Race Analysis

Idaho is one of the most heavily Republican states in the country. It gave President Bush 69 percent of the vote in 2004, and in 2008 it gave John McCain 61 percent -- his fourth highest percentage in the country. Mitt Romney improved on this showing, winning 64 percent of the vote in 2012 (his fourth-best showing also). But unlike other heavily Republican states such as Wyoming and Nebraska, Idaho hasn’t toyed with Democrats in the statehouse: Republicans have held the governor’s mansion since 1994.

The current governor, Butch Otter, left Congress for his current job in 2006. For a while he looked vulnerable in the general election, but he survived the national Republican downturn and won an eight-point victory. He faces off against Boise school board President A.J. Balukoff and is not expected to have much difficulty winning re-election.