More Democrats filed to run for office in Idaho last week than at any point in recent history.
One hundred Democrats out of 272 candidates filed for the Legislature and 10 out of 29 filed for statewide offices. Party leaders are touting their organizing and recruiting efforts, while also noting an increased interest in public office as the Republican supermajority in the Legislature votes on budget cuts.
“We pounded the pavement and talked to people,” Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea told EdNews on Monday. “Sometimes people have to be asked, and sometimes people raise their hand and say, ‘I want to run.'”
Ada County Democrats say they have a candidate running in every legislative race in the county for the “first time in modern history.”
“This is a direct response to the extremism coming out of the Statehouse,” Ada County Democrats Chairman Jared DeLoof stated in a Friday news release.
More than twice as many Democrats are running for the Legislature this year compared with four years ago — and there are more primaries for these candidates.
- 2026: 100 Democrats, seven contested primaries
- 2024: 87 Democrats, four contested primaries
- 2022: 46 Democrats, no contested primaries
“We’re just thrilled with the outpouring of interest in running at a critical moment in Idaho’s history,” Necochea said.
The state party stays neutral in primaries, she said, and voters will decide whose message resonates the most.
View the full list of candidates here.
There will be three Democratic primaries in District 6 and two in District 16:
District 6
- Senate
- Richard Gayler vs. Robin Weldy
- House A
- Trish Carter-Goodheart vs. Bryce Blankenship vs. Ryan Wayne Augusta
- House B
- Kathy Dawes vs. Kenneth Williams
District 16
- Senate
- Soñia Galaviz vs. Justin “Justice” Mitson
- House A
- Megan Woller vs. Jeffrey Watkins
General Election
Necochea said she thinks Democrats can flip seats in District 15 and 29 this year.
In District 15, Sen. Codi Galloway, R-Boise, in 2024 beat incumbent Democrat Rick Just by a 3.6% margin. Galloway on Monday withdrew her re-election campaign. Democrat Nancy Gregory, a 24-year Boise school trustee, is running for the seat. She will face Republican Desi Burbank in November.
In District 29, Rep. Tanya Burgoyne, R-Pocatello, in 2024 beat incumbent Democrat Nate Roberts by a 5.2% margin. Roberts is running again this year, but first Burgoyne will face Republican Jennifer Miles in the primary.
“With people excited to run all across the state, we’re going to be narrowing the margins where Republicans have strongholds, and potentially flipping some seats and some surprising places,” Necochea said.
