Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on February 18, 2026
BOISE, ID – By the end of next week, we will know who is running for the 105 seats in the Idaho Legislature and seven statewide offices.
The filing period is open from 8 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 23, to 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. In a new change this year, candidates can file online at VoteIdaho.gov. There’s no need to travel to Boise. Filings will show up in real time throughout the week on the site’s candidate filing page.
“Every computer in this building will be clicking refresh on that list, so if you see them distracted in a committee hearing, now you know why,” Secretary of State Phil McGrane said Monday at the Capitol.
EdNews will provide daily filing updates on our Elections page.
Meanwhile, we’ve tracked every individual who has declared a campaign treasurer and has an active account in Idaho Sunshine for the 2026 elections. Prospective candidates must file a form with McGrane’s office to declare a campaign treasurer before they can accept contributions.
After removing duplicate names and folks who said they won’t run, there are 194 Idahoans with declared campaign treasurers for the Legislature: 139 are Republicans, 47 are Democrats, six are unaffiliated and two are Constitution Party members.
Based on who has a treasurer, there could be at least 33 Republican and five Democratic primary races. There are six districts with no apparent challengers. Only the incumbents have declared campaign treasurers in districts 2, 5, 10, 12, 19 and 27.
On the other end of the spectrum, five districts have more than seven individuals with campaign treasurers: 1, 6, 8, 16 and 26.
Click here to view our spreadsheet of everyone who has declared a campaign treasurer, excluding duplicate names and folks who said they aren’t running.
The primary election is May 19 and the general election is Nov. 3. The following information and data are preliminary and unofficial, based on the individuals who declared a treasurer, to give our readers a preview of filing week.
Swing districts
Savvy election watchers have their eyes on four key swing districts. Here’s what to expect, based on who has declared a treasurer:
District 6 (Latah, Nez Perce, Lewis counties)
District 6 has 11 individuals with campaign treasurers, the most in the state. There are four potential primary races. Three Republicans represent District 6. Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston, announced she is running for Senate, leaving her seat open. Former Sen. David Nelsen was the last Democrat to hold office in District 6. He lost the 2022 general election to Sen. Dan Foreman by a 2.1-point margin.
- Senate – Republican and Democratic primaries
- Republicans
- Incumbent Dan Foreman
- Lori McCann (Incumbent representative running for Senate)
- Robert Blair
- Democrats
- Richard Gayler
- Robin Weldy
- Republicans
- House Seat A – Republican and Democratic primaries
- Republicans
- Colton Bennett
- Ryan Augusta
- Democrats
- Trish Carter-Goodheart
- Bryce Blankenship
- Republicans
District 15 (West Boise)
The district is one of three with mixed-party representation. There are two Republicans and one Democrat in office. As things stand, there might not be any primaries here. One Republican and one Democrat have declared campaign treasurers for each race. Long-time Boise School District trustee Nancy Gregory, a Democrat, is challenging Republican Sen. Codi Galloway, R-Boise.
District 26 (Blaine, Lincoln, Jerome counties)
This is another mixed-representation district, with two Republicans and one Democrat. There might be just one primary here. Rep. Jack Nelsen, R-Jerome, will likely face Magic Valley Liberty Alliance candidate Lyle Johnstone and Sun Valley resident Jeffrey Emerick. Two independent candidates might complicate the November general election.
District 29 (Pocatello)
Like districts 6 and 15, there are two Republicans and one Democrat. Sen. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, ran unopposed in the 2024 general election. This time, Republican John Crowder has raised $14,837 for the Senate seat. Rep. Tanya Burgoyne, R-Pocatello, will likely face a rematch against Democrat Nate Roberts, who has announced his plan to run. Burgoyne won in the 2024 general by 5.2-point margin.
Top legislative fundraisers
- Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise: $140,859.
- Rep. John Shirts, R-Weiser: $77,530.
- Sen. Kelly Anthon, R-Rupert: $72,022.
- Sen. Scott Grow, R-Eagle: $57,600.
- Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star: $56,300.
- Sen. Treg Bernt, R-Meridian: $54,411.
- Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise: $44,816.
- Rep. Jason Monks, R-Meridian: $44,100.
- Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian: $43,700.
- Sen. Camille Blaylock, R-Caldwell: $42,010.
Statewide races
Don’t get too excited about the seven statewide races this year.
Based on who has declared a campaign treasurer, the race for governor may be the only office that has primary challengers. No Republicans have stepped up yet to challenge the attorney general, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer or superintendent of public instruction.
Here’s what to expect in the race for governor, in order of campaign contributions:
Republican primary
- Gov. Brad Little: $1.43 million
- Mark Fitzpatrick: $19,500
- Justin Plante: $1,432
- Scott Hert: $0
- Jill Kirkham: $0 (This is not the College of Eastern Idaho professor with the same name)
- Lisa Marie: $0
Democratic primary
- Terri Pickens: $68,251
- Maxine Durand: $3,283 (She filed as an independent but has announced she plans to run as a Democrat)
- Chanelle Torrez: $0
Third party and unaffiliated
- Pro-Life Pro-Life, Constitution Party: $0 (Note: He is the person formerly known as Marvin Richardson)
- Melissa Robinson, Libertarian Party: $0
- John Stegner, unaffiliated: $9,000
- Tanner Basye, unaffiliated, Idaho Pirate Party: $0
