Idaho Governor Picks Replacement Lawmaker

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Patrick McDonald was sworn in as the new House member from Boise's District 15, replacing former Republican Rep. Mark Patterson after he resigned under pressure. McDonald, a former U.S. marshal, was named yesterday by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter.

Patterson quit amid calls from his own party for him to step down. That's after Patterson's guilty plea in a 39-year-old rape case in Florida emerged publicly when Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney revoked the freshman lawmaker's concealed weapons permit. Raney said Patterson didn't disclose the rape case on his weapons-permit applications, grounds for it to be revoked.

In selecting the 67-year-old McDonald, Otter passed over the southwestern Boise district's first choice, Rod Beck. But Beck, a former senator, and the governor have clashed over GOP leadership and the party's closed primary.