Three members of Idaho Legislature’s budget committee lose primary elections

Several changes will be coming for the Idaho Legislature’s budget committee that served as the architect of the recent state budget cuts for almost every state department and program.

Three Republican members of the Idaho Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, or JFAC, lost their primary elections Tuesday – including both of JFAC’s vice chairmen, according to election results released by the state. 

Incumbent JFAC members who lost on Tuesday include:

• Sen. Jim Woodward, a Republican from Sagle who serves as vice chairman of JFAC;
• Rep. Steven Miller, a Republican from Fairfield who serves as vice chairman of JFAC;
• Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld, a Republican from Twin Falls who was also a member of the Gang of Eight. This year on JFAC, Zuiderveld voted a hard line in favor of almost every budget cut and generally voted against almost every request for additional funding, even among growing agencies and programs that provide services required under state law. 

Tuesday’s primary election losses, coupled with the decision by Sen. Codi Galloway, R-Boise, not to seek re-election this year, means at least four of the 20 members of JFAC will be different during the 2027 legislative session compared to the recent 2026 session. 

How will Idaho’s primary election change the Legislature’s budget committee’s makeup?

Those changes could be significant. 

“On both budget and immigration-related bills, we saw some really close votes, so just a few — even just a handful of seat changes — could make a difference in the types of bills being passed in a future session,” Boise State University political scientist Jaclyn Kettler told the Idaho Capital Sun on Wednesday. 

Republican legislative leaders will need to name two new vice chairs for the committee. Vice chairs are the next-highest ranking members of the committee below the two co-chairs. 

Additionally, Senate Republican leaders will need to replace three of the 10 senators who serve on JFAC. 

Nine Idaho Republican lawmakers lose primary election, including some who pushed for budget cuts

Under JFAC’s complicated voting and meeting procedures that were overhauled over the previous three years, all budgets and motions need to receive a majority of the votes from both the senators and representatives on JFAC. Because of that voting requirement, a change of three members in one legislative chamber could significantly alter the dynamics of JFAC because any five members from one legislative chamber can work together to block any motion from passing. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Scott Grow, a Republican from Eagle who serves as co-chairman of JFAC, won his primary election Tuesday. JFAC’s other co-chairman, Rep. Josh Tanner, also R-Eagle, did not have a primary election opponent. 

JFAC is widely viewed as among the most powerful and important of the legislative committees because it is responsible for setting every budget for every state agency, department and program every year.

During the 2026 legislative session, JFAC approved nearly across-the-board budget cuts of 4% in the current fiscal year 2026 and 5% in fiscal year 2027 and ongoing. Several legislators from both major political parties criticized the process that produced the budget cuts as sloppy and not transparent. Some legislators and agency directors expressed concerns that some cuts could do long-term harm to vital programs and services that Idahoans depend on. 

Idaho Capital Sun reporter Kyle Pfannenstiel contributed to this report.