James Petzke

James Petzke

Republican Party

Candidate, Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

3

Predecessor: Steven Harris (R)

Compensation

Base salary

$25,000/year

Per diem

For legislators residing within 50 miles of the Capitol: $86/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the Capitol: $253/day.

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Next election

May 19, 2026

Education

Associates

Boise State University, 2014

Bachelor's

Boise State University, 2015

Graduate

Harvard University, 2020

Personal

Religion

Christian

Profession

Business owner

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

James Petzke (Republican Party) is a member of the Idaho House of Representatives, representing District 21A. He assumed office on December 1, 2022. His current term ends on December 1, 2026.

Petzke (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the Idaho House of Representatives to represent District 21A. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on May 19, 2026.^[source]

Biography

James Petzke earned an associate degree in social sciences from Boise State University in 2014, a bachelor's degree in multidisciplinary studies from Boise State University in 2015, and a master's degree in finance from Harvard University in 2020. Petzke's career experience includes owning Off Trail Publishing, co-founding and working as the CEO of Upland Optics, and working as the SEO program manager of Bodybuilding.com.

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Committee assignments

2025-2026

Petzke was assigned to the following committees:

• Appropriations Committee
• Resources and Conservation Committee
• Transportation and Defense Committee
• Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee

2023-2024

Petzke was assigned to the following committees:

• House Agricultural Affairs Committee
• Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee
• Revenue and Taxation Committee, Vice Chair
• Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, Co-Chair

Elections

2026

See also: Idaho House of Representatives 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 election

Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

Camille Allan is running in the Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Camille Allan

---

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

Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

Incumbent James Petzke and Gina Johnson are running in the Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		James Petzke
	Submit photo	Gina Johnson

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

Incumbent James Petzke defeated Casey Hess in the general election for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Petzke (R)	68.3	17,558
	Submit photo	Casey Hess (D)	31.7	8,160

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,718
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

Casey Hess advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Casey Hess	100.0	991

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 991
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

Incumbent James Petzke defeated Adam Nelson and Monica McKinley in the Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Petzke	55.1	2,969
		Adam Nelson	23.6	1,270
		Monica McKinley	21.3	1,148

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,387
= 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 Petzke in this election.

2022

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

James Petzke defeated Josi Christensen, Daniel S. Weston, and Mike Long in the general election for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Petzke (R)	62.2	10,829
	Submit photo	Josi Christensen (D)	29.8	5,191
	Submit photo	Daniel S. Weston (Constitution Party)	5.1	881
	Submit photo	Mike Long (L)	2.9	503

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,404
= 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 House of Representatives District 21A

Josi Christensen advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Josi Christensen	100.0	889

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 889
= 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 House of Representatives District 21A

James Petzke defeated Tara Pugmire, Domenico Gelsomino, and Tyler Ricks in the Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Petzke	38.9	2,879
		Tara Pugmire	38.0	2,817
		Domenico Gelsomino	14.4	1,063
	Submit photo	Tyler Ricks	8.7	645

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,404
= 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.

Constitution primary election

Constitution primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

Daniel S. Weston advanced from the Constitution primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Daniel S. Weston	100.0	6

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6
= 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.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

Mike Long advanced from the Libertarian primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 21A on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Mike Long	100.0	29

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29
= 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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Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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2024

James Petzke did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a native Idahoan with proven leadership ability and conservative values. I've spent the last ten years running a variety of eCommerce businesses, including Upland Optics, a sporting optics company for hunters. After selling a few of my businesses I decided to look for opportunities to give back to my home state, and when this seat opened up in the legislature I felt called to serve.

I will bring a level of business experience and financial expertise to the statehouse that it has rarely had before. I built a collection of companies that peaked at over $3 million in revenue before having three different successful exits. I also hold a Master's Degree in Finance from Harvard. This makes me very qualified to tackle the tough economic issues facing the people of our state, especially the rising cost of living. I am a true Idaho outdoorsman. I've hunted Idaho public lands for deer and elk since I was 16, I've climbed all nine 12,000 foot peaks in the state, and I spend most of my summer and fall in the mountains every year. I also am a Christian, and faith is the bedrock of my values. I am lucky enough to be a part of the Ten Mile Christian community.

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?

• Property tax relief is my highest priority as a legislator. If we want to get a handle on the skyrocketing cost of living in our state, giving people relief where they need it most is a good start.
• Idaho has the potential to have an amazing education system, and with some innovation and smarter funding mechanisms we can make it world class.
• I want to keep Idaho home by defending our conservative values and our unique quality of life.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Economic issues are the ones that I am the most passionate about. I think the federal government has made some serious missteps in recent years with its massive spending binges and unneeded stimulus plans. This has led to our current astronomical level of inflation. I unfortunately won't be able to directly tackle that issue, I do want to find some ways to help Idahoans who are struggling with the increased cost of living.
I'm also very passionate about education. I went through Idaho public schools from kindergarten through Boise State, and my parents are both public school teachers. I've seen many of the problems with our education system first hand and am excited to help make forward progress for our schools and for the future of our state.

