District 3 stays Republican
COEUR d'ALENE - Coeur d'Alene Republican Bob Nonini had a lead early today in his likely successful bid to win an Idaho Senate seat for legislative District 3.
He had 5,265 votes while his Democrat opponent, Kristy Reed Johnson, had 2,545, with 15 of Kootenai County's 73 precincts counted along with absentee ballots.
Nonini, 58, an insurance broker, has been in the Idaho House for eight years.
His primary issue is working to help the state's economy recover, and continue implementing the Students Come First legislation.
Johnson, 66, of Post Falls, who calls herself a moderate, wants to work on reforming education and implementing Obamacare on the state level.
She also wants to work to secure infrastructure funding for roads, bridges and high-speed Internet in rural areas.
Republican Frank N. Henderson, who turns 90 next month, was receiving 70 percent of the vote with 15 precincts counted in the race for a state House seat in District 3.
Henderson had 5,378 votes to Democratic opponent Ronald K. Johnson's 2,333 votes.
Henderson is a retired marketing executive and newspaper publisher, former Post Falls mayor and Kootenai County commissioner, and has been an Idaho legislator since 2005.
Johnson, a 76-year-old retired airline and military pilot, pledged to accept no contributions. He believes candidates' constant search for contributions in the past has diminished the democracy.
Johnson, of Post Falls, wants to work to reverse the trend of lobbyists dictating so much of what goes on in government.
He has been the Kootenai County state committeeman for the Idaho Democratic Party.
In the other state House seat in District 3, Republican Ron Mendive, 62, of Coeur d'Alene, had secured 5,165 votes to Democrat David Larsen's 2,510 votes.
Larsen, 73, of Coeur d'Alene, is a retired high school mathematics teacher.
Mendive wants to work to reduce the debt and to protect private property rights. He also wants to work on education.
He worked in mining, logging and spent 25 years self-employed.