492	53.36	198,868	46.64
HJR 7	Allows cities to reserve bonds in order to increase power capacity. [37]	241,266	57.00	182,014	43.00

Results by county

SJR 101 results by county

Yes:

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

No:

•   50–60%

HJR 4 results by county

Yes:

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

No:

•   50–60%

HJR 5 results by county

Yes:

•   50–60%
•   60–70%

No:

•   50–60%
•   60–70%

HJR 7 results by county

Yes:

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

No:

•   50–60%

See also

• Elections in Idaho
• Political party strength in Idaho

References

1. "2010 General Results statewide". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
2. "November 2, 2010 General Election Results". Idaho Secretary of State - Election Division.
3. Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010" (PDF). p. 15.
4. "Idaho gubernatorial election, 2010". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
5. "Brad Little named Lieutenant Governor". KBOI-TV . January 6, 2009. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
6. "Little wins Idaho lieutenant governor race easily". Capital Press . November 3, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
7. "Lieutenant governor: Brad Little Q&A". The Idaho Press . October 21, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
8. "Joshua Blessinger questionnaire response". The Idaho Press . May 18, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
9. "Final list of candidate filings in races of local interest". The Idaho Press . March 19, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
10. "Republican Primary - Lieutenant Governor". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
11. "Democratic Primary - Lieutenant Governor". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
12. "General Election | Lieutenant Governor". canvass.sos.idaho.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
13. "Republican primary | Attorney General". canvass.sos.idaho.gov. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
14. "General Election | Attorney General". canvass.sos.idaho.gov. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
15. "Idaho Secretary of State election, 2010". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
16. "Republican Primary - State Treasurer". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
17. "General Election - State Treasurer". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
18. "Republican Primary - State Controller". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
19. "Controller: Bruce Robinett Q&A". The Idaho Press . October 21, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
20. "Democratic Primary - State Controller - State of Idaho". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
21. "General Election - State Controller". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
22. Simenc, Tabitha (November 3, 2010). "Luna re-elected schools superintendent". The Idaho Press . Retrieved December 29, 2025.
23. "Republican Primary - Superintendent of Public Instruction". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
24. "Superintendent: Stan Olson Q&A". The Idaho Press . October 21, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
25. "Democratic Primary - Superintendent of Public Instruction". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
26. "General Election - Superintendent of Public Instruction". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
27. "Idaho State Senate elections, 2010". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
28. "Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2010". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
29. "Idaho judicial elections, 2010". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
30. Russell, Betsy Z. (May 16, 2010). "Court contender keeps ho-hum election interesting". The Spokesman-Review . Retrieved December 29, 2025.
31. Bryce, Debbie (May 11, 2010). "Bradbury declares candidacy for Supreme Court Justice". Idaho State Journal . Retrieved December 29, 2025.
32. "Supreme Court Justice To Succeed Roger Burdick". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
33. "Idaho 2010 ballot measures". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
34. "SJR 101". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
35. "HJR 4". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
36. "HJR 5". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
37. "HJR 7". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved July 11, 2025.