Here are 4 Idaho legislative races to watch heading into the May 21 primary election

With every seat in the Idaho Legislature up for election this year, the process for winning a seat starts with the May 21 party primary elections. 

Voters across the state will head to the polls later this month to pick their party’s nominee for the Nov. 5 general election.

Not all voters will have a contested race on their primary ballot this month – but there are races and issues across the state to keep an eye on.

This year there are several interesting trends shaking things up. After leaving dozens of races uncontested in 2022, the Idaho Democratic Party has doubled the number of candidates it is fielding this year in hopes of fighting the Republicans and giving voters more choices. And although there is a long way to go until the Nov. 5 general election, the money involved in primary races is already raising eyebrows across the state. Four legislative candidates have already reported raising more than $75,000 this year, including Republicans Jim Woodward, Scott Herndon and Brandon Shippy and Democrat Steve Berch. In Woodward and Herndon’s District 1 race alone, the two candidates have raised a combined total of $188,000 and counting.

With the primary election two weeks away, here are four Idaho legislative primaries to watch. Continue to follow the Idaho Capital Sun in the coming days to read how the candidates in these races responded to questions from the Idaho Capital Sun. 

Four primary races to watch in Idaho in 2024

Race: Idaho Senate, District 1, Republican primary election

Who is running: Republican incumbent Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, vs. former Republican Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle.
Why it matters: This is the third matchup between Herndon and Woodward, who represent different factions of the Republican Party and have both served in the Idaho Legislature. Herndon is an outspoken member of the Idaho Freedom Caucus, while Woodward is a soft spoken establishment Republican.  

When the two candidates squared off in the 2018 Republican primary, Woodward won. But in 2022, Herndon defeated Woodward.

The money involved in this race illustrates the stakes for two different factions of the Republican Party. As of Monday, both candidates were closing in on raising $100,000 each in campaign contributions. Woodward reported raising $99,207, the most of all 268 legislative candidates filing disclosure reports with the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office. Herndon ranked third among all Idaho legislative candidates, raising $88,989. 

Race: Idaho House, District 16 Seat B, Democratic primary election

Who is running: Incumbent Rep. Todd Achilles, Jon Chu, Nikson Mathews and Wayne Richey, all D-Boise.

Why it matters: This is about as close to an open seat as you can get. Former Rep. Colin Nash, D-Boise, held the seat for most of the past two years, but Nash resigned from the Idaho Legislature in February to focus on his role with the Boise City Council. Gov. Brad Little appointed Achilles to finish off the end of Nash’s term in February.

None of the Democrats running for the seat this year have won a legislative election before. With four candidates in the race and comparatively little name recognition without a longtime established incumbent, this race could be wide open. The winner of the May 21 Democratic primary will face Boise Republican Jackie Davidson in the Nov. 5 general election. Davidson lost to Nash in the general elections of 2020 and 2022.

Race: Idaho House, District 32, Seat B, Republican primary election

Who is running: Ammon Mayor Sean Coletti, incumbent Rep. Wendy Horman and former congressional candidate Bryan Smith.

Why it matters: There is more than enough political firepower and name recognition to go around in this race. As co-chairman of the Idaho Legislature’s budget committee. Horman is one of the most powerful members of the Idaho House of Representatives. But Horman faces competition from two well-known Republican challengers in eastern Idaho. Coletti has served as mayor of the fast growing eastern Idaho town of Ammon since 2018, having been on the local City Council since 2010. Smith, who represents Idaho on the Republican National Committee, ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2014 and 2022. 

Race: Idaho Senate, District 13, Republican primary

Who is running: Former Sen. Jeff Agenbroad vs. incumbent Sen. Brian Lenney, both R-Nampa.

Why it matters: This is another primary where the two Republicans in the race represent different wings of the Republican Party. Lenney is an outspoken member of the Idaho Freedom Caucus, while Agenbroad is more establishment Republican who rose through the ranks of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee to serve as co-chair of the powerful budget committee that sets each element of the state budget. 

Lenney challenged and defeated Agenbroad in 2022, and this year’s primary is the rematch.   

Which Idaho legislators aren’t running for election?

This year, there are six Idaho legislators who did not file re-election: 

• • Assistant Senate Majority Leader Abby Lee, R-Fruitland
  • Assistant House Majority Leader Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay
  • Assistant House Minority Leader Lauren Necochea, D-Boise  
  • Rep. Chris Allgood, R-Caldwell
  • Rep. Sue Chew, D-Boise, who died in April
  • Rep. Mike Kingsley, R-Lewiston, who originally filed to run for re-election but then withdrew his candidacy

A full list of all candidates running in the May 21 primary election can be found in the Secretary of State’s Office interactive table below.