Idaho gubernatorial election, 2026

	← 2022
Governor of Idaho
	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.; Voting in Idaho
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Solid Republican; 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; Attorney General; Secretary of State; Controller; Superintendent of Public Instruction; Treasurer;

Idaho 2026 elections

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • Municipal • All local elections by county • How to run for office

Idaho is holding an election for governor on November 3, 2026. The primary is May 19, 2026. The filing deadline was February 27, 2026.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for Governor of Idaho

John Stegner is running in the general election for Governor of Idaho on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	John Stegner (Unaffiliated)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Tanner Basye (Independent)
Ammon Bundy (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho

Maxine Durand, Stephen Heidt, Terri Pickens, and Chanelle Torrez are running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		Maxine Durand
		Stephen Heidt
		Terri Pickens
	Submit photo	Chanelle Torrez

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

Republican primary for Governor of Idaho

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for Governor of Idaho on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		Brad Little
		Sean Crystal
	Submit photo	Mark Fitzpatrick
	Submit photo	Daniel Fowler
	Submit photo	Ethan Giles
	Submit photo	Scott Hert
	Submit photo	Ron James
	Submit photo	Jill Kirkham
		Lisa Marie
		Justin Plante

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Jordan Chirat (R)

Constitution primary election

Constitution primary for Governor of Idaho

Pro-Life is running in the Constitution primary for Governor of Idaho on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		Pro-Life

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

Libertarian primary for Governor of Idaho

Melissa Sue Robinson and Paul Sand are running in the Libertarian primary for Governor of Idaho on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		Melissa Sue Robinson
		Paul Sand

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

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Idaho

Election information in Idaho: May 19, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

In-person: May 19, 2026
By mail: Received by May 8, 2026
Online: May 8, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: May 8, 2026
By mail: Received by May 8, 2026
Online: May 8, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: May 19, 2026
By mail: Received by May 19, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

April 27, 2026 to May 15, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (MT/PT)

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[1]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Race ratings: Idaho gubernatorial election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	3/3/2026	2/24/2026	2/17/2026	2/10/2026
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.

2022

See also: Idaho gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of Idaho

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Idaho on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Brad Little (R)	60.5	358,598
	Stephen Heidt (D)	20.3	120,160
	Ammon Bundy (Independent)	17.2	101,835
	Paul Sand (L)	1.1	6,714
	Chantyrose Davison (Constitution Party)	0.9	5,250
	Lisa Marie (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	46

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 592,603
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Robert Dempsey (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho

Stephen Heidt defeated Shelby Rognstad and David Reilly in the Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho on May 17, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Stephen Heidt	78.8	25,088
	Shelby Rognstad (Write-in)	21.2	6,736
	David Reilly (Write-in)	0.1	21

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,845
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Melissa Sue Robinson (D)
Bob Dempsay (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Idaho

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Idaho on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Little	52.8	148,843
		Janice McGeachin	32.2	90,857
		Ed Humphreys	11.0	30,878
		Steven Bradshaw	1.9	5,470
		Ashley Jackson	1.1	3,172
		Lisa Marie	0.4	1,120
	Submit photo	Ben Cannady	0.3	804
	Submit photo	Cody Usabel	0.2	680

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 281,824
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Chris Hammond (R)
Jeff Cotton (R)

Constitution primary election

Constitution primary for Governor of Idaho

Chantyrose Davison defeated Ryan Cole in the Constitution primary for Governor of Idaho on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chantyrose Davison	61.9	346
	Submit photo	Ryan Cole (Write-in)	3.9	22
		Other/Write-in votes	34.2	191

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 559
= 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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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Governor of Idaho

Paul Sand defeated John Dionne Jr. in the Libertarian primary for Governor of Idaho on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Sand	60.2	427
	Submit photo	John Dionne Jr.	39.8	282

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 709
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Idaho gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Idaho

Brad Little defeated Paulette Jordan, Bev Boeck, and Walter Bayes in the general election for Governor of Idaho on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Little (R)	59.8	361,661
		Paulette Jordan (D)	38.2	231,081
	Submit photo	Bev Boeck (L)	1.1	6,551
	Submit photo	Walter Bayes (Constitution Party)	1.0	5,787
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	51

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 605,131
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho

Paulette Jordan defeated A.J. Balukoff and Peter Dill in the Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho on May 15, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Paulette Jordan	58.4	38,505
	A.J. Balukoff	40.1	26,423
	Peter Dill	1.4	954

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 65,882
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Idaho

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Idaho on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Little	37.3	72,548
		Raúl Labrador	32.6	63,478
	Submit photo	Tommy Ahlquist	26.2	51,008
		Lisa Marie	1.7	3,397
		Steven Pankey	1.4	2,704
		Harley Brown	0.4	874
	Submit photo	Ben Cannady	0.3	527

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 194,536
= 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.
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2014

See also: Idaho Gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor of Idaho, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Butch Otter Incumbent	53.5%	235,405
	Democratic	A.J. Balukoff	38.6%	169,556
	Libertarian	John T. Bujak	4.1%	17,884
	Independent	Jill Humble	2%	8,801
	Constitution	Steve Pankey	1.2%	5,219
	Independent	Pro-Life	0.7%	2,870
	N/A	Write-ins	0%	95
Total Votes				439,830
Election results via Idaho Secretary of State

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.

Presidential elections

Statewide elections
State partisanship

Demographics

See also: Presidential voting trends in Idaho and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

*Cook Political Report'*s Partisan Voter Index for Idaho, 2026
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

2024 presidential results in congressional districts, Idaho
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

See also: List of United States Senators from Idaho

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Idaho.

U.S. Senate election results in Idaho
Race	Winner	Runner up
2022	60.7%	28.7%
2020	62.6%	33.3%
2016	66.1%	27.8%
2014	65.3%	34.7%
2010	71.1%	25.0%
Average	65.2	29.9

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Idaho

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Idaho.

Gubernatorial election results in Idaho
Race	Winner	Runner up
2022	60.5%	20.3%
2018	59.8%	38.2%
2014	53.5%	38.6%
2010	59.1%	32.9%
2006	52.7%	44.1%
Average	57.1	34.8

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.

State executive officials in Idaho, 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.

Gubernatorial elections in 2026

There are 36 gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2026.

External links

Footnotes

↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018

[1] Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.

[2] Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018

[3] Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018

[4] Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

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Idaho gubernatorial election, 2026

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Governor of Idaho

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Idaho

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Constitution primary election

Constitution primary for Governor of Idaho

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Governor of Idaho

Candidate profiles

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Voting information

General election race ratings

Past elections

2022

General election

General election for Governor of Idaho

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Idaho

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Constitution primary election

Constitution primary for Governor of Idaho

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Governor of Idaho

2018

General election

General election for Governor of Idaho

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Idaho

2014

Election analysis

Cook PVI by congressional district

2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines

2016-2024

Historical voting trends

U.S. Senate elections

Gubernatorial elections

Congressional delegation

State executive

State legislature

Idaho State Senate

Idaho House of Representatives

Trifecta control

Gubernatorial elections in 2026

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2026 Elections

2025 Elections

Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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