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Idaho State Senate District 8
Idaho State Senate District 8 is represented by Christy Zito (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Idaho state senators represented an average of 52,611 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 44,957 residents.
About the chamber
Members of the Idaho State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Idaho legislators assume office on the first day in December following the general election.[1]
Qualifications
Article III, Section 6 of the Idaho Constitution states: "No person shall be a senator or representative who, at the time of his election, is not a citizen of the United States, and an elector of this state, nor anyone who has not been for one year next preceding his election an elector of the county or district whence he may be chosen."[2]
According to the Idaho Secretary of State, candidates must be 21 years old.[3]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[4] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $19,913/year | For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $74/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $221/day. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Idaho State Legislature, the governor is responsible for appointing a replacement.
The political party committee that last held the vacant seat has 15 days after the vacancy occurs to submit a list of three recommended candidates to the governor. The governor makes the selection based on the recommendations.
If any party committee fails to submit a list of recommended candidates after the 15-day deadline, the governor has five days to appoint a person from the political party that last held the seat. The person appointed to the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[5]
See sources: Idaho Code §59-904A
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
On November 12, 2021, the Idaho Independent Redistricting Commission formally submitted its final legislative map to the secretary of state. On November 10, 2021, the commission voted 6-0 in favor of the final legislative map.[6] The commission had earlier voted in favor of the map on November 5, 2021, but chose to recast their votes on November 10, 2021, due to concerns regarding Idaho's open meetings laws.[6][7][8] Idaho has 35 legislative districts, each of which elects one senator and two representatives.
How does redistricting in Idaho work? In 37 states, legislatures are primarily responsible for drawing congressional district lines. Seven states have only one congressional district each, rendering congressional redistricting unnecessary. Four states employ independent commissions to draw the district maps. In two states, politician commissions draw congressional district lines.
State legislative district lines are primarily the province of the state legislatures themselves in 37 states. In seven states, politician commissions draw state legislative district lines. In the remaining six states, independent commissions draw the lines.[9]
In Idaho, an independent commission is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. The commission is composed of six members.[10]
- One member is appointed by the majority leader of the Idaho State Senate.
- One member is appointed by the minority leader of the Idaho State Senate.
- One member is appointed by the majority leader of the Idaho House of Representatives.
- One member is appointed by the minority leader of the Idaho House of Representatives.
- The chairs of the state's two largest political parties each appoint one member.
According to the Idaho Constitution, no member may be an elected or appointed official while serving on the commission. The state constitution further requires that the commission produce draft congressional and state legislative maps within 90 days of the commission's formation. There is no explicit deadline for final plans.[10]
The state constitution requires that state legislative districts "be contiguous, and that counties be preserved intact where possible." State statutes require that both congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[10]
- County lines must be maintained "to the extent possible."
- Districts must "preserve traditional neighborhoods, communities of interest, and (if possible) voting precinct boundaries."
- Districts should not be "oddly shaped."
- In districts comprising more than one county or a portion thereof, "those constituent pieces must also be connected by a state or federal highway."
Idaho State Senate District 8
until November 30, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Idaho State Senate District 8
starting December 1, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Idaho State Senate District 8
Christy Zito defeated David Hoag in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 8 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Christy Zito (R) | 72.1 | 17,750 |
| David Hoag (D) | 27.9 | 6,859 | ||
| Total votes: 24,609 | |||
 = 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 8
David Hoag advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 8 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Hoag | 100.0 | 790 | |
| Total votes: 790 | |||
| = 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 8
Christy Zito defeated incumbent Geoff Schroeder in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 8 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Christy Zito | 56.4 | 4,862 |
 | Geoff Schroeder | 43.6 | 3,766 | |
| Total votes: 8,628 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2022
- See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Idaho State Senate District 8
Geoff Schroeder won election in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 8 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Geoff Schroeder (R) | 100.0 | 13,776 |
| Total votes: 13,776 | |||
| = 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 8
Geoff Schroeder defeated Terry F. Gestrin, Jon Krueger, and Gary Freeman in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 8 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Geoff Schroeder | 32.4 | 2,805 |
 | Terry F. Gestrin | 27.6 | 2,389 | |
| Jon Krueger | 25.7 | 2,231 | ||
| Gary Freeman | 14.3 | 1,240 | ||
| Total votes: 8,665 | |||
| = 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 8
Incumbent Steven Thayn defeated Bill Sifford and Kirsten Faith Richardson in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 8 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Steven Thayn (R) | 73.9 | 20,173 |
| Bill Sifford (Independent) | 20.5 | 5,589 | ||
 | Kirsten Faith Richardson (Constitution Party) | 5.6 | 1,526 | |
| Total votes: 27,288 | |||
| = 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 8
Incumbent Steven Thayn defeated Marla Lawson in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 8 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steven Thayn | 55.1 | 6,182 |
| Marla Lawson | 44.9 | 5,035 | ||
| Total votes: 11,217 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
- See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Idaho State Senate District 8
Incumbent Steven Thayn defeated Bill Sifford and Kirsten Faith Richardson in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 8 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steven Thayn (R) | 71.0 | 14,128 |
| Bill Sifford (Independent) | 22.7 | 4,510 | ||
| Kirsten Faith Richardson (Constitution Party) | 6.4 | 1,265 | |
| Total votes: 19,903 | |||
| = 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 8
Incumbent Steven Thayn defeated Marla Lawson in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 8 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steven Thayn | 55.8 | 4,568 |
| Marla Lawson | 44.2 | 3,620 | ||
| Total votes: 8,188 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
- See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Idaho State Senate were held in 2016. The primary election took place on May 17, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 11, 2016.