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

My first job was as a computer technician intern at the Blaine County School District when I was a freshman in high school. Basically I spent all summer going around to every classroom in the district and fixing/updating computers and making sure that every teacher had the technology they needed functioning properly. I did that job for two years and then did web programming for the district for two more.

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

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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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James Petzke campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024	Idaho House of Representatives District 21A	Won general	$67,246	$44,913
2022	Idaho House of Representatives District 21A	Won general	$49,614	$43,690
Grand total			$116,861	$88,603
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in Idaho

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

• 2025
• 2024
• 2023

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Idaho State Legislature in 2025.

• ACLU of Idaho — Legislators are scored on their stance on civil liberties issues.
• Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business and economic issues.
• Idaho Freedom Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
• Idaho Wildlife Federation — Legislators are scored on how they voted on sportsman-related bills.
• The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Idaho State Legislature in 2024.

• ACLU of Idaho — Legislators are scored on their stance on civil liberties issues.
• Club for Growth Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
• Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business and economic issues.
• Idaho Freedom Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
• Idaho Wildlife Federation — Legislators are scored on how they voted on sportsman-related bills.
• National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
• The Institute for Legislative Analysis — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Idaho State Legislature in 2023.

• ACLU of Idaho — Legislators are scored on their stance on civil liberties issues.
• Idaho Freedom Foundation — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
• Idaho Wildlife Federation — Legislators are scored on how they voted on sportsman-related bills.
• The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
• The Institute for Legislative Analysis — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.

See also

2026 Elections

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

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Officeholder

Idaho House of Representatives District 21A

Website

Personal

Website

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Steven Harris (R)	Idaho House of Representatives District 21A 2022-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Idaho House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Mike Moyle

Majority Leader:Jason Monks

Representatives

District 1A

Mark Sauter (R)

District 1B

Cornel Rasor (R)

District 2A

Heather Scott (R)

District 2B

Dale Hawkins (R)

District 3A

Vito Barbieri (R)

District 3B

Jordan Redman (R)

District 4A

Joe Alfieri (R)

District 4B

Elaine Price (R)

District 5A

Ron Mendive (R)

District 5B

Tony Wisniewski (R)

District 6A

Lori McCann (R)

District 6B

Brandon Mitchell (R)

District 7A

Kyle Harris (R)

District 7B

Charlie Shepherd (R)

District 8A

Rob Beiswenger (R)

District 8B

Faye Thompson (R)

District 9A

John Shirts (R)

District 9B

Judy Boyle (R)

District 10A

Mike Moyle (R)

District 10B

Bruce Skaug (R)

District 11A

Kent Marmon (R)

District 11B

Lucas Cayler (R)

District 12A

Jeff Cornilles (R)

District 12B

Jaron Crane (R)

District 13A

Brent Crane (R)

District 13B

Steve Tanner (R)

District 14A

Ted Hill (R)

District 14B

Josh Tanner (R)

District 15A

Steve Berch (D)

District 15B

Dori Healey (R)

District 16A

Soñia Galaviz (D)

District 16B

Annie Haws (D)

District 17A

John Gannon (D)

District 17B

Megan Egbert (D)

District 18A

Ilana Rubel (D)

District 18B

Brooke Green (D)

District 19A

Monica Church (D)

District 19B

Chris Mathias (D)

District 20A

Joe Palmer (R)

District 20B

James Holtzclaw (R)

District 21A

James Petzke (R)

District 21B

Jeff Ehlers (R)

District 22A

John Woude (R)

District 22B

Jason Monks (R)

District 23A

Chris Bruce (R)

District 23B

Shawn Dygert (R)

District 24A

Clint Hostetler (R)

District 24B

Steve Miller (R)

District 25A

Donald Hall (R)

District 25B

David Leavitt (R)

District 26A

Mike Pohanka (R)

District 26B

Jack Nelsen (R)

District 27A

Douglas Pickett (R)

District 27B

Clay Handy (R)

District 28A

Richard Cheatum (R)

District 28B

Dan Garner (R)

District 29A

Dustin Manwaring (R)

District 29B

Tanya Burgoyne (R)

District 30A

David Cannon (R)

District 30B

Ben Fuhriman (R)

District 31A

Jerald Raymond (R)

District 31B

Rod Furniss (R)

District 32A

Stephanie Mickelsen (R)

District 32B

Erin Bingham (R)

District 33A

Barbara Ehardt (R)

District 33B

Marco Erickson (R)

District 34A

Jon Weber (R)

District 34B

Britt Raybould (R)

District 35A

Mike Veile (R)

District 35B

Josh Wheeler (R)

Republican Party (61)

Democratic Party (9)