Boise, Idaho: Democrats Sweep West Boise District 15 and Pick Up Six Legislative Seats

West Boise has a new senator and a new state representative. Voters in District 15 elected Democrat Nancy Gregory to the Idaho Senate and Democrat Jae Etchart to the Idaho House on Tuesday, flipping two Republican seats in the district the parties watch closest in the Legislature, according to Idaho Education News, which reported results collected from VoteIdaho.gov.

Ada County reported full results at 3:13 a.m. on Wednesday. Gregory, who served 24 years as a Boise school district trustee, defeated Republican Desi Burbank, the secretary of the Idaho PTA, by a 9-point margin. She will replace Sen. Codi Galloway, a Boise Republican who did not seek re-election.

A sweep in west Boise

In House Seat A, Rep. Steve Berch, a Boise Democrat, won a fifth term with 58.3 percent of the vote against Republican challenger Steve Keyser, who had 41.7 percent. In House Seat B, Etchart unseated two-term Rep. Dori Healey, a Boise Republican, with 53.3 percent of the vote. With Gregory and Etchart winning, Democrats sealed all three races in District 15.

The gains did not stop at the Boise city line. In Pocatello's District 29, Democrat Mary Shea ousted Rep. Dustin Manwaring with close to 57 percent of the vote, and former Rep. Nathan Roberts is returning to the House, also with about 57 percent. Sen. James Ruchti, a Pocatello Democrat, was re-elected with 59 percent. In the Magic Valley's District 26, Jerome Democrat Anita Janis ousted one-term Rep. Mike Pohanka, and Bellevue Democrat Kevin Marsh won the open seat held by retiring Rep. Jack Nelsen. Hailey Democrat Ron Taylor won a fourth Senate term in that district.

Six seats, and the supermajority holds

Idaho Education News counted six Democratic pickups in all: one in the Senate and five in the House. The Senate will sit at 28 Republicans and seven Democrats, and the House at 56 Republicans and 14 Democrats. Democrats went into Tuesday holding 15 of the Legislature's 105 seats. Republicans keep the supermajority they have held for decades, and no district is now split between the parties: Republicans hold all three seats in 28 districts, and Democrats hold all three in seven.

Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea told EdNews at an election night watch party that every seat matters even when her party cannot set the agenda. "Even though our numbers are small and we do not get to drive the agenda, we take really critical votes that make a difference in the lives of people," Necochea said.

The results are unofficial. County canvasses and state certification come next, and the new Legislature meets in Boise in January.