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Meet the candidates in Idaho’s biggest legislative primaries

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3 weeks ago

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Meet the candidates in Idaho’s biggest legislative primaries


The May 19 primary election will have a big impact on Idaho’s Legislature, with moderate and hardline Republicans facing off across the state.

Over the past two months, Idaho EdNews profiled 14 of the most significant races for education policy. Here they are in one place.

Follow our coverage on election night, with real-time results and breaking news updates. Click here for information on how to vote and find your sample ballot.

North Idaho

  • Who is running: Three-term Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, faces a fourth primary election against Scott Herndon.
  • Why it matters: This matchup is one of the most expensive primaries this year. Woodward is a “middle of the road” Republican who sits on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. Herndon is a more hardline Republican who wants to eliminate property taxes.
  • Who is running: Two-term Rep. Elaine Price, R-Coeur d’Alene, faces Christa Hazel for District 4 House Seat B.
  • Why it matters: This race is a proxy fight in the war between the hardline Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (Price) and the moderate North Idaho Republicans (Hazel).
  • Who is running: Three-term Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow, faces Rep. Lori McCann, a Lewiston Republican who has left her seat in the House for a Senate run.
  • Why it matters: Foreman is a hardline Republican who faced criticism from the right this year for holding in committee a bill to rein in teachers’ unions. McCann said she’s challenging him over his refusal to collaborate and communicate.

West Idaho

  • Who is running: Four-term legislator Sen. Christy Zito faces a three-way primary with two former legislators in the district: former House Majority Leader Megan Blanksma and five-term Rep. Terry Gestrin.
  • Why it matters: Zito is a member of the hardline Gang of Eight and sits on the Senate Education committee. Republicans in the House ousted Blanksma from leadership in 2024. She says Zito isn’t representing her district. Gestrin said he wants to get back into the Statehouse to solve problems for folks in the large, rural district.
  • Who is running: First-term Sen. Camille Blaylock faces a rematch with retired Marine and former legislator Chris Trakel.
  • Why it matters: Blaylock sponsored a $5 million high-needs fund for special education this year. Trakel sued the Idaho Home Learning Academy in 2025, claiming the virtual school discriminated against his constitutional right to free exercise of religion. A judge dismissed the suit.
  • Who is running: Two young Democrats with backgrounds in education are running for the wide-open District 16 House Seat A. Megan Woller leads the Idaho Head Start Association and Jeffrey Watkins is a West Ada public school teacher and union rep.
  • Why it matters: Watkins and Woller are running to replace Rep. Soñia Galaviz, a public school teacher and House Education member, in the reliably blue district. Woller said she has the diplomacy and negotiation skills to be a legislator. Watkins said Democrats need to be “incredibly vocal” in opposition to bills that harm Idahoans.
  • Who is running: First-term legislator Rep. Chris Bruce, R-Kuna, faces a rematch with Melissa Durrant for District 23 House Seat A.
  • Why it matters: School choice groups like the American Federation for Children are focusing on this race, supporting Bruce and opposing Durrant. Bruce believes state funding should follow the child whether they attend public, private or home schools. Durrant opposed an early version of the Parental Choice Tax Credit because there was no priority for lower income families.

Magic Valley

  • Who is running: Two-term Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld, R-Twin Falls, faces Twin Falls County Commissioner Brent Reinke.
  • Why it matters: Zuiderveld is a prominent member of the hardline Gang of Eight and routinely opposes budget enhancements, including additional funding for the College of Southern Idaho. Reinke has decades of experience as a public servant and says Zuiderveld isn’t representing the district.
  • Who is running: First-term Rep. Clint Hostetler, R-Twin Falls, faces attorney Alexandra Caval for District 24 House Seat A.
  • Why it matters: In his first week as a legislator, Hostetler in 2025 introduced a $250 million private school tax credit bill. Caval said she hopes the primary election will be a “course correction” for the Magic Valley after Hostetler won two years ago.

