Idaho's establishment attorney general loses primary challenge

Five-term Attorney General Lawrence Wasden lost the Idaho Republican primary election on Tuesday to former GOP Rep. Raúl Labrador by more than 37,000 votes.

Wasden, who has held his position since 2003, made national headlines in December 2020 when he refused to join a lawsuit filed by Texas to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, KTVB reported.

In a statement explaining his rationale at the time, Wasden said, "This decision is necessary to protect Idaho's sovereignty. As Attorney General, I have significant concerns about supporting a legal argument that could result in other states litigating against legal decisions made by Idaho's legislature and governor."

A Freedom Caucus member during his time in Congress from 2011 to 2019, Labrador lost his 2018 gubernatorial bid to current Republican Gov. Brad Little. 

Unofficial results from Idaho's Elections Department shows Labrador beat Wasden by 51.6% to 38.9%.

Neither candidate received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. However, Labrador has vocally supported the former president on social media while Wasden has remained silent.