In 2010, Republicans Mitch Toryanski and Julie Ellsworth barely defeated Democrats Branden Durst and Janie Ward-Engelking for two of District 18's three seats in Idaho's most closely contested swing district.

Durst and Ward-Engelking came back for a rematch, and this time voters elected three Democrats.

Durst beat Toryanski 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent. Ward-Engelking defeated Ellsworth 55 percent to 45 percent.

Incumbent Democrat Phylis King won a fourth term for the second House seat, defeating Republican nominee Brad Bolicek, 56 percent to 44 percent.

Meanwhile, in West Boise's District 15, Republican Fred Martin held off a strong challenge from Democrat Betty Richardson for the State Senate seat left vacant by retiring nine-term Republican Sen. John Andreason. Martin collected 52 percent of the vote to 48 for Richardson.

State Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, a co-sponsor of a bill that sought to require women to submit to transvaginal ultrasounds before going through with abortions, easily survived Democrat James Mace's campaign to push him out of the Legislature. More than 68 percent of the vote went to Winder, and less than 32 percent went to Mace.