Johnathan Baldauf

Johnathan Baldauf (Democratic Party) ran for election for Ada County Prosecutor in Idaho. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Baldauf completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Johnathan Baldauf was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico. He graduated from Timberline High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from Boise State University in 2012 and a law degree from the UC Davis School of Law in 2015. His career experience includes working as an attorney running his own firm.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Ada County Prosecutor

Incumbent Jan Bennetts defeated Johnathan Baldauf in the general election for Ada County Prosecutor on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jan Bennetts (R)	60.3	151,097
	Johnathan Baldauf (D)	39.7	99,524

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 250,621
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ada County Prosecutor

Johnathan Baldauf advanced from the Democratic primary for Ada County Prosecutor on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Johnathan Baldauf	100.0	13,111

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,111
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ada County Prosecutor

Incumbent Jan Bennetts advanced from the Republican primary for Ada County Prosecutor on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jan Bennetts	100.0	34,968

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 34,968
= 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 Baldauf in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Johnathan Baldauf completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Baldauf's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an attorney who grew up in Idaho. I understand the importance of an efficient and effective criminal justice system.

I currently work as a criminal defense and family law attorney, where I have seen what happens when we do not have an efficient system.

I graduated from Timberline High School in Boise, then from Boise State University where I earned joint degrees in criminal justice and political science. I then attended the UC Davis School of Law.

My off hours are spent with my beautiful wife Shannon and our dog Rogue. I enjoy trivia and game nights, as well as going to the gym.

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?

Efficiency -- About 50% of the cases brought by the current officeholder do not result in a conviction. Alaska has an 82% conviction rate; the federal rate is 91% We must get this rate up to ensure our $20 million budget is spent efficiently. In order to do that, need to ensure deputy prosecutors have the time and resources necessary to properly exercise their discretion, better coordinate and communicate with law enforcement, and create a culture of common sense justice.
Addressing Underlying Issues -- If we do not address mental health and addiction issues, we are only applying Band-Aids to our problems. Ada County does not have a DUI Court. Twin Falls County does. In Twin Falls, graduates from that program are half as likely to reoffend. Keeping drunk drivers off of the roads makes all of us more safe.
Transparency -- It is vital that we maintain the public trust. Victims are less likely to report if they do not feel they will be heard, the public is less likely to assist investigations, and we all feel less safe if we do not do everything we can to preserve and protect the public's trust. We need to be better about how we communicate information to the public, including being more responsive when it comes to officer-involved shootings and public records requests.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The areas of public policy I am most interested in are criminal justice, mental health care, drug policy, and data science.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

A prosecutor's office has significant impact in everyone in the community, but is often overlooked by lay people. Unless they are a defendant, a victim of crime, or a juror, many people only interact with officers and deputies and only have a passing familiarity with the office.

A prosecutor's decisions can change an entire community. In regards to criminal cases, county prosecutors have the discretion to charge crimes, dismiss charges, ask for a certain sentence, or handle their cases in a number of ways that change lives every day. The advice they give to county commissioners about civil and planning decisions and the decisions the commissioners make, affect the entire county. The culture prosecutors create echoes throughout every office in the county.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Start at the Bill of Rights. Those protections, enshrined by the Founding Fathers, still serve as a great starting point for any decision that has to be made in the realm of criminal justice.

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

Integrity, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm are most important for an elected official.

Without integrity, an official will not have the principled foundation to make their decisions. The public will lose faith in a leader who cannot be relied on to give honest and straightforward answers. It is impossible to be transparent if leaders do not make that a priority everyday.

A thoughtful official takes the time to think about the long-term impacts of the decisions they make. They spend the time seeking out the information they need to make a choice.

Enthusiasm and a passion for doing the work of the people gives a leader the motivation and energy for putting in that time.

By possessing these qualities and nurturing them in themselves and others, a leader ensures that the decisions made in their office benefit the people in their community, are properly planned, and are properly executed.

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

The office has a very simple, yet very demanding job description: do justice.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a culture of justice, transparency, and public service in Ada County.

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

The first historical event I remember was Operation Desert Storm, but the event that had the most impact in my early life was 9/11. I was sixteen and in high school. I was at school early because I had a "zero hour" class that took place before the normal school day began. I walked into my physics class and the teacher had what appeared to be a B-movie on the television. I asked what the movie was. As it turns out, we were watching the attack on the Twin Towers.

My mom was on the other side of the country because of work at the time. She had to drive back from the East Coast because flights were canceled. I was a Civil Air Patrol cadet and a number of our meetings, which occurred at Gowen Field, were canceled because of heightened security measures.

Looking back, I cannot think of anything in my life and those in my generation that did not change that day. Columbine changed how we went to school, but 9/11 changed how we looked at ourselves.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The discretion afforded to a prosecutor is immense. For example, in another incident in 2019, truckers driving industrial hemp through Ada County were charged with felonies. Hemp was illegal in Idaho but legal federally. Idaho lawmakers throughout the political spectrum urged the Ada County Prosecutor's Office to drop the case. My opponent claimed that she had no choice but to move forward with the case.

That is fundamentally incorrect. Because a prosecutor's job is to do justice, they can decide not to bring charges, bring other charges, or stick to their guns. Here, the cases actually resolved as a misdemeanor so we can see that those decisions *can* be made.

Also of note is that hemp is now legal in Idaho.

The power of discretion can actually be shocking to some voters, but a prosecutor's office (and law enforcement generally) have limited resources. Those resources must be focused on those charges that can keep our community safe and help victims know they are heard.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Experience in government and politics can be helpful, but the actual job is leading the way. A long-term vision for the future, the ability to lead and trust others to do the same, and a growth mindset are far more important.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

All of my answers boil down to being able to lead. As I've discussed, leaders set the example and show the way. I have experience leading small and medium organizations, including running my own office. When elected, my goal is to ensure that each deputy prosecutor has the time and training necessary to handle each of their cases. They are the people who know the case and the actors in each case well enough to make those decisions.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Without transparency and accountability, people are more reluctant to report crimes and to speak to law enforcement. We have to do everything in our power each day to ensure that victims and the general population know that we can be trusted. At the end of the day, we report to them.

My opponent has failed to ensure that her office is transparent and accountable. In 2019, the taxpayers of Ada County lost thousands of dollars in attorneys fees because her office refused to properly respond to a public records request. This June, the Ada County paid $250,000 to a citizen after he was improperly detained and then charged while he was leaving expired medications at the jail. The injured man did not receive an apology. Both incidents resulted in further training. That training occurred too late.

We must do better. We should be out in front of these issues. Investigations in officer-involved shootings and similar events should be conducted quickly and with regular public releases. When charges are not brought, victims should know why. Public figures should apologize when apologies are warranted.

Trust must be earned and as earning and preserving the trust of the people we serve must take priority.

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.

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024

[1]

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Johnathan Baldauf

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Ada County Prosecutor

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ada County Prosecutor

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ada County Prosecutor

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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Public Policy

Information for candidates

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