State Watch

GOP lawmaker who gave up seat to run for governor loses primary

Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) lost his state’s GOP primary for governor on Tuesday after giving up his seat in Congress to run.

Labrador will be replaced by real estate broker Russ Fulcher in the state’s 1st Congressional District. Fulcher won with about 43 percent of the vote, according to the Idaho Statesman.

Labrador is the fourth GOP lawmaker this year to lose a gamble for statewide office.

{mosads}Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little, 64, won the GOP gubernatorial primary. He will face state Rep. Paulette Jordan (D) in the November general election. Little and Jordan are running to replace Republican Gov. Butch Otter, who is retiring after three terms.

If the 38-year-old Jordan wins, she would be the first woman elected governor of Idaho and the first Native American female governor in the nation.