East Idaho

  • Who is running: Two-term Rep. Rick Cheatum faces a three-way rematch with day trader James Lamborn and Air Force veteran Mike Saville for District 28 House Seat A.
  • Why it matters: Cheatum last year voted against the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit. Lamborn, a strong school choice supporter, said District 28 deserves a conservative, constitutional, Christian Republican. Saville has run for office as a Democrat, an independent and a Republican. He said he supports the country first, not the party.
  • Who is running: First-term Rep. Ben Fuhriman faces a rematch with former legislator Julianne Young for District 30 House Seat B.
  • Why it matters: Fuhriman sponsored the $5 million high-needs special education fund bill this year and opposed a bill to rein in teachers’ unions. Young is a social conservative who has worked on culture war bills, such as defining genders and prohibiting public funds for gender transition procedures.
  • Who is running: Four-term Rep. Rod Furniss faces former legislator Karey Hanks for District 31 House Seat B.
  • Why it matters: Furniss has worked on legislation to make it easier for districts to pass bonds and find funding to build schools. Hanks, a school bus driver, wants to get back into the Statehouse to protect children from the “woke” agenda. The two share similar views on social issues and support the transgender bathroom bill.
  • Who is running: Four-term Rep. Barbara Ehardt faces a challenge from firefighter Connor Cook.
  • Why it matters: Ehardt is a staunch social conservative who said the transgender community started the culture war, not the Idaho Legislature. Cook, a union member, says Idaho has “gone rogue” and is using social issues as a distraction from the budget.
  • Who is running: First-term Rep. Mike Veile faces former legislator Chad Christensen in District 35 House Seat A.
  • Why it matters: Veile, a former Soda Springs trustee, sits on the House Education Committee. He opposes private school tax credits and said Idaho doesn’t have enough funding to support multiple education systems. Christensen supports school choice and would like to explore school district consolidation.



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Idaho

Idaho water officials warn thousands of users about potential reductions amid historic drought

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5 hours ago

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June 4, 2026

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Idaho water officials warn thousands of users about potential reductions amid historic drought


MURPHY, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Water Resources sent letters to about 3,300 owners of trust water rights, warning of potential curtailment. Those rights were created in 1984 to balance agricultural and hydroelectric water use.

Officials predict Snake River flows near Murphy could drop below the minimum level of 3,900 cubic feet per second within the next month. If that happens, it would mark the first time summer flows have dropped that low since the 1984 agreement was established.

Hear some of the ways farmers have had to cut back on crops due to lack of water:

Idaho drought pushes Idaho farmers into a corner

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If flows fall below that threshold, users could face curtailment — meaning they would be forced to stop diverting surface water and reduce groundwater pumping to comply.

The warning is already a reality for some Magic Valley farmers. Alex Joslin’s operation draws water from the Salmon Falls Tract, which has about 10 days of water left before his season will effectively be over.

“We’re running on about 13% of our water, so yeah, it’s a little tight,” Joslin said.

RELATED | Twin Falls faces second water delivery cut amid historic drought conditions

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Instead of planting his usual crops, Joslin has planted oats as cover crops just to keep the dirt from blowing away.

“This would’ve been alfalfa. The field behind us, there’s a full swing pivot behind us. That would’ve probably been barley or corn, one or the other, depending on how much water we had to work with,” explained Joslin.

Lorien Nettleton / Idaho News 6

He now has a large swath of his land sitting idle.

“Yeah, I have 1,200 acres in oats this year, so there’s a lot of ground that’s just sitting— doing nothing profitable,” Joslin said.

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Joslin said only a prolonged stretch of rain could change the outlook for the season.

“If we had two weeks of rain, just move in— that might not even be enough— maybe we need three,” Joslin concluded.

ALSO READ | Idaho farmers face tough choices to keep permanent crops alive during the statewide drought emergency

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Send tips to Magic Valley neighborhood reporters Lorien Nettleton and Joey Martin

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Have a story idea from Twin Falls or the Magic Valley? Share it with our team below —





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Court Clears Path For Idaho’s Critical Stibnite Antimony Mine

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16 hours ago

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June 4, 2026

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Court Clears Path For Idaho’s Critical Stibnite Antimony Mine


The U.S. District Court for Idaho last week denied an injunction sought by climate activist groups, ruling that construction may proceed on the Stibnite Gold Project in central Idaho. This decision, secured with the active involvement of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, represents a significant win not just for the project’s developer, Perpetua Resources, but for the Pentagon, which covets the large volumes of antimony the Stibnite mine can produce.

An “Urgent” Antimony Resource

The Stibnite project, as I’ve written here in the past, is a carefully vetted initiative following years of environmental reviews, culminating in U.S. Forest Service approval in January 2025. The project will produce substantial quantities of gold (about 4.2 million ounces) and silver (1.7 million ounces) over its life, but its real strategic value lies in antimony reserves, an estimated 115 million pounds. Antimony is a critical mineral essential for munitions, military-grade antimony trisulfide, lead-acid batteries, advanced sensors, radar materials, and flame retardants. For too long, the U.S. has depended on foreign sources via supply chains dominated by China, which has repeatedly restricted exports and left our National Defense Stockpile dangerously depleted.

The Pentagon says this vulnerability cannot be allowed to linger. As Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, emphasized in a briefing to the Court: “The urgent construction of the Stibnite Gold Project and commencement of antimony production from the Project is of paramount importance to national security. The Stibnite Gold Project is the only opportunity known to the Department which is projected to produce sufficient antimony quantities to meet defense requirements by 2029 and supply substantial quality to the U.S. commercial market, as evidenced and de-risked by a feasibility study conducted in accordance with SK 1300 or equivalent standards.”

