"For the first time in Idaho history, a sitting Senate President Pro Tempore* was ousted in a primary. His victorious challenger: Josh Keyser. For the past several years, many people have opined that if Chuck Winder could not act and vote in alignment with the state’s Republican Party Platform, then it was time for him to retire.
On May 21, Mr. Winder did not need to make that decision. The voters made it for him.
The day after the election, Winder appeared on KTVB in Boise to discuss his loss. Here are some of the reasons he provided:
There was no presidential race on the ballot, so many voters stayed home.
NOTE: Winder was a driving force behind removing the presidential primary in Idaho. Call it karma.
His opponent (Josh Keyser) was out knocking on doors while the legislature was still in session
NOTE: This was true for all incumbents – even the ones who won re-election.
Winder was accused of being a “big spender,” and once that projection was out there it was tough to get that out of people’s minds.
NOTE: Winder’s voting record has always been public and he has regularly received an “F” rating on spending. In 2022 his spending rating was 6/10 of a percentage point different from Senate’s Democrat minority leader.
“They” picked Winder off using “really ugly, dirty politics in their promotions.”
NOTE: Facts are facts, and facts might expose how ones actions are not appealing to Idaho voters. Winder provides no examples of the “really ugly, dirty politics” he claims were used to oust him."
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