Stephen Heidt

Stephen Heidt

Democratic Party

Candidate, Governor of Idaho

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Eastern Washington University, 1990

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army National Guard

Personal

Religion

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Profession

Educator

Stephen Heidt (Democratic Party) is running for election for Governor of Idaho. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Biography

Stephen Heidt served in the U.S. Army National Guard. Heidt earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Brigham Young University at Provo in 1986 and a bachelor's degree in history from Eastern Washington University in 1990. His career experience includes working as an educator.

Elections

2026

See also: Idaho gubernatorial election, 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 Governor of Idaho

The following candidates are running in the general election for Governor of Idaho on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Brad Little (R)
		Stephen Heidt (D)
		Terri Pickens Manweiler (D)
	Submit photo	Chanelle Torrez (D)
	Submit photo	Jordan Chirat (R)
		Lisa Marie (R)
		Ammon Bundy (Independent)
		Maxine Durand (Independent)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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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

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	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.
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

• 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

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	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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 281,824
= 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

• 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

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	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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 709
= 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

Stephen Heidt has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Stephen Heidt asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Stephen Heidt, 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 Stephen Heidt to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing info@heidt4governor.com.

2022

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

Stephen Heidt is a 4th generation Idahoan and lifelong educator. He received a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations & Diplomacy in 1986 from BYU Provo. In 1990 he earned his 2nd BA in history and his teaching certificate. He has five children with his wife, plus two grandchildren, who have all made Idaho their home. His father was a decorated veteran of the Korean War and his uncle is buried in the U.S. WWII Military Cemetery near Florence, Italy. Stephen served in the U.S. Army National Guard for 8 years.

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?

• Criminal Justice: Committed to the principle that Idaho law should be fair & uniformly enforced with fair sentencing so the punishment matches the crime committed. He will work to make a reality the constitutional 6th amendment right to a speedy trial for victims, plaintiffs, and defendants alike. He is committed to the idea that community law enforcement & the citizenry should function as a partnership.
• Quality Education: committed to securing full funding of all education in Idaho, from preschool through college & providing preschool education for all families who need it. He will work toward tuition-free technical schooling, apprenticeships & postsecondary education, including but not limited to 2 & 4 year colleges. He is committed to competitive compensation for teachers & protecting their right to organize for collective bargaining.
• Protect Gun Owner Rights; background checks for firearm purchases to keep them out of the hands of violent offenders.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Cannabis: supports medical cannabis, decriminalization & farmer's right to cultivate hemp.

Respect through Equality: committed to protecting private medical, religious & political
decisions. Equal rights for all. Fair & equal treatment regardless of gender, sexual
orientation, gender identity, national origin, immigration status, color, race, ethnicity, age, or disability. Tribal sovereignty.
Taxes: repeal the grocery tax. Implementation of a graduated corporate tax & fair share–taxation for businesses.
Jobs and the economy: creation of jobs through the expansion of industry, technology, clean energy and sustainable practices. Fair & equal treatment in the workplace. A livable wage. Equal pay for equal work. Repealing the right-to-work mandates. Workers' rights to organize & engage in collective bargaining, free from government or business interference. Affordable housing & seek to end homelessness in Idaho.
Healthcare: Medicare & Medicaid expansion. Increased access to mental health care services for drug & alcohol rehabilitation.
Government: Election Security & Campaign Finance Reform. An open, transparent government & free press. Access to government representatives.
Environment: Good stewardship & proper maintenance. Switching to clean & renewable energy. Maintaining & protecting Idaho's pristine public lands.

Migrants & Immigrants: should be recognized as neighbors and co-workers, as friends and classmates to our children & should be welcomed.

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 website

Heidt's campaign website stated the following:

“	Education: Secure full funding of all education in Idaho, from preschool through college. Tuition-free technical schooling, apprenticeships, and other postsecondary education, including but not limited to two- and four-year colleges. Competitive compensation for teachers and the right to collective bargaining. Taxation: repeal the grocery tax. Implementation of a graduated corporate tax & fair share–taxation for businesses. Jobs and the economy: creation of jobs through the expansion of industry, technology, clean energy & sustainable practices. Commitment to honoring sustainable family-owned agriculture. Fair & equal treatment in the workplace. A livable wage. Equal pay for equal work. Repealing the right-to-work mandates. Workers' rights to organize & engage in collective bargaining, free from government or business interference. Honor sustainable family-owned agriculture. Affordable housing & end homelessness in Idaho. Healthcare: Medicare & Medicaid expansion. Increased access to mental health care services for drug & alcohol rehabilitation. Environment: Good stewardship & proper maintenance. Switching to clean & renewable energy. Maintaining & protecting Idaho's pristine public lands. Government: Election Security & Campaign Finance Reform. An open, transparent government & free press. All Idahoans deserve access to their government representatives. Criminal Justice: Ensuring the constitutional 6th amendment right to a speedy trial is a reality and fairly discharged to victims, plaintiffs, and defendants alike. Fair sentencing by matching the crime committed to the sentence. To be respectful, not only to the rehabilitation and pro-socialization of the defendant, but also to maintaining the integrity of the community’s humanity, while at the same time protecting both victim and the community. Community law enforcement and the citizenry should function as a partnership. Respect through Equality: committed to protecting private medical, religious & political decisions. I commit to defending the human rights of all people, starting in Idaho.	”
—Stephen Heidt's campaign website (2022)

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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Stephen Heidt campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Governor of Idaho	Lost general	$28,353	$26,222
Grand total			$28,353	$26,222
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

See also

2026 Elections

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Footnotes

2026 state executive official elections

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