Kootenai County Sheriff
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Norris (R) | 28,687 | 63.86% |
| Mike Bauer (I) | 12,138 | 27.02% |
| Justin Nagel (L) | 4,100 | 9.13% |
* 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
Bob Norris
- Party:
- Republican
Education: Attended California State University, Long Beach, and completed the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s management training program.
Political experience: None.
Work experience: Worked for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for 30 years in patrol, drug enforcement, gang investigations, jail custody, counterterrorism and emergency preparedness. Retired in 2014 as a lieutenant responsible for coordinating law enforcement services with the cities of Commerce, Maywood and Cudahy.
Family: Married. Has five children.
Campaign finance: Raised nearly $44,000 as of Oct. 5, according to reports filed with the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office.
Mike Bauer
- Party:
- Independent
Education: Graduated from North High School in Torrance, California, in 1967. Earned an associate degree from El Camino College in Torrance, California, and a bachelor’s degree in public service management from the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.
Political experience: None.
Work experience: Worked for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for 33 years in jail operations, patrol and vice, organized crime and other special investigations. Helped launch the agency’s risk management bureau and retired as a captain in 2002. Worked as a hay farmer in Trout Creek, Montana, from 2002 to 2011, and served as a deputy coroner for Sanders County, Montana, from 2009 to 2010. Has worked as a private investigator on the 1998 disappearance of a Los Angeles County deputy.
Family: Married. Has one adult son.
Campaign finance: Raised nearly $24,000 as of Oct. 4, according to reports filed with the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office.
Justin Nagel
- Party:
- Libertarian
Education: Graduated from Lakeland High School in Rathdrum in 1996. Briefly attended North Idaho College.
Political experience: None.
Work experience: Has worked in underground mining, core drilling and carpentry in Idaho and Nevada since 1997. Currently works as a carpenter.
Family: Single. No children.
Campaign finance: Raised $761 as of Sept. 7, according to reports filed with the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office.
Complete Coverage
Three candidates vying to become the next Kootenai County sheriff
The race for Kootenai County sheriff features two candidates with long careers at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and a Rathdrum native who accuses local law enforcement officials of working with “the mob.” Bob Norris, Mike Bauer and Justin Nagel are vying to replace Sheriff Ben Wolfinger, who is retiring after four two-year terms in office.