This Boise candidate raised tens of thousands more than her opponent. Why she lost
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bradescu raised twice as much as the incumbent yet lost by nearly 50 percentage points.
- Jimmy Hallyburton spent less per vote and leveraged incumbent recognition to win.
- Campaign spending targeted staff and door knockers but failed to shift district lean.
A Boise City Council candidate raised twice as much money as her opponent. She had the backing of prominent Republicans, like U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher, who donated $500 to her campaign. So how did she lose by almost 50 points?
Lynn Bradescu, a conservative real estate agent running on the idea that the city wasn’t listening to its residents, reported raising $76,000 and spending $54,000. That means she spent around $20 for each vote she got.
By contrast, her opponent, incumbent Jimmy Hallyburton, spent about $2.40 for each of his 8,400 votes. He won with 70.7% of the vote, according to unofficial election results.
“Money certainly helps you, especially when you’re a challenger and you’re trying to get name recognition,” said Jeff Lyons, an associate professor at Boise State University.
But in general, there’s more going on in election results than just money, he said. Incumbents also have the advantage of name recognition and time in the district, challenges that Bradescu wasn’t able to overcome.
“If people in the district are happy and satisfied, it’s harder to make the case for why you should change,” Lyons said.
Bradescu and former progressive City Council Member Lisa Sánchez ran in District 6, in Hallyburton’s second re-election bid. Hallyburton received 70.7%, Bradescu 22.1% and Sánchez 7.2% of the vote.
District 6 runs from West Downtown to Horseshoe Bend Road near Idaho 55. It’s bounded by the Boise River and runs all the way into the Foothills.
Bradescu spent over $14,000 on paid door knockers from a group called Mobilize the Message, which has offices in Texas, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
She also assembled a team: She paid almost $10,000 in wages to several people, including $5,000 to campaign manager Tim Flaherty, a political consultant to candidates and the co-founder and vice president of Astegos, a Garden City nonprofit.
InvestigateWest reported in 2024 that Flaherty was convicted of wire fraud in 2009 and has faced allegations of dishonesty from some leaders of Idaho nonprofits who worked with him. Several candidates told InvestigateWest that they had no problem with Flaherty, and Bradescu told the Idaho Statesman that said she thinks the allegations were “all made up.” Attempts to reach Flaherty were unsuccessful.
Brian Almon, a conservative commentator who writes an Idaho politics blog, served as her communications director. Bradescu paid him $2,000. She also paid Janet Lawrence $1,500 to be the operations manager and Stephen Chrysler $1,000 to be the volunteer coordinator.
“It sounds like she did, from the campaign-operation side, all of the things that were in her power,” Lyons said. “It just didn’t work out.”
Hallyburton paid $6,000 to local Democrat Tiffani Deems for management services.
How do Republicans and Democrats fare in Boise?
Even though Bradescu had the support of prominent Republicans, it was a nonpartisan race, so voters couldn’t see who was in each party on the ballot. The district is liberal, so any hints of her political affiliation would have hurt her.
“It’s really hard to fight against the political or partisan leanings of a district no matter how much money you spend,” said Jaclyn Kettler, a Boise State political scientist. “The partisan makeup was a battle.”
Bradescu’s challenges are the opposite of the typical Idaho partisan battle, where Democrats face steep disadvantages.
She did raise large amounts from outside the district. She also raised money from prominent Republicans like Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane and Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts.
Ryan Spoon, a conservative activist, said in an email that he donated to Bradescu because he opposed Hallyburton’s support for “Housing First” policies and low-barrier shelters like Interfaith Sanctuary. Bradescu would keep Boise safe, he said, from issues like drug use and crime.
Housing First aims to get people off the street first, then provide treatment. A low-barrier shelter has few qualifications for its guests to stay there.
Dustin Hurst, who previously worked with the Idaho Freedom Foundation, told the Statesman in an email that he supported Bradescu because she opposed property tax increases.
In a phone interview, Bradescu said the city’s open space levy on the ballot hurt her by drawing people out to vote who she said were more likely to vote for Hallyburton. The levy passed with 80.7% of the vote.
She said she wants to be a voice for the people who object to the city’s decisions, like allowing Interfaith Sanctuary to relocate to State Street or the open space levy.
“I’m not giving up,” Bradescu said. “I’m going to be a voice for the people.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
