BOISE, Idaho — Challenger Ryan Davidson upset incumbent Diana Lachiondo in a close race for Ada County's 1st District commissioner seat.
With all precincts reporting, Davidson, a Republican from Garden City, had 51.2% of the vote compared to Lachiondo's 48.8%. With about 250,000 votes cast, Davidson won by just over 6,100 votes.
Lachiondo, a Democrat from Boise, was seeking a second term as commissioner. She was first elected to the seat in 2018.
In an email to supporters Wednesday afternoon, Lachiondo noted that she received more votes than any other local Democrat on the ballot - 123,000 - but still fell short.
"The good fight is always, always worth fighting, even when you come up short," she wrote.
In the county's 2nd District, Republican Rod Beck beat Democrat Bill Rutherford for an open commissioner's seat, currently held by Republican Patrick Malloy, who was appointed to the post by Gov. Brad Little in April following Rick Visser's retirement.
Unofficial results late Tuesday night showed Beck had 53.9% of the vote compared to 46.1% for Rutherford.
Davidson and Beck's victories mean Republicans now have a two-to-one advantage on the commission. The third commissioner's seat - District 3 - is currently held by Democrat Kendra Kenyon, who was not up for reelection this year.
Also on Tuesday night Sheriff Steve Bartlett and Prosecutor Jan Bennetts easily fended off challenges from Zachery Wagner and Ron Twilegar, respectively.
According to the unofficial results, Bartlett picked up 61.4% of the vote while Wagner got 38.6%. Bennetts, meanwhile, won with 58.6% compared to 41.4% for Twilegar.
In a hotly contested race for Ada County Highway District commissioner, incumbent Rebecca Arnold appeared to lose by a razor-thin margin to challenger Alexis Pickering. With 100% of precincts reporting, Arnold had 15,733 votes, just two less than her opponent, Alexis Pickering, for the seat in District 2. Because the race is so close, it could be subject to a recount.
In the ACHD District 1 seat, incumbent Jim Hansen cruised to victory with a 54% of the vote, while challenger Kara Veit garnered 46%.
Dave McKinney easily won the election for the ACDH District 5 seat, beating Emilie Jackson-Edney on a 60.5% to 39.5% margin. The seat is currently held by Sara Baker, who did not run for reelection.
All election results will remain unofficial until all votes are certified.
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