Antimony is “Vital To Our National Defense”

This is the core of the issue. As Cadenazzi notes, further delays here don’t just stall a mine; they prolong “the nation’s currently unacceptable supply chain risk for antimony.” Without domestic production, America remains exposed to supply shocks from adversarial nations. The sooner Stibnite ramps up, the sooner resiliency for both defense needs and essential civilian applications can be built.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department put it well: “Antimony is among the minerals most vital to our national defense, and for too long the United States has relied on foreign adversaries to supply it. This decision allows construction to move forward on the most significant domestic source of antimony, and it reflects the Department’s commitment to defending projects critical to America’s national security.”

The court’s ruling hinged on the plaintiffs’ failure to demonstrate “imminent, irreparable harm.” That’s a high bar, and rightly so. Activist groups have long used litigation as a tool to delay or derail resource projects, often prioritizing ideology over practical trade-offs. Stibnite isn’t a pristine wilderness being bulldozed for profit: It’s a historically disturbed site from over a century of prior mining. The project includes robust reclamation efforts: removing legacy tailings, restoring fish passage on the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River, and commitment to overall environmental restoration.

There is near-universal acceptance now of the reality that any true energy transition will of necessity require a major increase in mining for an array of critical energy minerals, including antimony. If the U.S. is to get back into the mining business in a meaningful way after almost half a century of relative dormancy, this project presents a clear example of responsible mining in action, balancing extraction with stewardship while meeting a compelling national security need.

A Key Near-Term Antimony Resource

The same climate activist groups who favor such a transition seem to knee-jerk to oppose development in national forests; but context matters, and they raise issues which have been litigated repeatedly for more than a decade now. Defense officials have identified Stibnite as the only near-term domestic source capable of meeting major portion of the country’s antimony needs. Historically, the site supplied 90% of America’s antimony during WWII and the Korean War. Reviving it now aligns with the Trump administration’s broader push to onshore critical mineral supply chains to reduce reliance on China and bolster the Pentagon’s defense industrial base.

This latest win in court fits the established initiative by the Trump administration of prioritizing energy and mineral security. It should be noted here that this same initiative was at least nominally favored by the Biden administration. In a major speech delivered in June 2021, President Joe Biden promised to mount a “whole of government” effort to reshore supply chains for critical energy minerals like antimony. It was a commitment which was unfortunately was left largely unaddressed over the final 3 years of his presidency.

But that commitment has been revived and amplified over the last 17 months. Permitting reform, executive actions on domestic production, and judicial pushback against reflexive injunctions are chipping away at the regulatory and litigation thicket that has stifled investment. For rural Idaho, Stibnite means jobs, economic vitality, and infrastructure improvements. Nationally, it means less vulnerability in an era when adversaries weaponize supply chains.

Of course, litigation will no doubt continue: No one should expect the anti-development activists to relent. But the court’s denial of this injunction sends the clear message that national security interests still carry weight. The repeated environmental reviews to which this project has been subjected have been not just thorough, but exhaustive. The project is fully vetted. Now, it’s time to build.

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America Must Be Able To Eventually Get To “Go”

America’s competitors don’t tie themselves into bureaucratic and legalistic knots over every project. China dominates antimony production and has not been at all shy about deploying that dominance strategically.

The Stibnite mine is an answer to that aggression: It clearly exemplifies the “all-of-the-above” approach needed, not just for energy, but for the array of other minerals like antimony which help power modern defense and industry. Environmental reviews and protections to truly endangered species are important and must remain in place, but at some point, America simply must be able to say “go” on vital projects like this one.



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Idaho State Police: Driver runs stop sign, hits hay-stacker truck in Twin Falls

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1 day ago

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June 4, 2026

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Idaho State Police: Driver runs stop sign, hits hay-stacker truck in Twin Falls


TWIN FALLS, Idaho (CBS2) — A two-vehicle crash involving a hay-stacker truck sent two men to the hospital Wednesday afternoon in Twin Falls County, with one later flown to another facility.

Idaho State Police said the crash happened Wednesday, June 3, at about 12:19 p.m. at the intersection of N 2500 E and E 3400 N.

A 28-year-old man from Jerome was driving southbound on N 2500 E in a 2006 Ford Taurus, and a 59-year-old man from Twin Falls was driving westbound on E 3400 N in a New Holland hay-stacker truck, according to ISP.

Police said the driver of the Ford Taurus failed to obey the stop sign and collided with the hay-stacker.

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Neither driver was wearing a seatbelt, and both were taken by ground ambulance to a nearby hospital. The driver of the hay-stacker was later transported by air ambulance to a different hospital, according to ISP.

The roadway was blocked for about two-and-a-half hours while crews worked to clear the scene. The crash remains under investigation.



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