Multiple contested legislative races in upcoming local GOP primary

The May primary election is just around the corner and features contested races in legislative districts 28 and 35.

District 28 includes areas surrounding Bannock and Power counties and represents approximately 26,305 residents, according to a 2020 census report.

Neither District 28 Republican incumbent Jim Guthrie nor his Democratic opponent Russell Matter have a primary opponent, meaning both will face off during the November general election.

For the District 28 State Representative Seat A GOP primary, incumbent Richard Cheatum will face off against challengers Mike Saville and James Lamborn.

All three of the potential seat A representatives have a different focus on their primary platform issues and different approaches to how to fix them. The responses below were included in a recent Idaho State Journal questionnairre.

Richard Cheatum“Funding education, lowering property taxes, supporting law enforcement, emergency medical services, health care, protecting agriculture, managing development, insuring a clean and adequate supply of water and a host of others are all important.”

James Lamborn“The biggest issue I see for all of District 28 is the false Republican representation we’ve endured for years. On matters of spending, education and individual liberty our “representatives” — both House and Senate — have been voting with the Democrats in Boise far more often than their own party, the GOP.”

Mike Saville“Women’s reproductive rights have been stripped away with the 6-week Texas heartbeat law that Idaho adopted. 22 percent of the OB-GYN doctors have left Idaho, not willing to risk their licenses to practice. These abortion laws do not originate in Idaho, most likely written by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Idaho legislators attend ALEC meetings and bring back bills to Idaho and submit them as their own.”

For the District 28 State Representative Seat B GOP primary, two Republicans will face off with incumbent Dan Garner running against Kirk Jackson. Jayson Meline, Democrat, is running uncontested for District 28 Seat B for the primary election.

Kirk Jackson“Our current representation seems to have been seduced by the political machine in Boise. This is degrading the value of our education system and committing tax dollars to questionable and often unethical programs and agencies. We must rein in spending and find transparency throughout the entire government system.”

Dan Garner“The rapid growth the state is experiencing is the biggest issue. This growth puts pressure on our aging infrastructure. The roads and bridges, power grid, water and even school facilities are being negatively impacted by it. We are doing a good job addressing these issues. We need to think outside of the box like HB 292 did.”

There will be no contested races for District 29, which primarily covers the Pocatello and Chubbuck areas, with Democratic incumbent Sen. James Ruchti running unopposed.

District 29 State Representative Seat A will feature an uncontested race in the primary, with Republican incumbent Dustin Manwaring running against Democrat Mary Shea in the November general election.

The District 29 State Representative Seat B [primary race also features uncontested races. Democratic incumbent Rep. Nate Roberts will face off against Republican Tanya Burgoyne in the November election.

Legislative District 35 encompasses portions of Bannock, Bonneville, Caribou and Bear Lake counties and will see two contested races for the May primary.

Legislative District 35 will have a contested race in the primary, with incumbent Republican Sen. Mark Harris facing off against Republican Doug Toomer. The winner of that race will face Democrat Chris Riley in the general election in November.

Mark Harris“The biggest issue in my race is the population growth, not only in our area, but across the state. This growth is putting pressure on our infrastructure, the roads, bridges, broadband access, schools and water. We have taken steps to address this growth by appropriating money for broadband access to our more rural areas.”

Doug Toomer“The greatest challenges or threats for Idaho are what is happening at the federal level — government overreach, corruption, reckless spending, inflation, taxes, open boards and illegal immigration, gangs and fentanyl. Idaho isn’t immune from any of these and our rural communities are most vulnerable.”

State Representative Seat A is uncontested with Democrat Joseph Messerly facing off against Republican incumbent Kevin Andrus in the November general election.

State Representative Seat B will see Republican incumbent Joshua Wheeler face off against Brett Skidmore for the May primary election. The winner of that race will face Democrat Maggie Shaw in the general election.

Josh Wheeler“Higher costs of living all around, as a result of rampant inflation, is a serious threat to all hardworking people in our communities. In addition, aging and underfunded infrastructure in our area increases the challenge of responding to ongoing growth.”

Brett Skidmore“Government overspending has been through the roof, our budget started at 7.9 million before the pandemic. Today it’s 14 billion, almost doubled in four years. I’m very concerned about illegal immigrants and the ability of them coming and being able to be on state aid. House Bill 615 was shut down in the health and welfare committee. This is something that I think Idahoans need to be made aware of. Legislation like this would have made sure that the carpet for illegal immigrants would not be rolled out and Idaho would not be a place where they were welcomed,” Brett Skidmore told the Idaho State Journal during a recent phone call.

The primary election will be held on May 21 at locations across all of Idaho. For more information you can visit voteidaho.gov/election-information or by contacting your local precinct.