State Sen. Russ Fulcher came "surprisingly close" to defeating the two-term incumbent by courting conservative voters who thought their principles were being compromised, said David Adler, director of the Andrus Center for Public Policy at Boise State University. The election — which gained national attention from a debate that featured longshot candidates who discussed Armageddon and bigoted jokes — was one of several that showed how deep the rifts in the state's Republican Party have grown in recent years. Denney, who has served in the statehouse for nearly 20 years, was favored by tea party activists and promised to focus on taking control of Idaho's federally managed public lands — a pledge that establishment candidates considered impractical. Conservatives also won primaries for legislative seats in northern Idaho, most notably ousting Sen.