Presidential election in Idaho, 2016
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| General election in Idaho |
| Date: November 8, 2016 2016 winner: Donald Trump Electoral votes: 4 2012 winner: Mitt Romney (R) |
| Democratic Caucuses |
| Date: March 22, 2016 Winner: Bernie Sanders |
| Republican Primary |
| Date: March 8, 2016 Winner: Ted Cruz |
| Down ballot races in Idaho |
| U.S. Senate U.S. House Idaho State Senate Idaho House of Representatives Idaho judicial elections Idaho local judicial elections State ballot measures Recalls Click here for more elections in Idaho |
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Idaho held an election for the president of the United States on November 8, 2016. The Idaho Republican primary took place on March 8, 2016. The Idaho Democratic caucuses took place on March 22, 2016.
General election candidates and results
The candidate list below is based on an official list on the Idaho secretary of state website. The candidate names below appear in the order in which they were listed on the official list—not necessarily the order in which they appeared on the ballot in November. Write-in candidates were not included in the list below.
Presidential candidates on the ballot in Idaho
- ☐ Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley (Constitution - listed as Independent)
- ☐ Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine (Democratic)
- ☐ Scott Copeland/J.R. Myers (Constitution)
- ☐ Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg (Independent)
- ☐ Gary Johnson/Bill Weld (Libertarian)
- ☐ Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson (Independent)[1]
- ☐ Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka (Green)
- ☑ Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican)
Results
| U.S. presidential election, Idaho, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 27.5% | 189,765 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
59.3% | 409,055 | 4 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 4.1% | 28,331 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.2% | 8,496 | 0 | |
| Independent | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.6% | 4,403 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Scott Copeland/J.R. Myers | 0.3% | 2,356 | 0 | |
| Independent | Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0.2% | 1,373 | 0 | |
| Independent | Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson | 6.7% | 46,476 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 690,255 | 4 | |||
| Election results via: Idaho Secretary of State | |||||
Historical election trends
- See also: Presidential election accuracy
Below is an analysis of Idaho's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.
Presidential election voting record in Idaho, 1900-2016
Between 1900 and 2016:
- Idaho participated in 30 presidential elections.
- Idaho voted for the winning presidential candidate 76.67 percent of the time. The average accuracy of voting for winning presidential candidates for all 50 states in this time frame was 72.31 percent.[2]
- Idaho voted Democratic 30 percent of the time and Republican 70 percent of the time.
Presidential election voting record in Idaho, 2000-2016
- Accuracy: 60 percent[3]
- 2000 state winner: George W. Bush (R)*
- 2004 state winner: George W. Bush (R)*
- 2008 state winner: John McCain (R)
- 2012 state winner: Mitt Romney (R)
- 2016 state winner: Donald Trump (R)*
*An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election.
Election results
2012
| U.S. presidential election, Idaho, 2012 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Barack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent | 32.6% | 212,787 | 0 | |
| Republican | Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan |
64.5% | 420,911 | 4 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Jim Gray | 1.4% | 9,453 | 0 | |
| Independent | Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala | 0.7% | 4,402 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Virgil Goode/James Clymer | 0.3% | 2,222 | 0 | |
| Independent | Ross C. 'Rocky' Anderson/Luis J. Rodriguez | 0.4% | 2,499 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 652,274 | 4 | |||
| Election results via: Idaho Secretary of State | |||||
2008
| U.S. presidential election, Idaho, 2008 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Barack Obama/Joe Biden | 36.1% | 236,440 | 0 | |
| Republican | John McCain/Sarah Palin |
61.5% | 403,012 | 4 | |
| Independent | Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez | 1.1% | 7,175 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root | 0.6% | 3,658 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle (write-in) | 0.7% | 4,747 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 655,032 | 4 | |||
| Election results via: Idaho Secretary of State | |||||
Electoral votes
- See also: Electoral College
The president of the United States is not elected by popular vote but rather by electors in the Electoral College. In fact, when Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for a slate of electors selected by members of Democratic and Republican state parties or nominated in some other fashion. Under this system, which is laid out in Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution, each state is allocated one electoral vote for every member of their congressional delegation, meaning one for each member of the U.S. House and one for each of their two Senators.
Idaho electors
In 2016, Idaho had four electoral votes. Idaho's share of electoral votes represented 0.7 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 1.5 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president.
"Faithless electors"
The U.S. Constitution does not dictate how presidential electors are to cast their votes, but, in general, electors are expected to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state or the candidates of the party that nominated them to serve as electors. Electors who choose not to vote for the winner of the popular vote or the candidates of the party that nominated them are known as "faithless electors." Faithless electors are rare. Between 1900 and 2012, there were only eight known instances of faithless electors.
Several states have passed laws against faithless electors and require electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, for the candidate of the party that nominated them to serve as electors, or in accordance with any pledge they may have been required to make at the time of their nomination. In states with these types of laws, faithless electors can be fined or replaced, or their votes can be nullified.[4][5]
Idaho was one of 20 states in 2016 without a law seeking to bind the votes of presidential electors.
