Pocatello goes blue; 3 Democrats sweep District 29 by wide margins

POCATELLO – Democrats came out victorious in one of Idaho’s most competitive legislative districts Tuesday night.

By the morning after the election, reported results showed that not only had Sen. James Ruchti retained his seat in the Idaho Senate, but both Mary Shea and Nate Roberts, who had previously held the seat, had flipped District 29’s seats A and B in the Idaho House of Representatives.

While Shea had lost to her opponent twice before in 2022 and 2024, she told EastIdahoNews.com before results started coming in that she was confident that this year would be different.

“I’m very pleased with the results across the country, and I do think that this is an election where people are realizing what’s not working for them and what might be working better for them, and I think it’s causing them to give legislators like us another chance,” Shea said, who will be sworn in as an Idaho Representative on Jan. 1.

Shea was challenging Republican Rep. Dustin Manwaring of District 29, House Seat A, for his seat, while Roberts and Jennifer Miles were running against each other for House Seat B, formerly held by Republican Rep. Tanya Burgoyne. Ruchti was challenged by Republican former Bannock County Commissioner John Crowder for his Senate seat.

District 29, which encompasses the majority of Pocatello, is among the most competitive legislative districts in Idaho. In recent election cycles, the district has seen close races between Republicans and Democrats vying to represent it.

And in this general election, District 29’s candidates have been among the top spenders in Idaho.

According to VoteIdaho.gov, Manwaring spent the third most among legislative candidates, with $24,598 in campaign funds, $5,000 in independent expenditures supporting his campaign, and $56 in opposition expenditures. In contrast, Shea spent $17,622, with $789 spent in support.

Roberts was the sixth-highest, spending $28,006 in campaign funds and $91 spent in support, while Miles was the tenth-highest, spending $21,771 in campaign funds and $2,500 spent in support.

Ruchti was the ninth-highest, spending $26,908 in campaign funds and $91 in support. Crowder was in 35th place, spending $11,426 in campaign funds, with $297 spent in support.

By Wednesday morning, Shea had earned 56% of the vote, to Manwaring’s 44%, with 10,009 and 7,748 votes cast toward each candidate.

Roberts had netted 56% to Miles’ 44%, with 9,897 and 7,830 votes cast, and Ruchti retained his seat with 59% to Crowder’s 41%, with 10,439 and 7,308 votes cast.

Roberts had previously held this seat after being elected in 2022, before Burgoyne beat him in the 2024 election. This May, Miles defeated Burgoyne in the Republican primary election.

While not available for an interview at the time, Ruchti spoke to Roberts’ candidacy.

“Nate is also a phenomenal candidate, and he’s a working person. … We don’t get that perspective in the Idaho legislature,” Ruchti said.

Ruchti has served a long career in the legislature, serving as a member of the House from 2006 to 2010, and was then elected to the seat again in 2020. In 2022, he ran to represent District 29 in the Senate, where he serves today.

When asked by EastIdahoNews.com what he, Roberts, and Shea would do if they were all elected, he pointed to the candidates’ “Contract with Pocatello,” which includes six major items.

• Lower everyday costs. Cut the grocery tax, give families a gas tax holiday, and build starter homes young families can afford.
• Make data centers pay their own way. If a data center creates the cost, the data center pays it, not you.
• Keep Idaho’s promise to public schools.
• Make Idaho the place to start and raise a family.
• Keep local decisions local.
• Keep Idaho’s public lands in public hands. for the hunters, anglers, and local businesses that depend on them.

And Ruchti also emphasized that the three of them would be out there in the community.

“We’re going to listen to them. We’re going to show up at town halls. We are going to be available to our constituents,” Ruchti said.