Deborah Silver appointed Democratic candidate for state treasurer

Members of the Idaho Democratic Party State Central Committee have appointed Deborah Silver as the party’s nominee for the state treasurer’s race in this year’s general election.

Silver, who ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2014, replaces candidate Jill Ellsworth, who won the Democratic Party’s May primary, but withdrew from the race June 9.

Silver will run against State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth, the Republican incumbent in the race.

Silver is a certified public accountant who has worked as an auditor for a national accounting firm, according to a news release issued Wednesday by the Idaho Democratic Party. Silver is a graduate of Boise State University.

“Idahoans deserve a treasurer with the technical skills to oversee our state’s finances. As a seasoned accountant, Deborah Silver has the qualifications voters can trust,” Rep. Lauren Necochea, who also serves as chairwoman of the Idaho Democratic Party, said in a written statement.

In the 2014 general election, then-State Treasurer Ron Crane defeated Silver by a margin of 61% to 39%.

This is the second time in recent weeks that Idaho Democrats have had to call upon a replacement candidate to step in to run for statewide office in an election that is now less than 12 weeks away. On July 26, Boise attorney Tom Arkoosh announced that he is now the Idaho Democratic Party’s nominee for Idaho attorney general. Arkoosh is running against former Republican U.S. Rep. Raúl Labrador, who defeated incumbent Attorney General Lawrence Wasden in the May primary election.