Toni Ferro

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Toni Ferro

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Redlands, 1993

Graduate

University of Washington, 2017

Personal

Birthplace

Seattle, Wash.

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Toni Ferro (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Idaho State Senate to represent District 11. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Toni Ferro was born in Seattle, Washington. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Redlands in 1993 and a graduate degree from the University of Washington in 2017.

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Idaho State Senate District 11

Camille Blaylock defeated Toni Ferro in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 11 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Camille Blaylock (R)	65.9	11,148
		Toni Ferro (D)	34.1	5,762

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,910
= 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 11

Toni Ferro advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 11 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Toni Ferro	100.0	495

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 495
= 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 11

Camille Blaylock defeated incumbent Chris Trakel in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 11 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Camille Blaylock	51.9	1,746
		Chris Trakel	48.1	1,617

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,363
= 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 Ferro in this election.

2022

State Senate

See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Idaho State Senate District 11

Chris Trakel defeated Toni Ferro in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 11 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Trakel (R)	63.8	6,187
		Toni Ferro (D)	36.2	3,513

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,700
= 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

• Kurtis Berger (Constitution Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 11

Toni Ferro advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 11 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Toni Ferro	100.0	536

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 536
= 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 11

Chris Trakel defeated Greg Chaney in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 11 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Trakel	53.7	1,908
		Greg Chaney	46.3	1,642

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,550
= 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 State Senate District 11

Kurtis Berger advanced from the Constitution primary for Idaho State Senate District 11 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kurtis Berger	100.0	15

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15
= 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

To view Ferro's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

State House

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Idaho House of Representatives District 11B

Chris Allgood defeated Marisela Pesina in the general election for Idaho House of Representatives District 11B on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Allgood (R)	67.3	6,456
	Submit photo	Marisela Pesina (D)	32.7	3,131

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,587
= 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 11B

Marisela Pesina advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 11B on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Marisela Pesina	100.0	525

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 525
= 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

• Toni Ferro (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 11B

Chris Allgood defeated Kent Marmon and Mike Miller in the Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 11B on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Allgood	44.6	1,522
		Kent Marmon	31.1	1,062
		Mike Miller	24.2	827

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,411
= 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.

2020

See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Idaho State Senate District 10

Incumbent Jim Rice defeated Toni Ferro in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 10 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Rice (R)	64.8	11,446
		Toni Ferro (D)	35.2	6,207

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,653
= 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 10

Toni Ferro advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 10 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Toni Ferro	100.0	1,227

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,227
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 10

Incumbent Jim Rice defeated Chris Trakel in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 10 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Rice	75.5	2,790
		Chris Trakel	24.5	904

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,694
= 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

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Toni Ferro did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

State Senate

Toni Ferro completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ferro'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.

I grew up in Caldwell and graduated from Caldwell High School. After graduating from college I worked at Intel Corporation as a software project manager for over a decade and then went back to graduate school where I earned a PhD from the College of Engineering at the University of Washington. I have the skills and experience needed to help bring Idaho into the future.

I am committed to being a true representative of the people of my district. I take seriously the responsibility of making decisions based on the needs of the people of Caldwell. To be able to make decisions for Caldwell I need to meet as many people here as possible. I've knocked on over 1000 doors in Caldwell so far (end of March) and I'm just getting started. I've met a lot of great people and have talked to many folks on their porch while the sun has gone down.

I've talked to too many people who feel out of touch with their representatives and what is happening in Boise and my first priority is to change that.

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?

• Idaho’s investment in education is the lowest in the nation per student even though we have had record tax surpluses and tax cuts two years in a row. We need to support our hard-working school boards, administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Our kids deserve a chance to achieve their dreams.
• Idaho is facing a housing crisis. This year the legislature barely discussed the issue and passed only a relatively small bill to address this pressing problem. High housing costs negatively impact our economy. Many jobs don’t pay enough for people who love this area to remain here. We need to make a commitment to recognize and address this worsening crisis.
• Our legislators are not focused on our needs. During the last legislative session, legislators failed again to address our skyrocketing property taxes. If the legislature had not capped the homeowner's exemption in 2016, it would be $174,000 this year instead of $125,000. As a result, homeowners in Caldwell who qualify for the full exemption will pay an extra $800 this year. The legislature has record surpluses and they still let Idahoans struggle with rising taxes, underfunded schools, and a housing crisis. Instead of focusing on our real needs, the legislature fights over bills that Idahoans care little about, and often cost us millions in lawsuits. Caldwell needs representatives that listen and respond to the real needs of Idahoans.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The people of Caldwell are driving my priorities.

