It appears North Idaho lawmaker Phil Hart (R-Hayden) has lost his four-way primary battle in District Two. With all precincts reporting, Hart trails by 238 votes. Hart has gained notoriety for his ongoing battles with the IRS and Idaho State Tax Commission. At one point Hart stopped paying income tax saying it was unconstitutional and, though he says he pays now, he reportedly owes the state more than 50 thousand dollars and the federal government more than half a million. Two years ago, Hart won re-election with 75-percent of the vote.
Among the four Republican candidates, Ed Morse received the most votes. Morse is a real estate appraiser. He’s also on the board of the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans. If the vote count holds, he’ll face Democrat Dan English of Rathdrum in November.
Copyright 2012 Boise State Public Radio