Idaho could — but probably won’t — have an almost entirely new slate of statewide elected officials for the next four years. 

All seven state constitutional officers, from the governor to state superintendent and treasurer, are asking voters for another four-year term on Election Day. And three of Idaho’s four congressional delegates are up for reelection. 

Every incumbent is a Republican, making them automatic favorites in a state where GOP voters outnumber Democrats and independents nearly two to one. Still, each candidate vying to retain his or her seat has at least one challenger standing in the way. 

State superintendent

Republican state superintendent Debbie Critchfield has two challengers. Becky Sundin Mitchell, a Democrat, and Teresa Roundy of the Constitution Party are hoping to unseat Critchfield after her first term as Idaho’s top education leader.  

The race for state superintendent might have been the most engaging statewide contest this election cycle. It’s the only one that featured debates, giving voters a chance to watch the incumbent justify her resume while challengers made their case for an alternative.

Critchfield stood behind her first-term efforts to improve literacy and expand career-technical training opportunities. She also promised to continue her push to update the state’s archaic school funding formula and to close a funding gap for special education. 

Sundin Mitchell, on the other hand, is a staunch opponent of private school choice, who chided Republican leaders for subsidizing private education while failing to fully fund public schools. A middle school teacher, Sundin Mitchell argued that Idaho schools would be better served by an educator with classroom experience. 

Roundy has largely run on one issue: reforming the education system with a focus on child safety and parental rights. She suggested that public school teachers and student resource officers are complicit in a conspiracy that takes children from their parents without due process. 

Critchfield, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary election earlier this year, has far outpaced her opponents in campaign fundraising, raking in more than $175,000. Sundin Mitchell has raised less than $25,000 while Roundy hasn’t raised any money. 

Governor

Republican Gov. Brad Little is vying for a third term against four challengers.

Democrat Terri Pickens and independent John Stegner pose the biggest threat to the incumbent Little, who handily won reelection in 2022. Perennial candidate Pro-Life, a person formerly known as Marvin Richardson who’s representing the Constitution Party, is also on the ballot along with Paul Sand of the Libertarian Party.

As EdNews Senior Reporter Kevin Richert wrote earlier this month, Little has laid low this election cycle, choosing to stand on his record rather than debate. When it comes to education, that record likely will divide voters.

In two terms, Little has shepherded significant investments in college and K-12 education, from Idaho Launch to a $1.5 billion school facilities funding package and steady increases in teacher pay. At the same time, he opened the door to taxpayer subsidies for private education and signed a slew of culture-war bills aimed at classroom politics.

Pickens, an attorney, and Stegner, a former Idaho Supreme Court justice, promised to undo the state’s first private school choice program — either by defunding it, Pickens’ suggestion, or by launching another court challenge, as Stegner proposed.

U.S. Congress

Only one member of Idaho’s congressional delegation — U.S. Sen Mike Crapo — is safe on Election Day. Crapo’s term expires in 2028.

Sen. Jim Risch and Reps. Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson, all Republicans, are vying for reelection, and they each have multiple challengers.

U.S. senators serve six-year terms while House members serve two-year terms.

Other statewide races

All seven state constitutional officers are up for reelection this year. Each have four-year terms.

In addition to the governor and state superintendent, here’s who’s running again and who’s trying to unseat them:

Lieutenant governor

Republican Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke is vying for a second term as second-in-line to the governor’s office and president of the Idaho Senate. The longtime speaker of the House before becoming lieutenant governor in 2023, Bedke faces Eric Myricks, an entrepreneur from Nampa and a self-described “moderate Democrat.” 

Attorney general 

Republican Attorney General Raúl Labrador is also hoping for a second term as the state’s top attorney. His campaign website touts his offices defense of laws “protecting women’s sports” and “expanding educational freedom.” 

Labrador’s challenger is Lori Hickman, a Democrat, who was endorsed by two former Republican attorneys general, including Labrador’s former opponent, Lawrence Wasden, and his chief critic, Jim Jones. More than 50 former deputy attorneys general also endorsed Hickman.  

Secretary of state 

Republican Secretary of State Phil McGrane also wants four more years, and his race is a rematch from the 2022 election. Shawn Keenan, a mortgage broker and loan officer from Coeur d’Alene, is again the Democratic challenger. 

McGrane won the 2022 election with more than 72% of votes.

The secretary of state’s office oversees elections and enforces campaign finance and lobbying laws. It’s also responsible for managing filings from business entities.

Controller 

Brandon Woolf is Idaho’s longest-serving constitutional officer. A Republican, Woolf has been controller since 2012, when former Gov. C.L “Butch” Otter appointed him to the position. 

In Woolf’s bid for another four years, he’s facing Rakesh Mohan. A Democrat and economist, Mohan became a Statehouse staple as director of the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations, the nonpartisan office that conducts research on behalf of the Legislature. Mohan retired from that role in 2024.

The controller is essentially the state’s accountant. The office pays the state’s bills and maintains accounting systems.

Treasurer 

The treasurer, on the other hand, is essentially Idaho’s banker, who manage the state’s assets — including investments that support public schools.

Republican Julie Ellsworth wants another four years in that role, which she has held since 2019. This would be her third term.

She faces Kevin A. Jones, who’s running as a Democrat. He’s a certified investment portfolio manager and financial analyst from Boise.