The deadline for statewide races was February 26, and those candidates are set.  The deadline for county and district officials is March 13, which is this Friday.  There are often last minute filers for county level contests, so the full slate of candidates likely won’t be clear until next week.  Here is what we do know as of press time, though:

For Governor, the list is massive.  Current governor Brad Little is seeing primary challenges from Republicans Daniel C. Fowler, Ethan Giles, Justin R. Plante, Lisa Marie, Mark Fitzpatrick, Ron James, and Sean Calvert Crystal.  Democratic Candidates are Chanelle Torrez, Jill Kirkham, Maxine Durand, and Terri Pickens.  From the Libertarian Party, the primary includes Paul Sand and Melissa-Sue Robinson.  Jacob Burnett and John R. Stegner filed as Independents.  The Candidate named Pro-Life is running as a member of the Constitution Party.  

At the Federal level, U.S. Sen Jim Risch faces three Republican challengers.  Risch, 82, is running for a fourth six-year term. The Republican was first elected to the seat in 2008 and now chairs the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He faces three Republican challengers in the May primary election: Denny LaVe, Joe Evans, and Josh Roy.  In announcing his re-election bid in an April 2025 post on X, Risch touted an endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump. 

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, a Republican serving his fifth term, is not yet up for re-election. His six-year term began in 2023.  

U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher faces two Republican challengers in Idaho’s 1st Congressional District since 2019. Idaho’s 1st Congressional District — home to roughly 1 million people — splits Ada County, includes some of Boise and spans the state’s western border through the Idaho panhandle in the north.

U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson faces two Republican challengers.  Simpson, 75, is running for a 15th two-year term. The Republican has represented Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District since 1999 and chairs the House Interior and Environment Subcommittee on Appropriations. He faces two Republican challengers: Brian Keene and Perry Shumway.

Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District — home to almost 1 million people — splits Ada County, includes most of Boise, and spans central and eastern Idaho. 

Simpson has widely won re-election bids.

For Onedia County, incumbent District 27 Senator Kelly Arthur Anton (R ) will be running against Margo Saunders (D) in the fall.  Neither of District 27’s Representatives, Douglas Pickett (R ) (27A), and Clay Handy (R ) (27B) have any opposition in the primary either, and no challengers who filed under other party affiliations.  

At the time of this report, Bill Drury (R ) has filed to run for County Commission seat District 1.  The seat is currently held by Chairman Bill Lewis, who has not filed to run as of press time.  

For the County Commission District 2 seat, Randy Willie has filed to run.  The seat is currently held by Ken Eliason, who has also not filed to run in the primary as of Tuesday.

The other filings to report for the county are the filings of those currently holding positions, County Clerk Lon Colton, County Treasurer Leigh Anne Love, County Assessor Kathleen Atkinson, and County Coroner Brad Horsley.  

Given the strength of Republican candidates in Oneida County, uncontested primaries are typically highly indicative of the ultimate outcomes of the races, even in contested elections.  We should have a clear sense of whether any challengers step forward for countywide races, and whether several incumbents are planning to run again by next week.

A Lincoln Day Dinner is scheduled for next Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Event Center in Oneida County to provide voters a chance to meet candidates and hear from speakers about the upcoming election season and to celebrate the 250th year of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence.