By BETSY Z. RUSSELL brussell@idahopress.com Mar 13, 2021
BOISE — Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane has filed his declaration of political treasurer, launching a run for Idaho secretary of state in 2022.
“This is really early in the process, but it’s super-important to me to follow the law,” McGrane said. Filing the declaration allows him to begin raising or spending campaign funds; that’s a requirement of Idaho’s state Sunshine Law on campaign disclosure. He said he plans a formal announcement later.
Former state Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, is McGrane’s campaign treasurer; she was the long-serving co-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee until her retirement from the Legislature at the end of 2018.
McGrane ran for Secretary of State in the GOP primary in 2014, losing to current Secretary of State Lawerence Denney. On Friday, Denney told the Idaho Press, “I’m thinking I’m probably not going to run again.” Denney, 73, is completing his second four-year term in the post; he’s a former speaker of the Idaho House.
Denney said he’s met with McGrane and knew he was planning to run.
“Phil is a good fellow,” Denney said. “On the election side, we ask Phil’s opinion on a lot of things before we do anything.”
“I’ve heard of a couple more that are interested, but I don’t know whether they’ll follow through,” Denney said.
McGrane, 40, was elected Ada County clerk in 2018; prior to that, he was the chief deputy clerk, overseeing elections and more. He started working for the clerk’s office in 2005. He holds both a law degree from the University of Denver and a master’s in public administration from Boise State University; he’s a native of Pocatello.
McGrane chairs the elections committee for the Idaho Association of County Recorders and Clerks. In April, he said, “We’ll have our third annual elections conference bringing all the election folks together to do training related to elections.”
McGrane said in a statement, “In November we all saw just how important the people and process in our elections are to ensuring their integrity. ... With the turnout and success we had during the November election, Idahoans should be proud of what we have. I am more committed than ever to protecting our elections and I’m excited for the opportunity to continue playing a leadership role in our community.”