Six candidates drop out of legislative primaries

Kevin Richert | 04/08/2024

Six legislative candidates have dropped out of the May 21 GOP primary.

One move reshapes a race with big implications for education.

Nicole Hyland of Caldwell has dropped out of the race for House Seat A in Canyon County’s District 11, leaving only one conservative challenger to House Education Committee Chair Julie Yamamoto, R-Caldwell. Kent Marmon of Caldwell will face Yamamoto in the primary.

Other recent candidate withdrawals:

Butch Suor of Stites, District 7, House Seat B. Incumbent Rep. Charlie Shepherd of Pollock will face Larry Dunn of White Bird in the primary.
Steve Keyser, Boise, District 15, House Seat A. This leaves Annette Tipton of Boise unopposed in the primary; she is now poised to face Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise, in November.
Tommy Brown, Pocatello, District 28, Senate. Incumbent Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, is unopposed in the primary.
Clinton Welker, Rigby, District 31, House Seat A. This leaves Rep. Jerald Raymond, R-Menan, unopposed in May.
Jason Drollinger, Rexburg, District 34, House Seat A. Incumbent Rep. Jon Weber, R-Rexburg, now has no primary or general election opponent.

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 35 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. He can be reached at [email protected]