Cheri Zao
Cheri Zao (Republican Party) ran for election to the Idaho State Senate to represent District 5. She lost in the Republican primary on May 21, 2024.
Zao completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Cheri Zao was born in Anchorage, Alaska. She earned a bachelor's degree from Stephen F. Austin University in 1979 and a graduate degree from Stephen F. Austin University in 1981. She also earned an M.D. from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 1985. Her career experience includes working as a professor of biology, a family medicine physician, a professor of anatomy and physiology at North Idaho College.[1][2][3]
She has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- North Idaho Federation of Republican Women
- North Idaho Republicans
- Mica Flats Grange
- Happy Family Club
- Audubon Society
- American Association of Retired Persons Tax-Aide
- Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors
Elections
2024
See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Idaho State Senate District 5
Incumbent Carl Bjerke defeated Adam Chapman in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 5 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Carl Bjerke (R) | 79.4 | 21,404 |
| Adam Chapman (D) | 20.6 | 5,557 | ||
| Total votes: 26,961 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 5
Adam Chapman advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 5 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Adam Chapman | 100.0 | 583 | |
| Total votes: 583 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 5
Incumbent Carl Bjerke defeated Cheri Zao in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 5 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carl Bjerke | 77.5 | 5,827 |
 | Cheri Zao | 22.5 | 1,692 | |
| Total votes: 7,519 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Zao in this election.
2022
District 5A
See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Idaho House of Representatives District 5A
Incumbent Ron Mendive defeated Kristy Reed Johnson in the general election for Idaho House of Representatives District 5A on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ron Mendive (R) | 78.5 | 13,527 |
 | Kristy Reed Johnson (D) | 21.5 | 3,696 | |
| Total votes: 17,223 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 5A
Kristy Reed Johnson advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 5A on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kristy Reed Johnson | 100.0 | 807 |
| Total votes: 807 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 5A
Incumbent Ron Mendive defeated Cheri Zao in the Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 5A on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ron Mendive | 83.4 | 6,770 |
| Cheri Zao | 16.6 | 1,349 | |
| Total votes: 8,119 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
District 5B
See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Idaho House of Representatives District 5B
Incumbent Tony Wisniewski defeated Teresa Borrenpohl in the general election for Idaho House of Representatives District 5B on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tony Wisniewski (R) | 78.9 | 13,597 |
| Teresa Borrenpohl (D) | 21.1 | 3,633 | ||
| Total votes: 17,230 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 5B
Teresa Borrenpohl advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 5B on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Teresa Borrenpohl | 100.0 | 804 | |
| Total votes: 804 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 5B
Incumbent Tony Wisniewski advanced from the Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 5B on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tony Wisniewski | 100.0 | 7,467 |
| Total votes: 7,467 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Cheri Zao (R)
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Cheri Zao completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Zao's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- We have a housing crisis. Idaho is a beautiful state full of outdoor opportunities. Recently, many people have flocked to our state and have been buying up homes. Now private equity firms and hedge fund companies have discovered our area and have contributed to taking single family homes off the market. Six years ago, 75% of our average wage earners could afford to purchase their own home. Now, 80% cannot. A family has to make more than $100,000 a year in order to get home financing. This problem is not going to go away any time soon. There are groups working to provide help but it is not enough. We must find legislative solutions. It’s important to keep our workers, families and locals who want to stay here housed and with good jobs.
- Inflation and cost of living are making it difficult for young families and seniors to survive in Idaho financially. While we cannot do anything about inflation there are some things tax wise we can do to help our people. Let's increase the grocery tax credit for our residents. Keeping the grocery tax is a reasonable way to garner revenue from tourism and nonresidents. Additionally, we should enhance property tax relief with some tweaks in our circuit breaker program. This is a reasonable way to make sure our seniors and lower wage workers can stay in their homes. Locals may not know it but our county property tax rate is one of the lowest in our state. Taxes are needed to pay for infrastructure repairs, maintenance and upgrades.
- School budget funding is confusing in Idaho. Years ago our legislature and governor decided locals should pay for more of their own children’s education and created a formula where the state pays for 60% of budget, locals 28% and Feds 12%. Our 28% obligation is in the form of either bonds or levies . We are financially responsible but they expire creating periodic renewal and confusion. School budgets are not flexible, cannot adjust for inflation. Schools are not allowed savings accounts or credit. When a bond or levy expires it’s like a car running out of gas. It has to be refueled by the property owner. Many don't like this local obligation. It is not equitable or easy, especially in less populated areas. It needs to be changed.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2022
Cheri Zao completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Zao's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Property tax reduction – I want to introduce legislation that will help everyday Idahoans. Our rising housing prices will seriously impact our longtime residents. I plan to work diligently to reduce property taxes as well as other taxes impacting everyday Idahoans.
- Housing crisis – we need to work together to make sure we don’t push out our longtime residents. Idaho is a beautiful state with all kinds of outdoor opportunities. Newer residents have flocked to our state and have been buying up homes. Covid seriously impacted our supply chains. Five years ago, 75% of our average wage earners could afford to purchase their own home. Now, 75% cannot. This is not going to go away anytime soon. We must look at our resources and constructively work together to keep our kids and other family members here.
- Public education and all day kindergarten – we need to take a hard look at how Idaho funds K-12 and find ways to cover supplemental (bond or levy) needs at the State level. Schools are being stressed by the rising populations as well as the cost of doing business. Idaho schools have been underfunded for too long. We need to fix this and create a more equitable system.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
