Idaho State Senate District 1 candidate surveys, 2022
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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Idaho State Senate District 1 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidates and election results
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 | |
| Total votes: 22,089 | |||
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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. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
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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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Scott Herndon (R)
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.
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
When I’m elected to the Idaho State Senate, I will vote to double the homeowner’s exemption to $250,000, so we Idahoans can stay in the homes we worked so hard for.
While my opponent Scott Herndon supports pulling money out of public education, I support funding education in Idaho to build a better economy, and support Idahoans in having the quality of life we all want for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren. When I’m elected to the Idaho State Senate, I will vote to support education funding, including the Quality Education Act, which will bring our education up to the standards we need to produce an educated workforce ready to work in today’s trades, healthcare, and technology fields here, in Idaho.
In the last ten years, the population of Bonner and Boundary Counties has grown by a whopping 21%. Growth may be unavoidable, but it cannot happen at the cost of our way of life. As your State Senator, I will fight to preserve our open spaces, rural lifestyle, and access to public lands.
While my opponent Scott Herndon supports pulling money out of public education, I support funding education in Idaho to build a better economy, and support Idahoans in having the quality of life we all want for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren. When I’m elected to the Idaho State Senate, I will vote to support education funding, including the Quality Education Act, which will bring our education up to the standards we need to produce an educated workforce ready to work in today’s trades, healthcare, and technology fields here, in Idaho.
In the last ten years, the population of Bonner and Boundary Counties has grown by a whopping 21%. Growth may be unavoidable, but it cannot happen at the cost of our way of life. As your State Senator, I will fight to preserve our open spaces, rural lifestyle, and access to public lands.
Scott Herndon (R)
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),
Steve Johnson (Independent)
I am passionate about preserving our rural lifestyle. Keeping property taxes affordable is key to that, so people can afford to stay in the homes they’ve worked so hard for. Funding education is also key, because it keeps rural schools open and funds important vocational programs in our high schools, which give our kids and grandkids opportunities to stay in Idaho in high-paying trade jobs. That way, they can continue to enjoy the rural lifestyle they had growing up, and pass that legacy on to future generations.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
I looked up to my dad. Always. He had the ability to listen to each of us (my 3 brothers and me) and conveyed to us that he had faith that we could do anything we set our minds to. Although our career paths were very different from his, since he never had the chance to finish high school, he had the ability the empathize with my brothers and me throughout our adolescence and into adulthood. He once told me he regretted never having meaningful work. That was a big motivator for me to choose a career in education - to make sure that MY work was always meaningful, and it always was.
The ability to listen attentively and to have empathy are the examples I have strived to follow all my life.
Scott Herndon (R)
The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates by Matthew Trewhella and the Federalist Papers.
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
The characteristics that are important for an elected official are: integrity, the ability to actively listen, and the willingness to cooperate and reach consensus.
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
I am an excellent listener, a person willing to work with others, and I am always willing to learn.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
We had just moved to our family farm in Sagle, Idaho, in 1957, when my brother heard on the radio that the Soviet Union had launched a satellite called Sputnik. We all went outside that night awn watched as Sputnik moved across our sky. It felt like it was an exciting time and that something dramatic was happening.
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
My very first job was farmhand. I started working on the family farm in 1966, and I'm still working on the same farm!
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
The ideal relationship between a governor and state legislature is the ability to govern in a manner that produces beneficial and meaningful laws and policies for ALL the citizens of our state.
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
The greatest challenge the State of Idaho will face over the next decade is continuing to have a functioning government that can overcome extremist dysfunctional positions and produce laws, policies, and regulations that actually benefit the people of our great state, while preserving our rural lifestyle and the amazing quality of life that Idaho is known for.
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
Idaho has a bicameral state legislature, and it is designed to be very effective - when it functions.
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
State legislators, first and foremost, need to authentically represent their constituents, protecting their interests and fighting for the issues that matter to them. In some cases, previous experience in government and politics could be beneficial, but the primary requirement is integrity, ensuring that they remain true to the values of their constituents.
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
It's essential to build relationships with other legislators. Nothing can be accomplished unless a consensus is reached. Reaching consensus requires building relationships to find points to agree upon and points where compromise can be reached.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
Redistricting should result from a bi-partisan, independent committee that represents the spectrum of Idaho demographics.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
When I am elected to Idaho State Senator, I hope to be appointed to the Education Committee, the Agriculture Affairs Committee, and Local Government and Taxation Committee.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
N/A
Steve Johnson (Independent)
The out going senator for District 1, Senator Jim Woodward, was an effective legislator who knows how to work with other legislators.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
I am looking forward to serving my district as their State Senator, and I am focused on accomplishing that.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
When I was teaching at our local alternative high school, a young mother was able to secure Medicaid for herself after the birth of her child. Having regular access to health care gave her a feeling of safety and security; it removed the fear of a financially catastrophic medical event that could derail her plans for her future. Medicaid allowed her to focus on working part-time and continuing her education, rather than getting trapped in a low-wage job just because it offered health insurance. She was able to earn an Associate's Degree that allowed her to earn a good income, which helped her get off of state aid and provide a stable home and future for herself and her child.
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
In the face of a true emergency, the governor needs to have the ability to act quickly to use emergency powers. The Legislature should, as always, act as a check on the power of the governor, but a legislative body is simply not nimble enough to respond immediately to emergencies or emergent situations.
Scott Herndon (R)
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.
Steve Johnson (Independent)
Compromise is essential for policymaking. Lawmakers start from their own positions and it is imperative to meet in the middle to accomplish anything when it comes to getting bills out of committee and laws passed in the Legislature.
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