Kootenai County crowned Ybarra education queen

COEUR d’ALENE — According to election results, Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra’s victory Tuesday was due in no small part to Kootenai County voters. The incumbent Republican chief of schools staved off her Democratic challenger, Cindy Wilson, by 17,127 votes statewide. That was less than her margin of victory here in Kootenai County. Local voters gave Ybarra a 17,853-vote edge over Wilson on election day.

Ybarra told The Press on Friday that “voters in counties like Kootenai, Boundary, Bonner and Benewah overwhelmingly cast their ballots for me because we share a lot in common.” She shares their values of local control and voters here “appreciate that I’ve made empowering rural school districts a top priority in my administration. They’ve also seen gains in student achievement, and understand that by staying the course, our kids and teachers will continue to benefit from sound leadership.”

Idaho Republican Party Region 1 chairman Bjorn Handeen also attributed Ybarra’s success in Kootenai County to the candidate’s achievements in office.

“Sherri Ybarra has been so good at helping Idaho educators get back to focusing upon their students. She was a Federal Programs Manager in Mountain Home, so she has been very adept at helping administrators to maneuver amongst the bureaucratic obstacles that stand between educators and the students they serve. For example, she reduced in amount and frequency the Idaho System for Educational Excellence (ISEE) reporting requirements.”

The local Republican leader, who chairs the board of Idaho’s largest virtual school, Idaho Virtual Academy, also credited high local Republican turnout to the efforts of local political parties.

“It was the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee that participated in the main ‘Get Out the Vote’ efforts around the county, and in that, we were aided by the Kootenai Democratic Party. In North Idaho, the more well-informed the voters are, the more likely they are to choose the Republican candidate. In fact, I am expecting the analysis to show that in the areas where the Democrats did the most door-knocking, it was our Republican candidates that performed the best.”

Kootenai County Republican Central Committee chairman Brent Regan echoed Handeen, saying that the local party’s efforts to help Ybarra were part of its overall strategy of electing small government conservatives. “The State Party has said ‘without the organizational help of the Kootenai County Republican Party Sheri Ybarra most likely would not have pulled through,’” said Regan. “This recent election illustrates that as Idaho demographics evolve, Kootenai County, and North Idaho in general, will become an essential constituency for statewide office seekers,” he added.

Wilson outraised Ybarra by more than three to one during the election cycle, including last-minute $5,000 donations each from Melaleuca and Frank Vandersloot. However, on election day that didn’t matter to voters, said Ybarra.

“Some think success at the polls is determined by how much money a candidate raises, or who supports (or opposes) you,” she said. “Obviously, one’s team, campaign plan and funding all play a role in determining the outcome of elections, but I believe what matters most is the voter. To be specific, the alignment between a voter’s beliefs and a candidate’s approach to governing.”