Ada County clerk wins GOP race for secretary of state

By KEITH RIDLER

Associated Press

BOISE — The county clerk in Idaho’s largest county has won the GOP primary for secretary of state by defeating two candidates who denied former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane defeated state Rep. Dorothy Moon and state Sen. Mary Souza in a race called Wednesday following voting in Tuesday’s primary.

McGrane had about 43% of the vote compared to just more than 41% for Moon and roughly 16% for Souza.

McGrane had the backing of establishment Republicans, including Gov. Brad Little and former Govs. C.L. “Butch” Otter, Phil Batt and Dirk Kempthorne. He also had the support of former Secretary of State Ben Ysursa.

The secretary of state, besides being the state's top election official, sits on the Idaho Land Board, which manages 3,900 square miles (10,000 square kilometers) of state-owned land that makes money mainly for public schools