Idaho was no small-potatoes for Ted Cruz after winning Tuesday's Republican presidential primary in the Gem State.
Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas, beat out Republican front-runner Donald Trump, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich and added a seventh state to his win tally in the 2016 race for the White House.
"Idahoans are looking for more substance," said state Sen. Jim Rice, R-Caldwell. "(Trump) tends to skim the issues. It's harder for him to make those inroads in Idaho. We've been about conservatism for a lot longer than he has."
Cruz was clearly the leader shortly after polls closed and results began trickling in. It was too early as of 10:30 p.m. to know how many of Idaho's 32 delegates would be divided up among the candidates.
Voter turnout varied across the state as Idahoans turned to participate in a GOP presidential primary in March, rather than in May.
Last year, state lawmakers bumped up the primary after getting fed up with the GOP presidential nominee already being determined by the time Idaho Republicans cast their vote. However, the earlier date had some worried that turnout could be low, because Idaho GOP voters aren't used to casting a ballot at this point in election season.
Election workers at one site in Garden City said they had people waiting in line when the doors opened at 8 a.m. A polling location in Nampa called in extra workers after more voters than expected showed up early. But even with the wait, voters stuck around to make their choice.
Tina McKnight, 43, a stay-at-home grandma in Nampa, said she supports Ted Cruz because she didn't want Donald Trump doesn't to win.
"(Trump) is too boisterous. He's too negative. I haven't heard any real things he says he's going to do for the country or how he is going to do it for the country," she said. "It's all name calling and bullying. I don't want that as president. "
Meanwhile, a Boise-based radio station on Tuesday called out the Trump campaign's Idaho website containing exact wording lifted from one of their stories.
The Trump campaign used a 2012 Boise State Public Radio story containing information on where and how to vote. It also cited judicial races no longer taking place and quotes a former Idaho Republican Party official.
Peter Morrill, the radio station's interim general manager, says no one from the Trump campaign requested permission to use the story.
Similar actions were found on Trump websites in Arkansas, Ohio, Colorado and Michigan.
Trump didn't stop in the state before the election, but tweeted about his love for Idaho potatoes and did a phone interview with a Boise television station. Rubio and Cruz made quick campaign stops over the weekend to rally last-minute supporters.
The two senators were among the handful of candidates to receive public endorsements from Idaho leaders during this presidential race. Billionaire businessman and GOP mega-donor Frank VanderSloot has thrown his support to Rubio, along with U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho.
Republican U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho originally endorsed Sen. Rand Paul. He now supports Cruz after Paul left the race. Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, meanwhile, endorsed Kasich, after saying he would endorse only a GOP governor.
The Republican primary is open only to GOP registered voters, but residents can change their voter affiliation to Republican or register to vote onsite.
The Constitution Party, with an estimated 2,000 registered voters in Idaho, also held its primary Tuesday. Three candidates were on the ballot: Scott Copeland and Patrick Ockander, both of Texas, and J.R. Myers of Arkansas, but results were not immediately available as of Tuesday evening.
Idaho Democrats will caucus March 22.