2026 Idaho Primary: The 17 Closest Legislative Races
Published May 20, 2026 · Based on unofficial returns from the Idaho Secretary of State. Results will not be official until certified by the Idaho State Board of Canvassers on June 9, 2026.
Idaho's May 19 primary produced seventeen contested legislative races decided — or still being decided — by a margin of less than 10 percentage points. Five sitting Republican legislators were trailing or losing in those close races, including a sitting senator, an incumbent in a district where the challenger shares his last name, and a House budget committee co-chair who fell to a third-place finish in a three-way primary.
Incumbents losing or trailing
Five races where sitting Idaho legislators are behind in unofficial returns. Margins range from 40 votes to about 1,000.
Rep. Tanya Burgoyne (incumbent) trailing Jennifer Miles
Result: Miles 50.56% / Burgoyne 49.44%
1,814 vs 1,774 — gap of 40 votes
Rep. Mark Sauter (incumbent) trailing Jane Sauter
Result: Jane Sauter 53.44% / Mark Sauter 46.56%
8,081 vs 7,041 — gap of 1,040 votes (Boundary County still partial)
Sen. Jim Woodward (incumbent) trailing Scott Herndon
Result: Herndon 53.39% / Woodward 46.61%
8,182 vs 7,142 — gap of 1,040 votes (Boundary County still partial)
Rep. Lucas Cayler (incumbent) trailing Debbie Geyer
Result: Geyer 53.28% / Cayler 46.72%
1,665 vs 1,460 — gap of 205 votes
Rep. Steve Miller (incumbent) in third place in a three-way primary won by Chance Requa
Result: Requa 38.73% / Mostoller 32.06% / Miller 29.21%
3,779 / 3,128 / 2,850
Incumbents winning narrowly
Eight races where sitting Republican legislators are ahead by under 10 percentage points. Margins range from 151 votes (Ehardt) to 745 (Hostetler).
Rep. Barbara Ehardt (incumbent) over Connor Cook
Result: Ehardt 51.59% / Cook 48.41%
2,449 vs 2,298 — gap of 151 votes
Sen. Dan Foreman (incumbent) over Rep. Lori McCann, who left her House seat to challenge for the Senate
Result: Foreman 52.71% / McCann 47.29%
4,243 vs 3,806 — gap of 437 votes
Sen. Jim Guthrie (incumbent) over David Worley
Result: Guthrie 53.28% / Worley 46.72%
3,905 vs 3,424 — gap of 481 votes
Rep. Clint Hostetler (incumbent) over Alexandra Caval
Result: Hostetler 53.80% / Caval 46.20%
5,273 vs 4,528 — gap of 745 votes
Sen. Josh Keyser (incumbent) over Russ Spencer and Richard Marsh
Result: Keyser 40.01% / Spencer 31.99% / Marsh 28.00%
2,410 / 1,927 / 1,686 — gap of 483 votes between first and second
Rep. Marco Erickson (incumbent) over Jilene Burger
Result: Erickson 54.08% / Burger 45.92%
2,465 vs 2,093 — gap of 372 votes
Sen. Christy Zito (incumbent) over Megan C Blanksma and Terry F. Gestrin
Result: Zito 43.17% / Blanksma 34.71% / Gestrin 22.12%
3,571 / 2,871 / 1,829 — gap of 700 votes between first and second
Rep. Ben G. Fuhriman (incumbent) over former state legislator Julianne Young
Result: Fuhriman 54.33% / Young 45.67%
4,476 vs 3,763 — gap of 713 votes
Close open-seat races
Four close primaries with no sitting incumbent on the ballot.
Kelly Walton over Greg Ferch
Result: Walton 50.94% / Ferch 49.06%
3,120 vs 3,005 — gap of 115 votes
Richard (Rick) Cheatum over James Floyd Lamborn and Mike Saville
Result: Cheatum 43.47% / Lamborn 40.19% / Saville 16.34%
3,120 / 2,885 / 1,173 — gap of 235 votes between first and second
Robin Weldy over Richard Gayler
Result: Weldy 52.34% / Gayler 47.66%
1,344 vs 1,224 — gap of 120 votes
Trish Carter-Goodheart over Bryce Blankenship and Ryan Wayne Augusta
Result: Carter-Goodheart 52.45% / Blankenship 44.36% / Augusta 3.19%
1,382 / 1,169 / 84 — gap of 213 votes between first and second
Margin reference
| Range | Races |
|---|---|
| Less than 2 percentage points | 2 |
| 2 to 5 percentage points | 3 |
| 5 to 10 percentage points | 12 |
| Total close races | 17 |
Under Idaho Code §34-2309, the state pays for a recount when the margin is one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) or fewer, or five votes or fewer — whichever is greater. Any candidate may request a recount at their own expense under §34-2301, within 20 days of canvass, regardless of margin. The closest race — District 29 Seat B Republican primary — has a margin of 1.12 percent (40 votes). See How Idaho election recounts work.
What's next
Three precincts in Boundary County, part of Idaho's first legislative district, had not fully reported as of the latest data refresh; updated returns from those precincts may shift the margins in both the SD 1 and HD 1A races.
Official certification is scheduled for the Idaho State Board of Canvassers meeting on June 9, 2026. Returns will continue to update at results.voteidaho.gov until then. Tally Idaho's race-by-race tracking, including the primary election homepage and the individual district pages, is updating in real time.