Ada County’s sheriff, prosecutor and 2 commissioners vied for re-election. Here’s who won
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Idaho Elections 2024
Learn who’s running for state and county offices in Ada and Canyon counties, and follow our coverage of the May 2024 party primaries and the November 2024 election.
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Incumbent Republicans won in all four Ada County races after facing off with challengers from the Democratic and Constitution parties who had never held elected office.
With all ballots counted, incumbents in every race won by at least 37,000 votes — the largest margin, at least for commissioners’ races, since at least 2016.
Democratic challengers for county commissioner and prosecutor had made the case that they brought real-world experience to the table and could better represent a wide range of Ada County residents.
Incumbents, meanwhile, argued they had the connections and political know-how to govern smoothly and save taxpayers money if re-elected. Some viewed their victories as a message of approval of the work they’d already done.
“I don’t think it has to do with anything that I’ve promised. I think it has to do with everything that I’ve already done,” incumbent Republican Sheriff Matt Clifford told the Idaho Statesman at an election watch party. Clifford won easily against Constitution Party challenger Doug Traubel, with 76.3% to Traubel’s 23.7%.
“I also think that it is a testament to the agency, because Matt Clifford didn’t land here and change the scope of the agency, or the environment of the agency … This is an agency that has been coming through history with a lot of public support, doing the right thing … and all I’ve done is continue that,” Clifford said.
Traubel ran against Clifford for the second time in two years in a race where the Democratic candidate dropped out.
Ada County Commissioner for District 1, Ryan Davidson, beat challenger Jonathan Lashley. Davidson took 57.5% of the votes cast, Lashley 42.5%. The commissioner for District 3, Tom Dayley, topped newcomer Devin Gutierrez, 58.6% to 41.4%.
And Prosecutor Jan Bennetts defeated challenger Johnathan Baldauf, 60.3% to 39.7%.
Eight candidates vied for the four county positions on the ballot. The county prosecutor, sheriff and commissioners are elected countywide, though commissioners must live in the district they aim to represent.
No Democrat has won an Ada County seat since 2018. Democrats held two of the three commission seats as recently as four years ago, but in November 2020, Republican Davidson defeated incumbent Democrat Diana Lachiondo. In 2022, Democrat Kendra Kenyon did not run again, and Republican Tom Dayley won her seat. Longtime Democratic Coroner Dotti Owens lost to Republican Rich Riffle in 2022.
County commissioners’ race: Insiders vs. newcomers
In Districts 1 and 3, Republican incumbents faced Democratic newcomers without political experience.
Republican incumbents promised “orderly and responsible” governance. They focused on the county’s budget: the desire to cut spending and outsource or streamline government functions where possible.
Democratic candidates argued that the county needed more proactive, forward-thinking leadership to get ahead of the county’s growth. They made the case that their real-world experience had prepared them to represent a wide range of residents, and that they understood the concerns of marginalized groups.
For commissioner in District 1, Davidson, 47, in office since 2021, faced Lashley, 38, an education administrator, for a two-year term. District 1 represents mostly Boise, roughly north of Interstate 84 and east of Idaho 55.
Davidson said his time in the role getting to know all of the county’s departments and staff set him apart — as did his “extensive” grassroots political experience as a former Ada County Republican Party chairman.
Lashley, meanwhile, said his experience “being raised by and among the working poor” would inform his approach to governing, including his interest in “increasing everyone’s access to public goods.”
Lashley, a program manager at the Idaho State Board of Education who teaches part-time and remotely at the College of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls, also cited his work in public education as an asset.
As of Monday, Lashley’s campaign had raised about $13,000. Davidson had raised about $55,000.
Meanwhile, in District 3, Dayley, 80, in office since 2022, faced Gutierrez, 38, who works in behavioral intervention, for a four-year term. District 3 reaches from the Canyon County line east to the Elmore County line and encompasses southern parts of Meridian and Boise.
As results came in Tuesday, Dayley celebrated his lead.
“My goal … is to empower people, not government, that’s my motto,” he told the Statesman at an election watch party. “I understand what the people want. That’s what the expression of the election is. That’s what I’ve been successfully doing.”
Dayley positioned himself as the ultimate government insider, who has navigated working in government at the federal, regional, state and county levels.
Gutierrez, like Lashley, has worked in education and shared on his campaign site that he was raised by a single mother who worked two jobs to support the family. In his Voter Guide submission, he wrote that he has “perspective as someone who has faced struggles.”
As of Monday, Dayley’s campaign had raised over $60,000. Gutierrez had raised about $5,000.
Davidson and Dayley were paid $140,000 per year as of October.
Prosecutor’s race: Seeking greater ‘transparency’
Bennetts, 57, in office since 2014, faced Baldauf, 39, a defense attorney, for a four-year term. As of October, Bennetts was paid about $210,000 annually.
Bennetts and Baldauf appeared to agree on the need for the prosecutor’s office to increase transparency. In her Voter Guide submission, Bennetts said she aimed to share more information about the office’s role and case outcomes, despite “ethical restrictions” on what prosecutors can share publicly.
Baldauf said the office needed to rebuild the public’s trust. “When charges are not being brought, victims should have some understanding as to why,” he wrote.
Bennetts expressed pride in her office’s work, including “fostering strong partnerships” with law enforcement and other stakeholders, and “providing the highest quality of civil legal services to Ada County,” she wrote in her Voter Guide submission.
As of Monday, Bennetts’ campaign had raised $77,000. Baldauf had raised about $30,000.
Sheriff’s race: A rematch of 2022 primary
Clifford, 47, faced Traubel, 59, a private investigator and former police officer in California, for a four-year term. As of October, Clifford was paid about $180,000 annually.
They were rehashing the 2022 Republican primary election, when Clifford took over 65% of the vote in a match against Traubel.
Traubel has been questioned by government officials about comments he’s made, including that “Islam is the culture of death,” and social media posts he’s written about the number of Black men who rape white women, the Statesman previously reported.
On Traubel’s campaign site, he offered his own account of his competition against Clifford. He positioned himself as a challenger to the “GOP establishment” and “Marxist media” that “insulated” Clifford and led to Traubel’s defeat.
No Democrat was in the race. Democratic candidate Victor McCraw withdrew Sept. 6, saying he’d accepted a job in Hawaii, the Statesman previously reported.
As of Monday, Clifford’s campaign had raised over $100,000. Traubel raised about $30,000.
View live results at idahostatesman.com.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:00 PM.
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