Kootenai County Commissioner, District 3, Republican Primary
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Bingham (R) | 3,342 | 29.15% |
| Leslie Duncan (R) | 3,273 | 28.55% |
| Duane Rasmussen (R) | 2,681 | 23.39% |
| Fred Meckel (R) | 2,168 | 18.91% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
The Candidates
Bob Bingham
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 68
- City:
- Spirit Lake, Idaho
- Occupation:
- Retired from power and energy industry
Age: 60
Education background: He earned his high school GED after completing ninth grade.
Political background: Not held office before. He is a graduate of the Kootenai County Citizens Academy.
Work experience: Bingham spent 23 years working in the power and energy industry and 10 years in construction. He operated a couple of his own businesses, and served as plant manager of a 600-megawatt, $300 million power generation facility, where he was responsible for all staff and an annual budget of $33 million. Certified code inspector in the 1980s. He and his wife Paige wrote and published a book on marriage, “Marriage: Building it to Last.”
Family: Married. Has one adult daughter.
Leslie Duncan
- Party:
- Republican
- City:
- Hayden, Idaho
Residence: Hayden
Education: Earned bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from California State University Fullerton in 1991.
Work experience: Has served for four years on the board of the Kootenai County Aquifer Protection District, current chairman. Owner of Falcon Enterprises, a small business in technical services for live sports TV broadcast, for 14 years. Worked for 10 years in law enforcement in Southern California, working as a criminal investigator, reserve police officer, range master and in dispatch and records. Board member of Union Gospel Mission Women’s Auxiliary since 2012.
Political experience: Ran for Kootenai County Commissioner in 2016. In the 2018 primary, won Republican primary for commission, winning nearly 40 percent of the vote in a five-way race.
Family: Married. Has two children.
Duane Rasmussen
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 71
- City:
- Hayden, Idaho
- Occupation:
- Lawyer
Duane Rasmussen has lived in Hayden for 10 years. He is divorced and has a daughter.
He is a graduate of Wisconsin Academy, and he earned his bachelor's degree in business administration and history from Andrews University in 1975. His law degree from Oklahoma City University followed in 1978.
Duane was one of the lawyers involved in lawsuits against the Catholic diocese of Spokane and the Morning Star Boys’ Ranch over sexual-abuse claims. Previously he was an assistant district attorney in Oklahoma. He has experience in criminal law and state agency governance. He advised and defended state officials and boards.
He has served as president of North Idaho Republican Pachyderm Club and on the board of Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest-Kootenai County. He also has been involved with the Hayden Chamber of Commerce, Kootenai County Republican Central Committee and Idaho Education Forum.
He said he became interested in politics when a new prison work center was proposed near his home, and he helped block the project.
Duane is an avid photographer and lifelong NRA member.
Fred Meckel
- Party:
- Republican
- City:
- Rathdrum, Idaho
- Occupation:
- Mental health therapist
Fred and his wife April live in Rathdrum, where he has served on the City Council since 2007. They have been married 23 years and have two daughters. They have lived in Rathdrum since 2002.
Fred graduated from American Military University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2009. He then attended Boise State University for his master's degree in social work. He is a family mental health therapist and works for ACES Community Services in Post Falls.
He has been elected to the Rathdrum City Council three times. Fred also is on the board of the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization, and he has 12 years of military service. He is in the Army National Guard and spent five years on active duty, including one year deployed to Iraq as a medical non-commissioned officer.
“I have a history of service,” he said, noting that in over eight years on the Rathdrum council he has gained a lot of financial experience and has almost daily interaction with constituents.
“I want to continue the service I’ve done with Rathdrum and what I do on a daily basis with my patients, my clients, he said. “I love serving the community.”
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