It’s an even year on the calendar, which means it’s officially election season in Idaho.
All 105 legislative seats are up for grabs, as terms for both state representatives and state senators last just two years.
As an added bonus for us sick political junkies, Idahoans will also choose who they want to occupy prominent statewide offices and congressional positions.
That’s not to mention the multitude of county races and $183 million worth of school bonds and levies across the state, according to Idaho Education News.
To keep it relatively simple ahead of the May 19 primary, here’s our list of races to watch over the coming weeks.
The Battle for Bonner and Boundary counties
Idaho’s Republican primary for the senate seat in District 1 is a three-peat.
This will be the third time in four years that current state Sen. Jim Woodward and former state Sen. Scott Herndon have faced off against one another.
Their showdown in 2024 was the most expensive legislative race in the state and early fundraising numbers show the two could claim that title for a second election in a row.
As of April 23, Woodward and Herndon have raised $75,100 and $76,135 respectively this cycle according to state campaign finance records.
Final numbers won’t be available until after the May 19 primary.
Aside from the sheer amount of cash flowing into the northern tip of the Idaho panhandle, the race is important for several other reasons.
Woodward holds more moderate views than Herndon, who aligned himself with far-right legislators during his two years in office.
Should Herndon win, that would mean the loss of another moderate voice on the legislature’s budget committee, which has turned more conservative recently.
Clash on the Palouse
District 6, which covers Latah, part of Nez Perce and all of Lewis counties, has some infighting going on.
Rep. Lori McCann is hoping to take out her seatmate, Sen. Dan Foreman, this spring.
McCann has served for three terms in the House, including a stint as vice-chair of the education committee. She’s typically been a more moderate voice in the boisterous lower chamber.
Meanwhile, Foreman is generally a reliable, deep conservative vote in the Senate.
He did anger several lawmakers and far-right activists with whom he typically aligns this year. That’s after he declined to give a hearing to a bill to halt taxpayer money going to support Idaho’s teachers unions.
McCann has the edge so far when it comes to cash. She’s raised $49,810 compared to Foreman’s $13,200.
Challengers Target the Gang of Eight
Two years after routing several long-time incumbents, the so-called Gang of Eight group of legislators are hoping to hold on to their seats for more than one term.
The octet is made up of very conservative lawmakers – half of whom come from the Magic Valley. If you’re a faithful watcher of Idaho in Session, you might’ve heard members talk about their pledge to oppose additional state spending.
Let’s start north and make our way south.
- District 8 is one of the state’s largest geographical areas, encompassing Valley, Custer, Boise and Elmore counties. The district is home to two of the eight “gang” members: Sen. Christy Zito and Rep. Faye Thompson.
Zito, who lives near Mountain Home, is in her second stint at the legislature having previously served in the Idaho House. She’s been instrumental in passing many of Idaho’s most recent laws to deregulate firearms and who can legally carry them.
Zito faces two Republican challengers, both former lawmakers themselves.
After being dethroned two years ago, former House Majority Leader Megan Blanksma is looking for a way back into office. While not a moderate by any means, Blanksma offers a more traditional conservative approach than Zito.
Former state Rep. Terry Gestrin (who doesn’t have a campaign website) is mounting a second bid for the district’s senate seat after falling in a crowded primary in 2022. Gestrin, a former Valley County commissioner and fire chief, served in the Idaho House from 2012-2022.
So far, Blanksma leads the three in fundraising. As of April 23, she’s pulled in $21,100 compared to Zito’s $16,939. Gestrin has raised $2,700.
Moving on to Rep. Faye Thompson’s House seat in the same district.
Like most of the Gang of Eight, Thompson is new to the legislature. She’s consistently voted against expanding state spending as one of her hallmark priorities.
Thompson formerly served as the chair of the Valley County Republican Central Committee.
Her opponent, Brian Beckley, stepped down from his role as chairman of the Idaho Park and Recreation Board last December after serving as a member since 2019.
Beckley lives in Elmore County where he founded and runs a company manufacturing equipment researchers use to tag, identify and track fish.
So far, he’s more than tripled the amount raised by Thompson at $47,617 compared to her $15,730.
- District 11 covers the city of Caldwell and some surrounding parts of Canyon County. Both House seats belong to members of the gang – Reps. Lucas Cayler and Kent Marmon.
Cayler hasn’t taken the traditional approach of a freshman lawmaker of staying quiet and observing the way the chamber works.
This session, he pushed a bill to broaden Idaho’s definition of neglect for children and vulnerable adults. If passed, it would have meant parents or guardians couldn’t have been criminally charged unless they failed to seek medical care for a life-threatening condition.
Debbie Geyer, a retired city clerk in Caldwell, hopes to knock Cayler out in the primary. Geyer has collected endorsements from three former state lawmakers and a former mayor of Caldwell with whom she worked closely.
Cayler has drummed up $35,873 – more than twice Geyer’s total of $17,039.
Marmon, who unseated former Rep. Julie Yamamoto two years ago, faces two Republican challengers at the polls.
Carlos Hernandez previously ran for a seat on Caldwell City Council last year and is coming in third among a crowded field.
And Nicole Hyland has unsuccessfully run for multiple public offices, including state representative, mayor of Caldwell and the Caldwell school board.
Marmon is winning the fundraising race with $22,938 brought in so far. Hernandez and Hyland respectively have raised $3,000 and $4,270.
- District 24 is one of the most prominent homes for the gang, encompassing Gooding County and part of Twin Falls County.
Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld is one of the group’s most vocal and influential members. She’s a consistent voice to cut programs and curtail spending from her seat on the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee.
Zuiderveld has recently faced backlash from the Magic Valley’s prominent dairy industry for her staunch views opposing illegal immigration.
Brent Reinke served for many years as director of both Idaho’s juvenile and adult correctional departments. That includes overseeing IDOC during multiple scandals involving private prisons.
One lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Idaho said inmates dubbed the violent private prison as “gladiator school.” After settling that case, the private contractor was found to have fudged staffing records to make it look like there were enough guards to handle operations.
Reinke and Zuiderveld are neck and neck monetarily having raised $53,763 and $51,117 respectively.
The rural district is also home to Rep. Clint Hostetler, a self-described “political refugee” from California.
He’s debated fiercely in favor of “traditional family values” while opposing LBGTQ rights bills.
His opponent, bankruptcy attorney Alexandra Caval, criticizes the Gang of Eight for carrying bills “for dark-money donors from out of state instead of solving real problems for Idaho families.”
Caval has so far outraised Hostetler with $38,186 to $28,598
- District 25 is the last stop on our Gang of Eight tour in the city of Twin Falls.
Sen. Josh Kohl is a former wildland firefighter and mechanical engineering grad from the University of Idaho who took out a longtime community fixture in Linda Wright Hartgen in 2024.
Kohl mostly rises to debate fiscal matters, but also weighs in on social issues when they reach the Senate floor.
His opponent, Casey Swensen, is a former prosecuting attorney and current businessman in the city. He’s endorsed by Hartgen, along with the state Fraternal Order of Police.
Kohl has taken in $25,680 compared to Swensen’s $15,851.
Lastly, Rep. David Leavitt is a retired U.S. Army combat veteran who's going up against Twin Falls City Council member and Realtor Cherie Vollmer. Vollmer leads all fundraising in District 25 with $30,960 compared to Leavitt's $21,855.
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