In 2020 when talking to voters, the thing I heard the most were concerns about skyrocketing property taxes. As a result, high property taxes are one of my highest priorities. The legislature capped the homeowner's exemption in 2016 and that has shifted the property tax load from commercial buildings to homeowners. They could reverse this decision any time, but year after year they have let homeowners struggle.

This time around I am hearing again about property taxes, as well as concerns about housing costs and growth. We are in a housing crisis. People who work lower-end jobs can not afford to live here and as a result many employers are struggling to find workers. Renters who are facing higher and higher housing costs have less money to spend in other areas of our economy. These issues will have serious long-term effects on our economy if the legislature does not show leadership on this issue soon.

I also hear a lot about education funding. Idaho invests the least in the nation per student in education. We have record tax surpluses year after year because we don't fund education the way other states do. In addition, as Idaho grows we need new schools and many of our older schools need rebuilt. The only way school districts can get money for news buildings is through bonds that increase our already high property taxes.

We need a legislature that cares about and acts on these issues and others that face Idahoans.

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.

State House

Toni Ferro did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Toni Ferro completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ferro'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.

I am a Democrat running for State Senate in Caldwell's Legislative District 10 because Idaho is ready for change. As we come out of the current national crisis and deal with future challenges, we are going to need smart and passionate leaders that are focused on investing in our communities and supporting Idaho's working families.

When I graduated from Caldwell High School in 1989 the population of Caldwell was 18,000 people and Idaho was about to hit 1 million. Today the population of Caldwell is approaching 60,000 and Idaho is home to 1.8 million people. This kind of growth brings a lot of change that we need to be prepared to address.

After graduating here, I earned an Engineering degree from the University of Redlands and went to work in the high-tech industry. I spent twelve years at Intel Corporation managing project teams with team members located around the world.

I left Intel to go to graduate school in Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. While at the University, I became an active member of the union that advocated for student workers. I got to see firsthand how access to education changes people's circumstances. And I got to see the positive impacts that result from workers having a seat at the table in negotiating wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Now I am working to make Idaho a better place for Idaho's working people.

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?

• I am focused on the needs of working families starting with education. Families in Idaho want the very best for the kids and so we need to strengthen our education system.
• Idaho needs an affordable healthcare system that meets the needs of all Idahoans. Working families should be free from worries about healthcare and the burden of healthcare related debt.
• Working people need jobs with wages that will allow them to put food on the table and send their kids to college. Idaho needs to focus more on creating good jobs and increasing wages.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My public policy priorities are informed by me time teaching at the University of Washington and being an active member of my union.

Strengthening our Education System
We need to support teachers. Idaho has a serious problem attracting and keeping good teachers. Many students graduating from college with education degrees aren't going into teaching, many new teachers are leaving teaching before their fourth year, and many teachers are retiring early. Attracting and keeping good teachers is an important priority for me.

Healthcare
A large majority (62.8%) of the voters in my district voted to expand medicaid in 2018. My opponent then fought against the expansion by supporting a large number of limitations on the expansion. Some of those limitations were adopted. In addition tens of thousands of eligible Idahoans have not signed up for Medicaid. It is a priority for me to ensure that every Idahoan has health insurance that they can afford.

Jobs and Wages

Idaho does not prioritize spending state tax dollars on local companies and does not pay a prevailing wage on state-funded projects. As we come out of this crisis we need to direct our spending toward local businesses and workers. Restarting our economy will rely on working people having money to spend money at local restaurants and businesses. The current minimum wage means a full-time worker takes home only $15,000/year. Spending tax dollars locally and an increased minimum wage are my priorities.

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.

---

Toni Ferro campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Idaho State Senate District 11	Lost general	$51,597	$71,328
2022	Idaho State Senate District 11	Lost general	$23,033	$29,092
2020	Idaho State Senate District 10	Lost general	$29,645	N/A**
Grand total			$104,275	$100,421
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.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Idaho State Senate District 11

Website

Facebook

Personal

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

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)