These are the 20 most liberal places in Idaho
Idaho is a solidly red state, and though Democrats have been competitive here in the past, Idahoans have long favored values like small government and a focus on agriculture. So what exactly does Idaho’s political landscape look like today?
Voters registered with the state’s only liberal party, the Democrats, make up nearly 12 percent of Idaho’s 815,657 registered voters.
In contrast, Idahoans who are registered as members of conservative parties — Republican, Libertarian and Constitution Party — constitute 53 percent of voters. Libertarian and Constitution voters combined make up just over 1 percent of that total.
Idaho also has quite a few unaffiliated voters. They make up 35 percent of the electorate.
Only two cities in Idaho have larger populations of liberal voters than conservative voters — Ketchum and Lapwai. And though Boise is considered by some to be the liberal hub of the state because of the sheer number of Democratic voters, only 17.2 percent of Ada County voters are liberal, compared with as much as 21.3 percent of voters in Shoshone County who are registered Democrats.
We looked at party registration for the 100 cities and towns in Idaho with the most registered voters to find the most liberal places in the state — where Democrats have the highest percentage of voters compared with other cities. Of course, that’s relative, as conservatives still outnumber liberals in even the most liberal places. (Including Boise, where unaffiliated voters outnumber both partisan affiliations)
Keep in mind that not all of these registered voters participate in every election, nor do they always vote along party lines.
Know your (liberal) Idaho cities
Ketchum — Blaine County in central Idaho. Population: 2,753
Osburn — 45 miles east of Coeur d’Alene in Shoshone County. Population: 1,507
Kellogg — 35 miles east of Coeur d’Alene in Shoshone County. Population: 2,081
Lapwai — 13 miles east of Lewiston in Nex Perce County. Population: 1,148
Moscow — The county seat of Latah County in Idaho’s Panhandle. Population: 25,322
Hailey — The seat of Blaine County is central Idaho. Population: 8,218
Boise — Idaho’s capitol. Population: 223,154
Victor — 25 miles from Jackson, Wyoming, in southeast Idaho. Population: 2,055
Garden City — Adjacent to Boise in Ada County. Population: 11,602
Driggs — 35 miles from Jackson, Wyoming, in Teton County. Population: 1,736
Sun Valley — Resort town in central Idaho. Population: 1,436
Pinehurst — 6.5 miles west of Kellogg in the Idaho Panhandle. Population: 1,577
McCall — 110 miles north of Boise in central Idaho. Population: 3,278
Bellevue — 5 miles south of Hailey in Blaine County. Population: 2,315
Tetonia — 50 miles northeast of Idaho Falls in Teton County. Population: 280
Potlatch — 6 miles east of the Washington border in Latah County. Population: 813
Coeur d’Alene — Seat of Kootenai County in Idaho’s Panhandle. Population: 50,285
Plummer — 35 miles south of Coeur d’Alene in Benewah County. Population: 1,017
Pocatello — Seat of Bannock County in southeast Idaho. Population: 54,746
American Falls — Seat of Power County, 25 miles west of Pocatello. Population: 4,311
This story was originally published July 26, 2018 at 10:22 AM.