Neal secures Republican nomination for Bonneville County prosecutor - East Idaho News
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Neal secures Republican nomination for Bonneville County prosecutor

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IDAHO FALLS – Randy Neal emerged victorious in a tight race for Bonneville County Prosecutor Tuesday.

He beat out his incumbent opponent, H. Alayne Bean, with 52% of the vote (7,073 total votes). Bean had 48% of the vote (6,612 total votes). Neal will appear on the ballot in November as the Republican party nominee in the general election.

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Neal tells EastIdahoNews.com winning feels a lot better than the alternative but he was not expecting this outcome and he has nothing but good things to say about Bean.

“I have the utmost respect for her. She’s a good person, a great lawyer. She ran a very civil and honorable campaign,” Neal says.

Neal notes the primary victory is only the first step and he’s not taking the November election for granted. If elected, he’d like to be able to work with Bean in some capacity going forward.

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Bean was appointed as the new prosecutor in February when her predecessor, Daniel Clark, was hired as a magistrate judge in Jefferson County.

Though Bean is disappointed with the final outcome, she expresses her congratulations to Neal and thanks her supporters.

“At least in the near-term, I intend to continue serving the citizens of Bonneville County in holding people accountable for the crimes they commit and protecting our residents,” Bean says.

She anticipates “business as usual” as she finishes out her term and is weighing her options for the future.

Neal’s focus headed into November is to start communicating with police, the defense bar, probation office and others to build a relationship, get a feel for what’s going on in the county and how to improve things in the future.

“The expectation by those who voted for me is that I’m going to listen and look for those ideas that will make a difference,” says Neal. “I’m very humbled to see this trust being put in me and surprised that it came out the way it did. Now I’ve got to prove myself worthy of the choice and that’s going to be my focus.”

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