Idaho gubernatorial election, 2026 (May 19 Democratic primary)
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← 2022
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| Governor of Idaho |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: February 27, 2026 |
| Primary: May 19, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| Idaho executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
A Democratic Party primary takes place on May 19, 2026, in Idaho to determine which candidate will earn the right to run as the party's nominee in the state's gubernatorial election on November 3, 2026.
This page focuses on Idaho's Democratic Party gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on Idaho's Republican gubernatorial primary and the general election, see the following pages:
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho
Stephen Heidt (D), Terri Pickens (D), and Chanelle Torrez (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Stephen Heidt | |
 | Terri Pickens  | |
| Chanelle Torrez | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Terri Pickens is a fourth generation Idahoan, born and raised in Pocatello. Terri graduated from Highland High School and went on to the University of Southern California, where she graduated with a B.A. in Political Science in 1994. Terri returned to Idaho to attend the University of Idaho College of Law where she participated in the Idaho Law Review, Appellate Clinic, and she earned her J.D. in 1998. After law school, she was a Public Defender for Nez Perce County in Lewiston. In 1999, Terri relocated to Boise to start her career as a trial attorney. Terri is the founding partner of Pickens Law, P.A., a firm she started in 2008. Terri practices in the area of real estate litigation, construction litigation and general commercial litigation. She is a member of the Idaho State Bar, the Idaho Women Lawyers, the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, and she is licensed to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Idaho and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Terri is regularly in court and has tried many cases in the District Court and argued several appeals to the Idaho Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit. Terri is running for Governor because it is time for change in Idaho. For too long Idahoans have voted against their own interests, assuming that the people they vote for will have their best interests at heart simply because of the party affiliation next to their names."
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Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "My name is Chanelle Torrez and I’m a born native from Caldwell Idaho. I want to run for freedom, Justice and reproductive rights. I believe in Idaho deserves better."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Idaho
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| District | Incumbent | PVI |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho's 1st | Russ Fulcher | R+22 |
| Idaho's 2nd | Mike Simpson | R+13 |
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump  |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho's 1st | 26.0% | 71.0% |
| Idaho's 2nd | 35.0% | 62.0% |
| Source: The Downballot | ||
2016-2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 96% of Idahoans lived in one of the state's 41 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 2.1% lived in one of 1 New Republican counties. Overall, Idaho was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Idaho following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Idaho county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 41 | 96.0% | |||||
| New Republican | 1 | 2.1% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 1 | 1.3% | |||||
| Trending Democratic | 1 | 0.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 2 | 1.9% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 42 | 98.1% | |||||
Historical voting trends
Idaho presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 9 Democratic wins
- 23 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Idaho.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Idaho
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Idaho.
- See also: Party control of Idaho state government
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Idaho's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Idaho | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 4 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Idaho's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Brad Little |
| Lieutenant Governor | Scott Bedke |
| Secretary of State | Phil McGrane |
| Attorney General | Raúl Labrador |
State legislature
Idaho State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 6 | |
| Republican Party | 29 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | |
Idaho House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 9 | |
| Republican Party | 61 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 70 | |
Trifecta control
Idaho Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty one years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
The table below details demographic data in Idaho and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for Idaho | ||
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | United States | |
| Population | 1,839,106 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 82,644 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 83.3% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 0.7% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 1.3% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 1.1% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 8.4% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 13.3% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 91.7% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 31.2% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $74,636 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 10.6% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
State profile
| Demographic data for Idaho | ||
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,652,828 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 82,643 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 91.7% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 0.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 11.8% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.5% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 25.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,583 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Idaho. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Idaho
Idaho voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Idaho coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Idaho
- United States congressional delegations from Idaho
- Public policy in Idaho
- Endorsers in Idaho
- Idaho fact checks
- More...
See also
| Idaho | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
