It appears that the possibility of a few open seats in the State of Idaho has many State Legislators jumping ship to try and compete for them. Not having to face an entrenched incumbent seems too tempting for some.
The first open seat is the 1st Congressional District currently occupied by Representative Raul Labrador. With his announcement to run for Governor in 2018, several Republicans have thrown their hat in the ring. David Leroy and Russ Fulcher have already jumped in and current State Representative Luke Malek from Coeur D’Alene is making a run for it as well.
Another race that has caused a bit of an exodus from the Legislature is the one for Lt. Governor. With current Lt. Governor Brad Little running for Governor, you have not only former Republican Party Chair Steve Yates and Janice McGeachin running to fill his spot but THREE current State Legislators as well.
State Senator Marv Hagedorn from the Boise area is running. State Representative Kelly Packer from Southeast Idaho has entered the race as well. And finally, State Senator Bob Nonini from District 3 in Northern Idaho recently jumped in to add to the fray.
Just between those two races, you have at least four State Legislators moving on. Who knows how many others might pack the already crowded field for these higher offices before the filing deadline passes.
Regardless, it sets up a very busy and possibly high turnover year in 2018 when it comes to the makeup of the Legislature in Idaho.
