Who’s leading in Republican primary for Ada County Commission?
Updated 9:48 p.m.: Several county-level races in Ada and Canyon counties had contested primaries Tuesday night, and early results showed comfortable leads for several candidates.
Ada County Commission
In perhaps the most hotly contested county race in the primary, Republican incumbent Ryan Davidson vied for the District 1 Ada County Commission spot against challenger Holly Cook. By 10 p.m., Davidson led with 21,107 votes, or 56%, to Cook’s 16,519, or 44%.
Cook filed a complaint with the county earlier this year that alleged Davidson was registered to vote at a vacant lot where he was not a resident. The county clerk’s office dismissed the complaint last week after determining Davidson’s registration was valid.
The Republican primary winner will face the District 1 Democratic primary winner in the general election in November. Kelceymarie Warner led C. Aaron Swisher with nearly two-thirds of the vote early on.
Democrat Michael Fitzgerald held a strong lead — 70% of the vote — over competitor Otto Rene Gramajo for the Ada County Commission’s District 2 seat.
The Democratic primary winner will face Republican incumbent Rod Beck in the general election. Beck has held the seat since 2020.
Ada County Treasurer
Republican candidate Todd Christensen led his opponent, Rob Brown, with 67% of the vote.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat April Frederick in the November general election.
The winner of the general election will replace incumbent Ada County Treasurer Elizabeth Mahn, who withdrew from the race after registering in March.
Brown has previously worked for the Ada County Treasurer’s Office and has a degree in finance from Idaho State University. Christensen has a background in marketing and a political science degree from Boise State University.
Ada County Coroner
Chief Deputy Ada County Coroner Brett Harding had an early lead in the Republican primary against political newcomer Tim Flaherty.
Harding had 60% of the vote in early reports.
The winner of the Republican primary will face former Ada County Coroner Dotti Owens, a Democrat, in November.
Unlike medical examiners, coroners are not physicians. Idaho law requires coroners to attend a “coroner’s school” within one year of taking office. Medical examiners and coroners are both known as medicolegal death investigators, a term Idaho applies to people who make formal inquiries or examinations to determine the cause and manner of a person’s death.
Harding entered the race with the endorsement of incumbent coroner Rich Riffle, as well as several other Idaho coroners and industry professionals who attested to his years of experience as a death investigator.
Flaherty’s qualifications were far less clear. The Boise man is the CEO of a troubled nonprofit focused on homelessness services and previously served time in federal prison for wire fraud. He completed a 40-hour training course through the Death Investigation Training Academy, but the institution told the Idaho Statesman Flaherty would not be eligible to take its certification exam because of his criminal history.
