The contentious race for the GOP nomination for North Idaho's seat in Congress is going down to the wire tonight, as Idaho voters held a typically low-turnout primary election with big consequences; you can read my full story here at spokesman.com. Up and down the ticket, the election set the stage for major contests in November, while writing the final chapter in other races, including a contested non-partisan race for the Idaho Supreme Court. In that contest, Justice Roger Burdick defeated his challenger, 2nd District Judge John Bradbury; the Associated Press has just called that race.

The 1st District congressional race saw Vaughn Ward and Raul Labrador vying for the chance to challenge freshman 1st District Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick in November; Minnick, who was unopposed in the primary, is launching his re-election campaign with a series of appearances around the district over the next week. In early results, Labrador led Ward, 44 percent to 42 percent, setting the stage for a possible come-from-behind victory despite Ward's large fundraising lead and early start.

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