Down ballot races
- See also: Idaho elections, 2016
Below is a list of down ballot races in Idaho covered by Ballotpedia in 2016.
- U.S. Senate - Incumbent: Mike Crapo (R)
- U.S. House
- Idaho State Senate
- Idaho House of Representatives
- Idaho judicial elections
- Idaho local judicial elections
- State ballot measures
- Recalls
Primary election
Quick facts
Democrats:
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Republicans
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Democrats
Bernie Sanders won the Idaho Democratic caucuses with 78 percent of the vote. Twenty-three delegates were up for grabs. They were allocated proportionally. Sanders won every county in the state except for Lewis County. There Hillary Clinton had the edge with 20 votes to Sanders' 19. Sanders carried Ada County, home to almost 400,000 residents and the location of Idaho's biggest city, Boise, 80 to 18 percent over Clinton.[6]
Two other western states also held primary contests on March 22: Arizona and Utah. American Samoa held a Republican territorial convention.
Republicans
Ted Cruz won the Idaho Republican primary.[7] Thirty-two delegates were up for grabs. They were allocated proportionally. Donald Trump came in second, followed by Marco Rubio and John Kasich in third and fourth place. Polling, which was scare leading up to March 8, showed Cruz trailing Trump by eleven points. Cruz carried Idaho's four most populous counties, including Ada County.[8]
Three other states also held primaries or caucuses on March 8: Hawaii, Michigan and Mississippi.
Results
Democrats
| Idaho Democratic Caucus, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Bernie Sanders |
78% | 18,640 | 18 | |
| Hillary Clinton | 21.2% | 5,065 | 5 | |
| Roque De La Fuente | 0% | 4 | 0 | |
| Other | 0.7% | 175 | 0 | |
| Totals | 23,884 | 23 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and CNN | ||||
Republicans
| Idaho Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
| Jeb Bush | 0.4% | 939 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 1.7% | 3,853 | 0 | |
| Chris Christie | 0.2% | 353 | 0 | |
| Ted Cruz |
45.4% | 100,889 | 20 | |
| Carly Fiorina | 0.1% | 242 | 0 | |
| Lindsey Graham | 0% | 80 | 0 | |
| Mike Huckabee | 0.2% | 358 | 0 | |
| John Kasich | 7.4% | 16,514 | 0 | |
| Peter Messina | 0% | 28 | 0 | |
| Rand Paul | 0.4% | 834 | 0 | |
| Marco Rubio | 15.9% | 35,290 | 0 | |
| Rick Santorum | 0.1% | 211 | 0 | |
| Donald Trump | 28.1% | 62,413 | 12 | |
| Totals | 222,004 | 32 | ||
| Source: Idaho Secretary of State and The New York Times | ||||
Primary candidates
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Polls
Democratic primary
 Democratic Party presidential primary polling (Idaho) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Bernie Sanders | Hillary Clinton | Unsure or Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
| Idaho Politics Weekly February 17-26, 2016 | 47% | 45% | 8% | +/-4 | 601 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]. | |||||||||||||||||||
Republican primary
 Republican Party presidential primary polling (Idaho) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Donald Trump | Ted Cruz | Marco Rubio | Ben Carson | John Kasich | Unsure or Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||
| Idaho Politics Weekly February 17-26, 2016 | 30% | 19% | 16% | 11% | 5% | 19% | +/-4 | 601 | |||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]. | |||||||||||||||||||
Delegates
Delegate selection
Democratic Party
Idaho had 27 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 23 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide caucus results.[10][11]
Four party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[10][12]
Idaho superdelegates
Republican Party
Idaho had 32 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, six were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's two congressional districts). District delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide primary vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's district delegates.[13][14]
Of the remaining 26 delegates, 23 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated proportionally; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide primary vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[13][14]
Presidential voting history
Idaho presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 9 Democratic wins
- 23 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
State profile
| Demographic data for Idaho | ||
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,652,828 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 82,643 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 91.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 0.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 11.8% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.5% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 25.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,583 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Idaho. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Idaho
Idaho voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Idaho coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Idaho
- United States congressional delegations from Idaho
- Public policy in Idaho
- Endorsers in Idaho
- Idaho fact checks
- More...
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ On October 6, 2016, Evan McMullin announced Mindy Finn as his official running mate. As of October 10, 2016, Ballotpedia was not aware of any changes to this state's official list of certified presidential candidates.
- ↑ This average includes states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, which did not participate in all 30 presidential elections between 1900 and 2016. It does not include Washington, D.C., which cast votes for president for the first time in 1964, or Alaska and Hawaii, which cast votes for president for the first time in 1960.
- ↑ This number refers to the number of times that the state voted for the winning presidential candidate between 2000 and 2016.
- ↑ Archives.gov, "About the Electors," accessed July 28, 2016
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: How it works in contemporary presidential elections," April 13, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Idaho Results," accessed March 22, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Idaho," accessed March 8, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Idaho Primary results," accessed March 8, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Idaho Secretary of State, "Presidential Candidates Filed with the Secretary of State," December 9, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
- ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
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