Election recount confirms incredibly narrow result in Idaho House Republican primary race

Rep. Julianne Young’s narrow loss in the Republican primary in May was confirmed in a recount. The three-term incumbent, R-Blackfoot, lost by four votes in the District 30 Seat B race.

Challenger Ben Fuhriman earned 3,764 votes to Young’s 3,760, according to a news release from the Idaho Secretary of State’s office. The results widened Fuhriman’s victory from the official election results, which gave him a two-vote victory in the district that covers Butte and Bingham counties. Fuhriman will face Democrat Breane Buckingham in November.

Young requested a recount after the slim margin qualified for a free recount.

The small shift in results following the recount was the third iteration of the election’s results, after an error in Butte County on Election Day shifted a 10-vote margin to the two-vote outcome, the Secretary of State’s Office previously said in a news release. The two-vote margin was the official vote canvass before the recount, which further shifted two votes in Butte County.

Fuhriman’s victory was generally viewed as an exception to an election trend that is likely to sweep multiple far-right lawmakers into office, after those candidates appeared to pick up five House seats in battles against more traditional opponents. Fuhriman’s platform was more moderate than Young’s. She sponsored a bill this year to limit transgender or nonbinary people’s access to medical treatment, which became law.

Fuhriman noted that his victory was one of the closest in Idaho history in a statement to the Idaho Statesman.

“I am excited to serve the people of District 30 in the Idaho House and deeply humbled and honored for their trust and support,” he said.

Young told the Statesman by email that she appreciated the “professional manner” of the recount, which “put any questions to rest.”

“It has been a privilege to successfully implement foundational public policies for the state of Idaho in defense of our families, mental health care access, and private property rights,” she said. “I wish my opponent the very best in his service and pledge my continued service in other capacities wherever I may stand.”

Young added that her father, Dr. Richard Hill, died this month, and his funeral was over the weekend in Blackfoot.

“While I will miss serving the good people of my district, I would not trade the weeks I spent in the hospital with my father during election season for anything,” she said.

Secretary of State Phil McGrane said in a news release that the confirmed outcomes had “reaffirmed that Idaho elections are accurate, secure, and transparent.”

This story was originally published June 26, 2024 at 5:56 PM.

Ian Max Stevenson

Idaho Statesman

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Ian Max Stevenson covers state politics and climate change at the Idaho Statesman. If you like seeing stories like this, please consider supporting his work with a digital subscription. Support my work with a digital subscription