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An Idaho House member is challenging her district’s senator in the May 19 primary over what she views as his unresponsiveness to constituents and refusal to collaborate.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dan Foreman is running for a fourth term because “there’s plenty of work left to be done.”

McCann said she’s giving up her House seat to run because she and her constituents don’t feel represented by Foreman.

“We can’t get in to see him,” McCann said. “We’re not getting replies back.”

McCann said she has tried to meet with Foreman on issues and to work together as the district’s legislators. Foreman routinely declined and told McCann he only talks to people he chooses to speak with.

Foreman didn’t respond to the specifics of McCann’s claims.

“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response,” he said. “My response is check the voting record.”

Foreman has also faced criticism over his interactions with constituents in recent years, including claims of yelling, using profanity, and clashing with students and political opponents. He denied using any “racial slurs” after a 2024 allegation that he told a Nez Perce tribal member to “go back to where you came from,” calling the claim political mudslinging.

In 2018, Foreman shouted at University of Idaho students affiliated with Planned Parenthood who tried to meet with him about birth control and sex education, according to The Spokesman-Review.

Foreman said his experience as a senator prompted his run for another term.

“Every year you’re there,” he said, referring to the Statehouse, “you get more effective.”

As chair of the Commerce Committee, Foreman feels he has the expertise to get bills passed.

But Foreman’s decision as chair this session to prevent a vote on House Bill 516, a bill that prevents school districts from withholding union dues from teachers’ paychecks, among other things, sparked a procedural conflict on the Senate floor — and put Foreman in an odd spot as one of the party’s hardliners.

Foreman said he understands the bill’s objective to keep taxpayer funds from being used for union activities. But he felt the bill singled out the Idaho Education Association and implied it had done something wrong.

“That’s tantamount to saying we think you’re doing all of those things on a systemic basis,” Foreman said. “And that’s simply not the case.”

Foreman said he felt the bill was too harsh, unnecessary and poorly written. He refused to give it a hearing, but senators swapped the language of a different bill with the union bill, a move known as radiator capping.

“I thought it was actually a bit overdone and borderline childish the way they went about it,” Foreman said.

He called himself a “rules person” and argued his fellow legislators should have followed the traditional process.

Foreman believes his record speaks for itself.

“I think when people look at my voting record they’ll see 100% consistency,” he said.

Challenger: Lori McCann

• Occupation: Business owner; cattle rancher; retired professor, Lewis-Clark State College
• History of elected service: Two terms in the House. Elected 2022 and 2024.
• Campaign website: lorimccannforidaho.com

 

McCann argued that part of why Foreman stepped in on the union bill and voted more moderately this session was because she entered the primary. Foreman’s Idaho Freedom Foundation Freedom Index score dropped from 89.7% for the 2025 session to 66.9% for the 2026 session.

McCann said she would love it if Foreman were turning over a new, more moderate leaf, but she doesn’t think that’s happening.

“I think he did it because he had a strong opponent in the primary,” McCann said, referring to Foreman’s approach this session.

McCann said she prides herself on being willing to work with lawmakers and constituents from across the political spectrum. She sees herself as a “Reagan Republican” and supports the idea of a big-tent GOP where a variety of viewpoints are welcome.

“It’s so important to me to listen and be the voice of the people,” McCann said. “And that means all the people.”

McCann said education is her top issue.

“I have always been a passionate believer in public education from the early stages, pre-K through higher ed,” she said.

McCann has opposed private school choice, including House Bill 93 that created a $50 million tax credit. But now that the bill is law and has been ruled constitutional by the Idaho Supreme Court, she plans to support tweaks to the bill to increase accountability for the public funds.

“Now that we have that, I am going to do what I can to help bridge the gap for the people that are very adamant about that and those that are unhappy about it,” she said.

McCann ultimately wants to eliminate local property tax levies by increasing state support for schools, but she said that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. Instead, she supports proposals to extend their length from two to four or six years.

She also supports a K-12 funding formula rewrite, especially one that would prioritize equal funding for rural and urban schools. She wants the formula to move away from average daily attendance to an enrollment-based model, with some minimum level of support to pay for buildings, transportation and maintenance.

McCann also supports state-funded pre-kindergarten to prepare the youngest Idahoans for school and support families — at a time when both parents often need to work to make ends meet.

“Those little guys, their minds are so open, and right now when both parents have to work that piece gets missed,” McCann said. “There are so many hours in a day.”

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