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A retired Marine and former legislator wants a rematch against a first-term Senator with private-sector experience.

Chris Trakel will take on Sen. Camille Blaylock in the Republican primary for Senate in District 11.

Trakel has run for the Legislature three times and won in 2022. He served one term but lost his 2024 primary to Blaylock by a 3.8-point margin. That was Blaylock’s first election.

In her first term, Blaylock has focused on boosting special education funding and wants to keep her position serving Caldwell constituents.

On the other hand, Trakel claims he faced religious discrimination when a virtual public charter school did not reimburse his family for purchasing religious curriculum. While in office, he sponsored a pronoun bill and drew attention at a 2023 Caldwell School District meeting for his comments on a proposed policy.

Political action committee spending on their 2024 race was lopsided.

Five mainstream PACs spent $30,022 to support Blaylock and none opposed her. Her independent backers include Idaho Liberty PAC, Idaho Prosperity Fund and Right 2 Learn.

But one PAC spent three times as much to oppose Trakel.

Idaho Liberty PAC spent $91,332 against him. His only support from a PAC was $0.72 from the NRA Political Victory Fund.

It’s too early to tell how much PACs will spend on the rematch.

With two sessions under her belt, Blaylock said she’s just learned to walk.

Two more sessions and she could start running.

Blaylock has learned to keep trying if a bill fails. Last year she sponsored a bill, HB 291, that would have created a $3 million fund for high-needs special education students. It died in the Senate by one vote.

“I felt like I let some people down,” Blaylock said. “That was kind of a bummer.”

The idea came back this year, with a $5 million high-needs fund in SB 1288, which Blaylock sponsored. Gov. Brad Little signed it into law last week. Under federal law, schools must provide a free, appropriate public education for all kids, but sometimes districts have to foot the bill. The $5 million one-time fund, she said, is a step in creating a mechanism to help districts.

“Every student will get an education in America and I just think that’s beautiful,” she said.

Speaking on the Monday after Sine Die, Blaylock said it always feels good when the state has a surplus and can fund programs. But that wasn’t the case this year. She said budget cuts are always tough.

“I think the session was a success in the fact that we really took a deep dive into the budget and cut some spending that we didn’t think was needed,” she said.

After supporting the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit last year, Blaylock hoped lawmakers this year would have had more robust discussions on what public schools need. In particular, she said the outdated funding formula needs an overhaul.

Blaylock successfully repealed the $30 million-per-year Empowering Parents grant program last year through SB 1142. The program was created with federal dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic to help parents pay for laptops and other equipment for home learning. The program eventually switched to using state money.

“Was it needed going forward? You know, buying laptops and things?” Blaylock said. “In my opinion, no, and obviously other legislators agreed because they voted to repeal it.”

Before her time in the Legislature, Blaylock worked for a health care technology startup and now assists some clients in operational work. But more importantly, Blaylock said, she’s a mother of two. Both kids attend a charter school in Caldwell.

She supports parental rights in education. When attending parent-teacher conferences, Blaylock said she sits on the side of the teacher to show her kids that education is a team effort.

“Nobody’s going to know a kid better than the parent,” she said.

Blaylock said education was a big focus in her home while growing up. Her father is former Idaho state superintendent Tom Luna. Her parents instilled in her the value of being a lifelong learner, she said.

Blaylock said she has nothing bad to say about her opponent’s character. She said they sometimes have the same ideas, but Trakel is less likely to be open-minded.

“The most important thing is that I love Caldwell,” Blaylock told EdNews. “I have lived in Idaho my whole life. My kids go to school here. I’m invested in this community, and I’m smart and compassionate.”

Trakel has three kids. One goes to private school and two are homeschooled with help from the Idaho Home Learning Academy, a virtual public charter school.

“One of my daughters is special needs,” Trakel told EdNews. “And the reason why I love IHLA — we had to take them out of public schools. It was failing her.”

A year ago, Trakel sued the school that he loves.

He filed a religious discrimination lawsuit in March 2025 against state superintendent Debbie Critchfield and IHLA.

His family is Christian and their faith “demands them to infuse these beliefs into their children, including through their education,” according to Trakel’s lawsuit. He claims his family was “denied reimbursement when they chose religiously influenced curriculum for their kids.”

Trakel, in an interview, said the curriculum his family chose doesn’t push religion, but might mention that God created Earth. He said he would never push his religion on other people.

Trakel argued that in denying his family reimbursement, IHLA violated his First Amendment rights of free exercise of religion and of free speech. He also argued that the Blaine Amendment of the Idaho Constitution, which ensures public funds cannot be used for religious purposes, is discriminatory and prevents religious people from receiving some public funding.

U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill wasn’t buying it. He dismissed the case in August 2025.

Winmill said Trakel’s claims are “far outside of the scope of the First Amendment’s protections.”

“Nothing in the First Amendment allows parents to dictate the contents of school curriculums or requires state schools to provide students with a religious education,” Winmill wrote.

Trakel told EdNews that Winmill was “completely off the mark” and that his lawsuit was never about fighting for religious curriculum.

“Judges are usually pretty intelligent people,” Trakel said. “I think he’s just using it as a grandstanding argument, because that’s not even at all what the lawsuit was about.”

On other education issues, Trakel said he is a big fan of parental choice, but he doesn’t think the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit was the right way to go about it. He said he believes in personal responsibility and if one of his kids goes to private school, he pays for it.

During his time at the Statehouse, Trakel in 2024 successfully sponsored a pronoun bill. HB 538 prohibits government entities from compelling employees and students from using people’s preferred pronouns. Trakel said it’s a freedom of speech issue.

“I can’t force you to call me king,” he said. “I can’t force you to call me anything, that’s your personal opinion.”

Trakel has expressed concerns about the Caldwell School District.

In January 2023, he spoke at a board meeting in opposition to a proposed district policy that would establish rights and protections for all students, regardless of sexual orientation.

As EdNews reported at the time, an unruly audience volleyed insults and threats at trustees after Trakel spoke. Trustees ended the meeting early.

“I have a lot of concerns with Caldwell School District, hence why my kids don’t go there anymore,” Trakel told EdNews. “It’s one of the worst in the state.”

Regarding local control, Trakel said school boards should control basic operations, but curriculum should come from the state superintendent.

“I’m a big fan of a statewide curriculum,” he said.