Dan Bridges

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Dan Bridges

Republican Party

Candidate, Idaho State Senate District 18

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Next election

May 19, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

U.S. Air Force Academy, 1985

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

1985 - 1992

Personal

Birthplace

Atlanta, GA

Religion

Methodist

Profession

Pilot

Contact

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Dan Bridges (Republican Party) is running for election to the Idaho State Senate to represent District 18. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on May 19, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Dan Bridges was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1985 to 1992. He earned a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1985. His career experience includes working as a pilot.

Elections

2026

See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 18

Incumbent Janie Ward-Engelking (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 18 on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		Janie Ward-Engelking

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 18

Dan Bridges (R) is running in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 18 on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		Dan Bridges

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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2024

See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Idaho State Senate District 18

Incumbent Janie Ward-Engelking defeated Dan Bridges in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 18 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Janie Ward-Engelking (D)	62.6	15,226
		Dan Bridges (R)	37.4	9,080

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,306
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 18

Incumbent Janie Ward-Engelking advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 18 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Janie Ward-Engelking	100.0	1,562

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,562
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 18

Dan Bridges advanced from the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 18 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Bridges	100.0	2,247

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,247
= 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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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Bridges in this election.

Pledges

Bridges signed the following pledges.

• U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Idaho State Senate District 18

Incumbent Janie Ward-Engelking defeated Dan Bridges in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 18 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Janie Ward-Engelking (D)	66.1	12,040
		Dan Bridges (R)	33.9	6,187

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,227
= 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 State Senate District 18

Incumbent Janie Ward-Engelking advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 18 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Janie Ward-Engelking	100.0	1,883

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,883
= 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 18

Dan Bridges advanced from the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 18 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Bridges	100.0	3,706

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,706
= 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.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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2024

Dan Bridges did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Dan Bridges completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bridges' responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Dan Bridges was born and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Bridges then attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as a pilot in the Air Force, including wartime service in Desert Storm. As a longtime airline pilot, Bridges has decades of experience navigating challenging environments and getting his valued passengers to the important things in their lives safely and efficiently. Dan Bridges has served his community as a Cub and Boy Scout leader(both he and his two sons are Eagle Scouts), homeowner’s association president, chairman of a church preschool, and on the board of the Good Samaritan Home. He lives in Boise, Idaho.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Cost of Living: Idaho must be affordable. Lowering state spending and taxes, minimizing bureaucracy, and enhancing business opportunity is critical.
• Freedom: Individuals and families know what is best for themselves. Let them Live Free and Dream Big.
• Respect: Respect for the land and people of Idaho. This includes ensuring safe communities, engaging in creative educational thinking, and embracing sustainable land and water policies.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Finding ways to expand opportunity and freedom is what motivates me. Whether it be finding creative ways to improve education or more productive ways to run government services and lower spending, there are vast opportunities within public service to make life better here in Idaho.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my parents. They were very honest and caring people and dedicated to being involved in their community. I also admire Abraham Lincoln. Very seldom has his pure strength of will and virtue been displayed in a position of such power and consequence.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, respect for your constituents, and the ability to listen and communicate clearly and effectively.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

It is critical to have integrity, an open mind, and the ability and willingness to think and act for the benefit of my constituents. Having graduated from the US Air Force Academy with majors in both Aeronautical Engineering and Humanities, my analytical and communication skills have been well developed and honed for many years, as well as a deep sense of integrity. I will listen to a broad range of voices, ask difficult questions, and engage proactively to review existing or proposed policy to ensure the best possible outcomes for those I serve.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

My core responsibilities will be to work collaboratively with those I represent as well as my fellow legislators, hold true to the principles on which I was elected, and work to move Idaho forward in a way that best serves my constituents.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When I was about 6-7 years old, I recall vividly the evening news in Atlanta each night playing on the TV. The first thing that would be discussed was the daily body count in Vietnam. The next thing would be the number of murders in Atlanta. From an early age, the pain of war and hopelessness became very clear to me.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was as a plumber’s apprentice. My boss had a broken arm and needed help while his arm was in a cast. It only lasted a few weeks, but the skills I gained in those few weeks have been applied time and again throughout the years. It is a testament to the idea that no learning or experience is without value.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Experience is a measure of skill in a particular area. Government is a complicated institution whose primary purpose is to serve the people in many areas. As such, the experiences and values of family, community, and business serve as tremendously valuable assets as a state legislator. A legislative body with a wide variety of skillsets and life experience will best serve the people.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. Trust is absolutely necessary in the legislative process. And trust is not something that just happens. It is earned through experience, so relationships are key to success.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Why did the dinosaur cross the road? Because chickens hadn’t evolved yet. It’s my favorite because my oldest son made it up as a boy. He loved dinosaurs at the time. He’s a funny guy and we love him!

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes.

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Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Dan Bridges campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024	Idaho State Senate District 18	Lost general	$10,861	$10,693
2022	Idaho State Senate District 18	Lost general	$11,415	$11,120
Grand total			$22,276	$21,813
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

See also

2026 Elections

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Idaho State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Lori Den Hartog

Minority Leader:Melissa Wintrow

Senators

District 1

Jim Woodward (R)

District 2

Phil Hart (R)

District 3

Doug Okuniewicz (R)

District 4

Ben Toews (R)

District 5

Carl Bjerke (R)

District 6

Dan Foreman (R)

District 7

Cindy Carlson (R)

District 8

Christy Zito (R)

District 9

Brandon Shippy (R)

District 10

Tammy Nichols (R)

District 11

Camille Blaylock (R)

District 12

Ben Adams (R)

District 13

Brian Lenney (R)

District 14

C. Scott Grow (R)

District 15

Codi Galloway (R)

District 16

Alison Rabe (D)

District 17

Carrie Semmelroth (D)

District 18

Janie Ward-Engelking (D)

District 19

Melissa Wintrow (D)

District 20

Josh Keyser (R)

District 21

Treg Bernt (R)

District 22

Lori Den Hartog (R)

District 23

Todd Lakey (R)

District 24

Glenneda Zuiderveld (R)

District 25

Josh Kohl (R)

District 26

Ron Taylor (D)

District 27

Kelly Anthon (R)

District 28

Jim Guthrie (R)

District 29

James Ruchti (D)

District 30

Julie VanOrden (R)

District 31

Van Burtenshaw (R)

District 32

Kevin Cook (R)

District 33

David Lent (R)

District 34

Doug Ricks (R)

District 35

Mark Harris (R)

Republican Party (29)

Democratic Party (6)