The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 and elected two

U.S. representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, one from each of the state's two

congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

. The elections coincided with those of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

. Candidate filing took place between February 27 and March 9, 2012. Primary elections were held on May 15, 2012.

Overview

Redistricting

Although Idaho's overall population grew by more than 20 percent during the period between 2000 and 2010, more significant growth elsewhere meant the state did not gain extra representation in the House of Representatives, instead remaining at two seats. The

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

found that the population of the 1st district, which previously comprised the state's western and northern counties, as well as parts of

Ada County Ada County is located in the southwestern part of Idaho, United States. As of the 2021 United States census estimate, the county had a population of 511,931, making it by far the state's most populous county; it is home to 26.8% of the state's p ...

including much of western

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...

, had 116,278 more residents than the 2nd district, which included the rest of Boise, the

Magic Valley The Magic Valley is a region in south-central Idaho constituting Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties. It is particularly associated with the agricultural region in the Snake River Plain located ...

region and the state's eastern counties. This shift in population meant that the 2nd district, currently represented by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Mike Simpson Michael Keith Simpson (born September 8, 1950) is an American politician and former dentist serving as the U.S. representative for since 1999. The district covers most of the eastern portion of the state, including Idaho Falls, Pocatello, S ...

, would include more of Ada County beginning in 2012 and up through the 2020 Congressional election. In October 2011 the Idaho Commission on Redistricting approved by a 4-2 vote a Congressional district map which moved the district boundary in Boise west from Cole Road to Cloverdale Road. This placed almost all of Boise in the 2nd district, with only a few far western neighborhoods remaining in the 1st district. Other Ada County cities including

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

, Star, Kuna and Garden City remained in the 1st district. No changes were made to Congressional district boundaries outside Ada County. On January 18, 2012, the

Idaho Supreme Court The Idaho Supreme Court is the state supreme court of Idaho and is composed of the chief justice and four associate justices. The decisions of the Idaho Supreme Court are binding on all other Idaho state courts. The only court that may reverse ...

struck down the redistricting plan approved by the Commission on Redistricting in October 2011 on the grounds that it violated the Idaho Constitution. The commission reconvened on January 26, 2012, to make necessary revisions which were approved the following day. The commission's January 2012 changes dealt solely with state legislative districts, leaving the original Congressional redistricting plan intact.

District 1

Republican

Raúl Labrador Raúl Rafael Labrador (born December 8, 1967) is an American lawyer and politician who is the Attorney General-elect of Idaho. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the Idaho Republican Party from 2019 to 2020 and served as the U.S. Repre ...

, who was first elected to represent the 1st district in 2010, will run for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Reed McCandless, truck driver

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Jimmy Farris James Robert Farris (born April 13, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver who retired from the NFL in 2009. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Congress in 2012. Early years Farris attended Lewiston High School in ...

, former NFL player

=Eliminated in primary

= * Cynthia Clinkingbeard, former physician and college professor

=Declined

= *

Walt Minnick Walter Clifford Minnick (born September 20, 1942) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is in the western part of the state, and ...

, former U.S. Representative

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Rob Oates, chairman of the

Libertarian Party of Idaho The Libertarian Party of Idaho, also known as the LPID, is the affiliate of the Libertarian Party in the U.S. state of Idaho. The current chair is Jayson Sorensen. Although it currently has no representation in the Idaho Legislature, it is one o ...

and former member of the Caldwell City Council

Independents

Pro-Life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respon ...

, a

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...

formerly known as Marvin Richardson, ran as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

General election

Results

District 2

Republican

, who had represented the 2nd district since 1999, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Chick Heileson, businessman and candidate for this seat in 2010

=Withdrew

= * John Baird, businessman

=Declined

= *

Janice McGeachin Janice K. McGeachin (; born January 18, 1963) is an American far-right politician and businesswoman serving as the 43rd lieutenant governor of Idaho since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was previously a member of the Idaho Hou ...

, State representative

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Nicole LeFavour Nicole LeFavour (born February 8, 1964) is an American politician and educator from Idaho who served as an Idaho State Senator from 2008 to 2012. LeFavour previously served in the Idaho House of Representatives from 2004 to 2008. Early life, ed ...

, State Senator

=Eliminated in primary

= * Jack Wayne Chappell

=Withdrawn

= * Eldon Wallace, nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2010

Primary results

General election

Results

References

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP) ...

Outside spending
at the Sunlight Foundation {{2012 United States elections

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

United StatesHouse of Representatives

Overview

Redistricting

District 1

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

=Eliminated in primary

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

=Eliminated in primary

=Declined

Primary results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

=Nominee

Independents

General election

Results

District 2

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

=Eliminated in primary

=Withdrew

=Declined

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

=Eliminated in primary

=Withdrawn

Primary results

General election

Results

References

External links