Casey at peace with loss
BOISE – Coeur d’Alene High School Principal Steve Casey says he’s not sorry he ran for state superintendent of schools – even though he finished a distant third in a GOP primary that saw the only noneducator vying for the position eke out a narrow win.
“I’m thinking they got the wrong guy in there,” Casey said with a chuckle on Wednesday after late returns gave the victory to businessman Tom Luna. Schoolteacher and state legislator Steve Smylie, who had led in early returns, lost narrowly to Luna.
Casey said he’s hearing “second-guessing” about whether his candidacy served as a spoiler to hand the race to Luna over Smylie, but said, “That was never my issue – my issue was all about kids. I felt I was the best candidate of the three. I wouldn’t change a thing that I did.”
Luna, who lost to current Democratic Superintendent Marilyn Howard four years ago, now will face Howard’s chief deputy, Jana Jones, in November. Jones defeated state Sen. Bert Marley, of McCammon, a schoolteacher, to win the Democratic primary.
Luna and Smylie each ended up with 41 percent of the vote, but Luna edged Smylie by 618 votes. Luna collected 53,115 votes to Smylie’s 52,497. Casey received 22,384 votes, or 17 percent.
“I was flattered and honored that 20,000 people voted for us,” Casey said. “We just didn’t get in it in time, didn’t have enough exposure around the state.”
Casey said he doesn’t regret his decision to continue working full time as a high school principal while he campaigned, though it gave him less time to raise money and travel the state. He’s retiring at the end of the current school year.
Though Casey said he congratulates Luna, he said, “Personally, I think that person ought to have an educational background, and I find it difficult for a person without an educational background to be the chief school officer for the state of Idaho. I said that during the campaign, and I’ll say that now – I think that’s inappropriate.”
Casey said he wouldn’t rule out a future political bid. “We had a positive message. I feel really good about the campaign,” he said. “I don’t feel so good about the results. But we’ll just move on.”
Luna owns a manufacturing business, served on his local school board and state commissions, and was an adviser to U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. But he obtained his college degree – the minimum requirement for the superintendent’s job – by correspondence just in time to run four years ago, and has never been a teacher or school administrator or studied education.
Jones, who holds a doctorate in education, thanked Marley at a Democratic Party press conference Wednesday for a contested race that she said allowed the two candidates to bring out issues facing the state’s education system.
She was critical of Luna, saying, “We’re dealing with children. They’re not widgets you can put together and sell.”
Luna said, “It was a well-contested race, but the people of Idaho spoke, and we’re moving forward.”