Scott Herndon

Scott Herndon

Republican Party

Candidate, Idaho State Senate District 1

Prior offices

Idaho State Senate District 1

Successor: Jim Woodward

Predecessor: Jim Woodward

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Elections and appointments

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Arizona State University, 1989

Personal

Birthplace

Richmond, Va.

Religion

Born-again Christian

Profession

Custom Homebuilder

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal YouTube

Scott Herndon (Republican Party) is running for election to the Idaho State Senate to represent District 1. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Herndon (Republican Party) was a member of the Idaho State Senate, representing District 1. He assumed office on December 1, 2022. He left office on December 1, 2024.

Biography

Scott Herndon was born in Richmond, Virginia. Herndon earned a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 1989. His career experience includes working as a custom homebuilder.

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

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Herndon was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Education Committee
• Finance Committee
• Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee

Elections

2026

See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Idaho State Senate District 1

Incumbent Jim Woodward and Scott Herndon are running in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 1 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Jim Woodward (R)
		Scott Herndon (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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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 1

Jim Woodward defeated Dan Rose in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Woodward (R)	76.3	23,545
	Submit photo	Dan Rose (Independent)	23.7	7,314

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,859
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Steve Johnson (Independent)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 1

Jim Woodward defeated incumbent Scott Herndon in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 1 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Woodward	51.9	8,219
		Scott Herndon	48.1	7,606

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,825
= 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 Herndon in this election.

2022

See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Idaho State Senate District 1

Scott Herndon defeated Steve Johnson in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 1 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott Herndon (R)	59.1	13,064
		Steve Johnson (Independent) (Write-in)	40.9	9,025

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 22,089
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 1

Scott Herndon defeated incumbent Jim Woodward in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 1 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott Herndon	56.2	7,771
		Jim Woodward	43.8	6,064

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,835
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Idaho State Senate District 1

Jim Woodward defeated Vera Gadman in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 1 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Woodward (R)	74.3	14,831
	Submit photo	Vera Gadman (D)	25.7	5,125

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,956
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 1

Vera Gadman advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 1 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Vera Gadman	100.0	1,549

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 1,549
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 1

Jim Woodward defeated Danielle Ahrens and Scott Herndon in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 1 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Woodward	52.0	4,575
	Submit photo	Danielle Ahrens	25.6	2,251
		Scott Herndon	22.4	1,966

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 8,792
= 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

Scott Herndon has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Scott Herndon asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Scott Herndon, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

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You can ask Scott Herndon to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing scott@herndonforidaho.com.

2024

Scott Herndon did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Scott Herndon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Herndon's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

As a self-taught home builder with a previous career in finance and computer programming, Scott Herndon built his own home in Idaho in 2005, acquiring skills which he developed into a full-time career as owner and operator of Scott Herndon Homes. In short order, it became a great success and a primary contributor to Bonner County’s booming housing market. A true family-values conservative, Scott’s sons help him with the family business.

As a Christian, a husband, and a father of eight, Scott believes in preserving and protecting human life. He has followed this in word and deed as an active Abortion Abolitionist and Pro-Gun advocate.

Scott has served his community for 5 years as a Bonner County jail chaplain and is now chairman of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee.

Married for 24 years to Arlene, Scott has resided near Sandpoint for 18 years. In his spare time, Scott enjoys the beautiful outdoors of the Gem State, boating on Lake Pend Oreille, and building a new workshop on his property. His five daughters all still live on the family farm, milking the family’s two milk cows and raising chickens and pigs. They are also talented musicians who have just started to publish their music online.

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?

• End the Covid government declared state of emergency and its associated restrictions. Prevent such business and personal liberty restrictions from happening again (this includes medical freedom from jab coercion).
• Exercise Idaho’s state sovereignty by restricting federal intrusion into Idaho through massive debt-financed federal cash infusions to the state budget and federal programs and continued federal ownership claims on 63% of Idaho land.
• Tax relief in the form of reduced income taxes, elimination of the food (grocery) tax, and look at local government funding mechanisms besides the property tax.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Scott Herndon has a bill in the Idaho House that would outlaw all abortion in Idaho. Scott is also a staunch defender of the 2nd amendment with a case before the Idaho Supreme Court challenging a local city's ban on firearm carry in a publicly owned park. Scott has worked on four bills in the Idaho legislature on Child Protective Services reform.

