New Sen. Mark Nye, D-Pocatello, defeated his Republican challenger, Tom Katsilometes – not the longtime county commissioner and current tax commissioner by that name, but a cousin – with 48.1 percent of the vote in the November election, while Katsilometes got 44.9 percent and independent Sierra “Idaho Lorax” Carta took 7 percent. Now Katsilometes has filed a formal notice to the Senate contesting the election result, claiming a series of errors in vote-counting, tabulation and Sunshine law compliance.

“He is challenging the entire Bannock County vote – the process and the way it was counted,” Nye said, “which would affect the vote for the president down to the bottom. He has tried this before, about a year ago, on a city election and lost.”

Nye said the unsuccessful candidate’s challenge is “not well taken and is an attack on the very good city clerks and county clerks. … One could say this is sort of sour grapes. I’m not saying he’s a sore loser; I don’t know him very well.”

Said Nye: “I’m being sworn in to be the senator, and we won this fair and square. I look forward to being the senator, somebody that’s going to fight for Pocatello and help the people of the state.”

Nye served one term in the House from the same district, District 29, before winning the Senate seat in November. It was previously held by Sen. Roy Lacey, D-Pocatello, who retired.