Incumbent Steven Thayn defeated Kirsten Faith Richardson in the Idaho State Senate District 8 general election.[11][12]
| Idaho State Senate, District 8 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Steven Thayn Incumbent |
76.84% | 16,015 | |
| Constitution | Kirsten Faith Richardson | 23.16% | 4,826 | |
| Total Votes | 20,841 | |||
| Source: Idaho Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Steven Thayn ran unopposed in the Idaho State Senate District 8 Republican primary.[13][14]
| Idaho State Senate District 8, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Steven Thayn Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Kirsten Faith Richardson ran unopposed in the Idaho State Senate District 8 Constitution primary.[15][16]
| Idaho State Senate District 8, Constitution Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Constitution | Kirsten Faith Richardson (unopposed) | |
2014
- See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Idaho State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 14, 2014. Incumbent Steven P. Thayn was unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Kirsten Faith Richardson (I) in the general election.[17][18][19][20]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steven P. Thayn Incumbent |
71.4% | 10,675 | |
| Independent | Kirsten Faith Richardson | 28.6% | 4,266 | |
| Total Votes | 14,941 | |||
2012
- See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Idaho State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 15, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 9, 2012. Steven Thayn (R) defeated Joanna Clausen (D) and Kirsten Faith Richardson (I) in the general election. Clausen was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Thayn defeated Terry Gestrin and Alan D. Ward in the Republican primary.[21][22]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steven Thayn |
61% | 13,068 | |
| Democratic | Joanna Clausen | 31% | 6,656 | |
| Independent | Kirsten Faith Richardson | 8% | 1,713 | |
| Total Votes | 21,437 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Steven Thayn |
44.6% | 3,312 |
| Alan D. Ward | 27.8% | 2,065 |
| Terry Gestrin | 27.6% | 2,053 |
| Total Votes | 7,430 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Idaho State Senate District 8 raised a total of $527,603. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $14,260 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Idaho State Senate District 8 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $112,719 | 3 | $37,573 |
| 2022 | $46,548 | 4 | $11,637 |
| 2020 | $37,553 | 3 | $12,518 |
| 2018 | $25,782 | 4 | $6,446 |
| 2016 | $11,460 | 2 | $5,730 |
| 2014 | $5,225 | 2 | $2,613 |
| 2012 | $42,490 | 5 | $8,498 |
| 2010 | $44,179 | 3 | $14,726 |
| 2008 | $55,864 | 2 | $27,932 |
| 2006 | $68,842 | 4 | $17,211 |
| 2004 | $17,110 | 1 | $17,110 |
| 2002 | $45,752 | 3 | $15,251 |
| 2000 | $14,079 | 1 | $14,079 |
| Total | $527,603 | 37 | $14,260 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Idaho Constitution, "Article III, Section 3," accessed December 18, 2019
- ↑ Idaho Legislature, "Article III Legislative Department - Section 6," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ Vote Idaho, "How to Run for Office," accessed May 27, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Idaho Legislature, "Idaho Statutes," accessed January 23, 2024 (Statute 59-904A)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Boise State Public Radio, "Commission for reappointment recasts votes on Idaho’s new political district maps," Nov. 11, 2021
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "The partisan breakdown of Idaho’s new map," accessed Nov. 16, 2021
- ↑ Boise State Public Radio, "Final iterations of Idaho's districting maps are proposed," Nov. 7, 2021
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Who draws the lines?" accessed March 25, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 All About Redistricting, "Idaho," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "General election candidate list," accessed August 16, 2016
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Nov 08, 2016 General Election Results," accessed November 25, 2016
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Declaration for March 11, 2016, primary," accessed March 11, 2016
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed May 17, 2016
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Declaration for March 11, 2016, primary," accessed March 11, 2016
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed May 17, 2016
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed November 20, 2014
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ "Secretary of State - Official Primary Results," accessed October 3, 2013
- ↑ "Idaho Secretary of State - Official 2012 General Election Results," accessed October 3, 2013
