COEUR d'ALENE - One of the two contested legislative races in District 4 was the closest in the county Tuesday night.

Incumbent Kathy Sims found herself gaining momentum in her race with Democrat opponent Anne Nesse for the House of Representatives seat. Sims had 54 percent of the votes as of midnight.

Daanen's Delicatessen in Hayden served as the headquarters for Kootenai County Republicans, who were in a celebratory mood. Sims was in attendance and said she was confident that keeping her message of limited government throughout the campaign would help her retain her seat.

"My opponent was courageous and dedicated but she was whistling Dixie," Sims said. "Idaho is a conservative state and that's the kind of government we expect to have here."

Nesse was in high spirits at Crickets in Coeur d'Alene, which served as a gathering place for Kootenai County Democrats on Tuesday night.

"This isn't a wake," Nesse said while a fiddler played in the background. "This is an awakening."

Nesse spoke with The Press prior to initial voting results being announced and said she was not concerned with her chances of winning. Her concern, she said, was with the state as a whole using the democratic process to move forward.

"If everyone in Coeur d'Alene went out and voted today, I would have won no problem," Nesse said. "But I'm an optimistic person and I know we will make progress in Idaho eventually."

Mary Souza, the Republican candidate for state senator, held a commanding lead over her opponent Ray Writz of the Constitution Party. According to voting results from the Kootenai County Elections Office, Souza had 76 percent of the votes.

Souza, who was also at Daanen's, told The Press she was feeling "pretty good" about her chances but didn't want to take anything for granted.

"I'm just excited to get beyond the campaign and get to work," Souza said. "That's my hope right now."

Writz told The Press that the voting results showed him the Republican Party is not as divided as he thought.

"I hope my vote numbers come up," Writz said. "The night's still young and I'm already doing better than I did last time."

All three candidates told The Press they were grateful for the efforts of their campaign managers and volunteers.