Race for Open Idaho Supreme Court Seat Attracted Big Money

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Campaign finance reports show that the most expensive seat on the 2016 ballot was for an open spot on the Idaho Supreme Court — a rarity in the state.

Twin Falls attorney Robyn Brody won the competitive race against Sen. Curt McKenzie after spending nearly $285,000 while campaigning for the seat. McKenzie spent roughly $126,000, but also received more than $80,000 in independent expenditures from outside groups.

Combined, it was the most expensive race for the nonpartisan judicial seat in Idaho's history. That's mainly because Idahoans rarely see a Supreme Court runoff election. In Idaho, a candidate must win the majority in the May primary.

If not, the top two candidates face off in a runoff election in November, and the last time that happened was in 1998. Back then, the top two candidates raised a total of nearly $161,600.