The final tally shows four Idaho legislators losing their primaries. One (Stan Bastian) was a two-term senator running against one of the best-known and solidly-backed political figures in the Boise area (Chuck Winder). Another was in a low-key race – freshman west Ada Representative John Vander Woude defeated by Richard Dean Jarvis. The third and fourth were appointed by Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter: Representative Curtis Bowers, losing to former state Agriculture Director Pat Takasugi, and Representative Diana Thomas losing to Judy Boyle.

Fewer Otter appointees going down than seemed to be the case for much of Tuesday night. But Senator Shirley McKague and Representative Steven Thayn, both Otter appointees, had close calls.

And we should point out the 69%-31% result in House 14A, where Majority Leader Mike Moyle defeated former Eagle Mayor Nancy Merrill. On first glance that looks like a solid win for Moyle. But that’s only if you ignore the context: Merrill was running as a write-in, and had launched that write-in effort only a couple of weeks before the election. 31% for Merrill under those conditions is unusually high. (You have to wonder what would have happened had she carried through her earlier idea of simply filing conventionally for the office, and then campaigning seriously for it.) It’s an indicator that something is going on here, bubbling under the surface.

Elsewhere: The Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton spread was 18 points, pretty solid and decent news for Obama as he gets ready for this weekend’s national party rules committee meeting. . . . Ron Paul’s 24% on the Republican side is enough to continue in the game, sort of, though it formally means little for that nomination at this point . . . We’ll reiterate that Republican Bill Sali‘s 60% win for the nomination was, under the circumstances, on the weak side and could portend problems . . . There’ll almost have to be a recount in that hairline-close Supreme Court unofficial result, which gives incumbent Justice Joel Horton a win over challenger John Bradbury by 324 votes out of more than 150,000 cast. . . .