Attorney General
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Wasden (R) | 289,532 | 68.05% |
| Bruce S. Bistline (D) | 135,958 | 31.95% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
The Candidates
Complete Coverage
Otter appeals to Supreme Court on gay marriage
BOISE – Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has filed a petition appealing the legalization of same-sex marriage in Idaho to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying the state’s case is the “ideal vehicle” to resolve the issue for the nation. “The time has come for this court to resolve a question of critical importance to the states, their citizens and especially their children: Whether the federal Constitution prohibits a state from maintaining the traditional understanding and definition of marriage as between a man and a woman,” Otter’s Washington, D.C. attorney, Gene Schaerr, wrote in the 41-page petition.
Eye on Boise: Workshops cover Idaho open government laws
It was standing-room only in Sandpoint late last week as 75-plus people filled the Sandpoint Library’s community room for a three-hour workshop on Idaho’s open meeting and public records laws. There were four such sessions in North Idaho in as many days, all sponsored by Idahoans for Openness in Government and featuring Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden. Those attending ranged from the county sheriff to local elected officials to government employees, reporters, a newly elected state lawmaker and lots of interested citizens. However, the Bonner County Daily Bee, which co-sponsored the session, pointed out the next day that Sandpoint city officials skipped the workshop – and held a controversial, closed-to-the-public meeting about oil and coal train traffic in the region the same afternoon.
Same-sex marriage licenses to be issued in Idaho
BOISE – Gay couples may obtain marriage licenses in Idaho beginning 9 a.m. Wednesday after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will no longer block the issuance of marriage licenses even as the state continues to press its legal case for the ban. The order followed court filings Monday in which Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden dropped his opposition to lifting the stay – but Gov. Butch Otter did not.
Huckleberries: Nature’s siren is louder than sheriff’s new toy
Talk about stealing your thunder. A 100-pound black bear upstaged Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger’s big reveal for his $335,000 BearCat military vehicle Wednesday morning. Spokesman-Review photographer Kathy Plonka was en route to the BearCat unveiling when she got word that BooBoo Bear had climbed 60 to 70 feet up a tree at Woodland Middle School. Real bear? BearCat? Easy call. Kathy and her camera veered off to the Coeur d’Alene middle school, where she witnessed BooBoo climb down the tree. Get tranquilized. And get whisked off to Idaho Fish and Game HQ to sleep it off. Meanwhile, Coeur d’Alene city spokesman Keith Erickson literally ran into the commotion during his daily jog. Keith considered the near encounter with BooBoo “even more impressive than the big moose (he) encountered a couple months ago at nearby Bluegrass Park.” Bear? Moose? Just another day in viewtiful CdA. Parking problems
IRS phone scam hits Idaho, Northwest
BOISE – A scam in which an aggressive caller masquerades as an IRS agent demanding immediate payment has spread into Idaho and the Northwest. Officials want folks to just hang up.
Tea party makes record long jump in calling Idaho GOP incumbent ‘basically Democrat’
This commentary from the Moscow-Pullman Daily News does not necessarily reflect the view of The Spokesman-Review’s editorial board. The friend of my enemy is my enemy.
Troupis withdraws backing of fellow Republican Wasden for Idaho AG
BOISE – Less than a week after the Idaho Republican Party gathered for a rally on the steps of the state Capitol, where vanquished challengers pledged to support the primary election victors and move forward as a united party, the proclaimed unity is splintering. C.T. “Chris” Troupis said Tuesday that he’s withdrawing his endorsement of current Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, who’s running for re-election. Troupis lost to Wasden in the Republican primary, 59 percent to 40 percent, but announced his endorsement of his opponent at the unity rally the morning after last Tuesday’s Idaho primary election.