Idaho legislative candidates surpass money raised from previous primary election

Correction: This article was corrected to reflect that legislative candidate Brandon Shippy is not the only non-incumbent among the top five candidates who raised the most money. 

In less than a month, Idaho voters will cast their ballot in the primary, with this election marking  a substantial surge in fundraising from prior years.

In early April 2022, Idaho legislative candidates had raised nearly $900,000 ahead of the May primary election, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. At the end of March this year, candidates had raised more than $3.8 million, including individual reports of donations that exceed $1,000.

Legislative candidates have raised so much money that even Idaho Gov. Brad Little is taking notice. During a press conference with reporters on May 2, Little said the amount of money in some races gives him pause.

“Does it give me pause? Yes,” Little said. “I may be old and yearn for the good old days. But you think it gives you pause and then you see what’s happened to other states and you go, ‘Thank God we live here in Idaho.’”

With Idaho’s primary election taking place on May 21, and the general election set for Nov. 5, some candidates have received tens of thousands of dollars for their campaigns and have spent thousands more to advertise their campaign on radio, TV, social media, yard signs, flyers and events.

Which legislative candidates have raised the most money in Idaho? 

While all Idaho legislative candidates had to file to run by March 15, candidates can begin fundraising even before they announce their candidacy, said Chelsea Carattini, spokesperson for the Idaho Secretary of State’s office.

By the 10th day of each month, candidates are required to file a monthly report with the Idaho Secretary of State’s office, including information on all donations, in-kind contributions, loans and all expenditures from the previous month.

The data in this story is from the last monthly report candidates filed on April 10, which reflects the finances of their campaign during March, as well as individual reports of contributions donations that exceed $1,000 which have to be reported within 48 hours of receiving the contribution.

The top five candidates with the most money raised, according to the latest records, include: 

1. Idaho Senate candidate Jim Woodward, R-Sagle: $113,200
2. Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle: $101,000
3. Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise: $96,000
4. Idaho Senate candidate Brandon Shippy, R-New Plymouth: $83,200
5. Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, $78,200

Among the list of candidates who has raised the most money, Brandon Shippy, R-New Plymouth, is the only one who has not been elected to the Idaho Legislature before. Shippy is running for election to the Idaho Senate to represent District 9, the spot that currently belongs to Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland. Lee announced this year that she would not run for reelection.

According to the latest campaign finance reports, Shippy has received about $65,000 of his campaign funding from individuals, followed by about $15,500 contributions from companies and $1,800 from political action committees. Most of that money is coming from Idaho-based sources, as records show only about $1,800 of his total campaign funds are coming from out of state. 

Breakdown of campaign finances in House and Senate races

To see a more detailed breakdown of the money Idaho’s House and Senate candidates have raised, see the charts below compiled by the Sun. Candidates that have raised less than $250, and those who have announced they will not seek re-election have been removed from the charts.

A candidate’s cash balance reflects how much money they have available after considering their fundraising, loans, rollover funds from previous elections and campaign expenses. 

District 1 is Idaho’s most competitive race, campaign finance expert says

Jaclyn Kettler, a political scientist at Boise State University, told the Idaho Capital Sun that the amount of money in the Republican primary race for the District 1 seat in the Idaho Senate stands out to her in particular. District 1 is located in North Idaho and includes Bonner and Boundary counties. 

Republican Jim Woodward reported raising more than $113,200 in the District 1 Idaho Senate race, while incumbent Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, reported nearly $101,000, according to the latest campaign finance data. 

Both candidates have raised more money than they did one month before the 2022 primary. In early April 2022, Herndon had raised $83,000, and had $62,700 left in his balance, while Woodward had raised $17,400, but had $45,000 in his balance, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. 

“The candidate fundraising alone has been quite impressive for that district,” Kettler said. “That race is seeing a lot of money, but we’re seeing a lot of other legislative candidates fundraise successfully as well.” 

According to the latest campaign finance records, Woodward and Herndon have received most of their campaign money from individual donations, with most coming from Idaho. Herndon has received about $4,400 from out-of-state contributors, while Woodward has received about $3,900 from out-of-state sources.

