Idaho held its general election on November 8, 2016, deciding 105 legislative seats. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Republicans took 4 seats from Democrats and added to their already lopsided supermajorities, moving from 56-14 to 59-11 in the House and from 28-7 to 29-6 in the Senate. Three of the gains came in districts around Lewiston and Moscow, and the fourth in generally Democratic Pocatello.
- Democrats lost the two legislators who had led their push to expand Medicaid to 78,000 uninsured Idahoans. House Minority Leader John Rusche (D) of Lewiston, who had led House Democrats for eight years, lost to Mike Kingsley (R) by about 16 points in House District 6; he called it "just part of the wave." Sen. Dan Schmidt (D) of Moscow lost to Dan Foreman (R) by about 340 votes in Senate District 5.
- Republicans also won two open House seats Democrats had held: Thyra K. Stevenson (R) took the other House District 6 seat, and Dustin Manwaring (R) won a House District 29 seat in Pocatello that Rep. Mark Nye (D) left for a successful Senate run.
- In 3 House races, the margin was under two points:
- Rep. Paulette Jordan (D) beat Carl Berglund (R) by about 290 votes in House District 5, leaving her the only Democrat from north of Boise.
- Rep. Lynn M. Luker (R) held off Steve Berch (D) by about 290 votes in House District 15.
- Rep. Steve Miller (R) beat Kathleen J. Eder (D) by about 260 votes in House District 26.
- Voters approved HJR 5, a constitutional amendment letting the legislature approve or reject agency rules without facing a governor's veto. Gov. Butch Otter came out against it, calling it "a solution desperately in search of a problem"; a similar amendment narrowly failed in 2014.
Legislature
- House (70 seats): 14 D, 56 R before the election, 11 D, 59 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (35 seats): 7 D, 28 R before the election, 6 D, 29 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| HJR 5 | Allow state legislature to review administrative rules | Passed (55.52% yes) |