Scott Herndon's highest priority is restoring to Idaho a balance of power between the state government and the federal government and between the several branches of government at the state level (executive, legislative and judicial),

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

The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates by Matthew Trewhella and the Federalist Papers.

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

A legislator should arrive in office with a mission to restore and maintain the American constitutional republic and its boundaries between state and federal power and between the several branches of government. The legislator should only be in office for this mission and not for self-aggrandizement.

Legislators should study to understand the mechanics of the unique American system of government.

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

I have a vision for limited and constitutional government with a particular respect for individual liberty. I am focused on this as a mission. Though not a lawyer, I have an aptitude for the law and for interpreting judicial opinions about the laws. I also focus on policy and policy differences and do not villify persons nor ascribe motives.

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

The first job that I remember was when I was 15 and worked at the Murieta Equestrian Center in Ranch Murieta, CA. I worked there 6 days a week as a groom and a stable hand cleaning stalls, taking care of horses and maintaining the saddles and equipment and raking the riding arena. I held the job the entire summer between my sophomore and junior years in high school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I just recently finished the unabridged Count of Montecristo by Alexandre Dumas. I loved the quality of the characters and the depth of the storytelling.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

In the American system, the legislature writes the laws, and the executive enforces the laws. There should be a cooperative relationship if possible, but these two branches of government are meant to act as a check and balance to each other. Sometimes there will be an adversarial relationship in certain circumstances, and that is healthy for the maintenance of the American Republic.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

State sovereignty. Four years ago, federal spending through the conduit of the Idaho state government amounted to 36% of Idaho's budget. Today, it has grown to 44% of the state's budget. With that, the federal government has set numerous conditions and controls over government services in Idaho. This should be resisted and reversed.

The same goes for the federal land ownership claims of the federal government which currently claims ownership of 63% of Idaho lands. This land should be controlled by the state of Idaho not by the federal government.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

Idaho does not have a unicameral legislature. There is a benefit to two house of the state legislature since it increases the hurdles to bills becoming law and restrains the possibility of bad bills becoming law.

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

Not necessarily. They should have real-world experience through family, work, business and education. The actual mechanics of legislating can be learned fairly quickly. In my case though, I have been active in the Republican Party for several years and as a citizen have run 12 bills in the Idaho legislature over the last several years.

That experience, though not necessary, will be helpful to make me more effective on day 1 when I am elected.

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

Legislators should always be polite to one another though they may disagree on policy. It is beneficial to form alliances with those you agree with on policy, and so of course maintaining relationships is a natural benefit to the process of effective legislating.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

While the governor probably should have the ability to declare and oversee emergencies for 30 days, he should be required to convene the state legislature for emergencies beyond 30 days, and the legislature should have the primary authority over the state of emergency beyond 30 days especially in regard to appropriations and the declaration of said emergency.

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

It depends on the subject. On most subjects, I would set long term goals and ideal outcomes and be willing to work in collaboration with others as I work toward my long-term goals with the understanding that others may teach me things along the way.

On other very critical subjects I think compromise has led to disastrous consequences. The best example of that is abortion. State legislatures should have stood against the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, and the states should have defied the Supreme Court. Compromise has led to the deaths of 63 million American children over 49 years with no end in sight.

There should also be no compromise with those who want to infringe in the 2nd amendment, and there should be no compromise on medical health freedom. Individuals must retain the right to their own healthcare decisions without mandates and without coercion.

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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Scott Herndon campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Idaho State Senate District 1	Lost primary	$125,072	$120,228
2022	Idaho State Senate District 1	Won general	$126,547	$121,345
2018	Idaho State Senate District 1	Lost primary	$14,221	N/A**
Grand total			$265,840	$241,573
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and 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 Idaho scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

In 2024, the Idaho State Legislature was in session from January 8 to April 10.

• ACLU 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.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Idaho State Legislature was in session from January 9 to April 6. ACLU 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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Candidate

Idaho State Senate District 1

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Jim Woodward (R)	Idaho State Senate District 1 2022-2024	Succeeded by Jim Woodward (R)

[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)