Idaho Statesman’s endorsements in Ada County Commission, legislative primaries | Opinion
The Idaho Statesman editorial board endorses the following candidates in Democratic and Republican primaries on Tuesday.
Ada County Commission, Democrats: Devin Gutierrez, Jonathan Lashley
The Idaho Statesman editorial board endorses Devin Gutierrez, running in District 3, and Jonathan Lashley, running in District 1, in the Democratic primary for Ada County Commission.
Read our full endorsement here.
Ada County Commission, District 1, Republicans: Clyde Dornier
Clyde Dornier, who is challenging incumbent Ryan Davidson for the District 1 seat on the Ada County Commission in the Republican primary, doesn’t differ too much from Davidson on many of his views, making it difficult for us to give him our endorsement.
Regardless, Dornier offers a viable alternative to Davidson, who’s made some lousy decisions.
Read our full endorsement here.
Ada County Commission, District 3, Republicans: Heather Luther
Republican voters in Ada County have an interesting lineup of candidates for county commission, District 3. Incumbent Tom Dayley faces challenges from former two-time county commissioner Sharon Ullman, controversial far-right figure Branden Durst and political newcomer Heather Luther.
Luther, a political newcomer who is the director of recording for Ada County, is decidedly the least politically ideological of the bunch and would better represent the voice of the average citizen.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho Senate, District 9: Scott Syme
Scott Syme is a reasonable Republican, an Idaho native, an Army veteran, and a tried and tested state legislator with three terms of experience in the Idaho House of Representatives.
We don’t know much about his opponent, Brandon Shippy, in the upcoming Republican primary for the Idaho Senate seat in District 9, but we’ve seen his social media accounts enough to get the idea. Shippy has posted on social media that when a woman takes her husband’s name, she is “claiming to be under his authority,” and that there should be no abortion exceptions for rape.
We don’t need another extremist in the Idaho Legislature. We’re full.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho Senate, District 10: Lori Bishop
Idaho needs more people like Lori Bishop to step up and run for office. Bishop, a fifth-generation Idahoan from a small town and a lifelong Republican, would be a thoughtful, sensible legislator. Bishop is challenging incumbent Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, for the District 10 seat that includes Middleton and rural parts of Canyon County.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho House, District 11, position B: Sarah Chaney
Sarah Chaney is a well-qualified candidate with good credentials who would be a thoughtful contributor to the House in District 11. Although we likely will disagree with several of her decisions and votes, we expect that she would approach problems thoughtfully and with concern for the constituents in her district.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho Senate, District 13: Jeff Agenbroad
Jeff Agenbroad never should have been voted out of office in 2022.
He lost to Brian Lenney, a California transplant who’s as far right as they come and, as Agenbroad points out, doesn’t represent the values of Idahoans or residents of District 13.
It’s not at all clear what benefit District 13 voters derive from Lenney’s position, if any.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho Senate, District 16: Ali Rabe
Idaho Sen. Ali Rabe, D-Boise, has been a good legislator for her constituents in District 16 and when she was a senator in District 17. The executive director of Jesse Tree of Idaho, a local nonprofit organization that seeks to prevent homelessness, Rabe naturally gravitates to housing issues, and she’s been successful in getting legislation passed.
She’s being challenged by Justin Mitson, who claims he’s a “Kennedy Democrat,” but touts positions that would make him quite the opposite.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho House, District 16, position B: Todd Achilles
Democratic voters in legislative District 16 have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to candidates running for the Idaho House of Representatives, Seat B.
Todd Achilles, Jonathan Chu, Nikson Mathews and Wayne Richey are all seeking the seat.
Achilles is passionate, and we suspect that he has grander aspirations in politics and is motivated to build a record of effectiveness. We think he can. We could easily foresee a run for governor in his future.
Democratic voters in District 16 can’t go wrong with Achilles, Mathews or Chu, but Achilles gets our nod in this race.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho Senate, District 20: Chuck Winder
Idaho Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder is the model of statesmanship and has proved himself to be a strong leader who runs a tight ship in the Senate.
He is being challenged in the Republican primary in District 20, which includes west Boise, by Josh Keyser.
Despite far-right accusations that Winder is a Republican In Name Only, or RINO, Winder is no liberal and represents his conservative constituents well.
Read our full endorsement here.
Idaho House, District 23, position B: Shawn Dygert
Shawn Dygert has just about all the bona fides needed to be a good representative in the Idaho Legislature for District 23. Dygert was born in Eastern Idaho, raised on cow-calf ranch, rodeoed for Utah State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in ag education, got his master’s at University of Idaho and has been teaching ag at Kuna High for 33 years. His kids went to Melba schools; he has grandkids in Melba schools; and he lives in Owyhee County, where he was Republican Central Committee chairman for 10 years and a fair board member for eight years. He is challenging incumbent state Rep. Tina Lambert in the upcoming Republican primary election.
Read our full endorsement here.
Statesman editorials are the unsigned opinion of the Idaho Statesman’s editorial board. Board members are opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, editor Chadd Cripe, newsroom editors Dana Oland and Jim Keyser and community members Mary Rohlfing and Patricia Nilsson.