However, Woodward has received more than double the amount of funds from companies than Herndon. 

Records show Woodward with the following breakdown:

• $86,300 from individuals
• $22,900 from companies including Healthcare Business Ventures, Idaho Forest Group,  Idaho Power, Regence Blue Shield of Idaho and J.R. Simplot
• $4,000 from political action committees including Idaho Realtors PAC, Idaho Wheat and Barley PAC, Idaho AGC PAC and UHFG Insurance PAC

Records show Herndon with the following breakdown:

• $90,300 from individuals
• $7,600 from companies such as AirSeal Insulation, Webb Management Services, Forward Freight and Tree Top Ranches
• $3,000 from political action committees including Idaho Chooses Life, Think Liberty Idaho PAC and Idaho Freedom Caucus PAC

Herndon received $1,000 from Tree Top Ranches for the primary election, plus another $1,000 to be used in the general election. Tree Top is owned by Larry Williams, a wealthy Boise resident and real estate developer who has given millions of dollars to Boise State University, local public and private schools and political causes, including hundreds of thousands to the Idaho Freedom Foundation and conservative candidates. Williams and his wife, Marianne, also gave Herndon $1,000 individually for the primary and general elections.

In 2022, candidates Williams donated to through several of the businesses he owns had to refund his donations because they violated Idaho campaign finance laws.  

Of the 268 legislative candidates running for office this year that have filed campaign finance reports, Woodward has raised the most of any candidate, while Herndon has raised the second most. 

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise, has raised the third most of all legislative candidates, reporting raising almost $96,000, according to the latest campaign finance data. 

Berch doesn’t have an opponent in the May 21 Democratic primary election. But he will face off against Republican challenger Annette Tipton, R-Boise, in the Nov, 5 general election. Berch represents District 15 in Ada County, a politically split district in the Idaho Legislature. For the past two years, Democrats have held two of the legislative seats in District 15 while a Republican held the third seat. Both parties will closely follow the District 15 race heading into November’s general election — viewing the district as one of the rare spots where either party could conceivably gain a seat in the Idaho Legislature. 

Kettler said several of the Idaho legislative races that are bringing in a lot of money are races that feature a rematch between experienced candidates who have fundraising experience – like Herndon or Woodward, who previously squared off in 2022 and 2018 – or races where the district is viewed as competitive. 

“One of the factors is that we have some rematches from last time and we have an incumbent and a challenger who both have a lot of contacts and can be successful fundraisers,” Kettler said. “Candidates who are able to be successful fundraisers also look to be competitive, and a lot of it is going into trying to influence the outcome of an election.”

Incumbent candidates have significant spending power from rollover funds — and loans

Some candidates haven’t raised as much funds this election year, but they still have substantial money to spend. 

This is because some candidates may take out loans for their campaign. And others, typically incumbents or former legislators, may have rollover funds from previous elections, Carattini told the Sun. 

The following five legislative candidates, all of whom are incumbent House representatives, had the highest balances, according to the latest campaign finance records: 

1. Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise, $136,500 
2. Rep. Scott Grow, R-Eagle, $111,500
3. Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star, $109,700
4. Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, $98,000
5. Rep. Josh Tanner, R-Eagle, $79,400

   

Berch has received most of his donations ahead of the primary from individuals and companies such as Blue Cross of Idaho, Boise Firefighters and Clearwater Paper.

Moyle and Grow have both fundraised less than $60,000 so far, but they have significant rollover funds from the previous election.

Hill and Tanner have taken out loans for their campaigns. According to the latest campaign finance data, Tanner has fundraised $10,500 from companies and individuals in Idaho, and he has received $50,000 in his campaign from loans.

Hill has raised $5,000 for his campaign, most of it coming from companies such as the Idaho Farm Bureau, Mountain View Hospital, the Idaho Automobile Dealers Association, Maverick, and others.  He has received two donations from individual donors. What puts him in a top spot for his balance is the $107,000 in loans he has received for his campaign.

Every other legislative candidate had less than $79,000 in their balance to spend, according to the latest campaign filings.