Tuesday, July 28, 2026 · Off-Session

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Elections

Ten Republicans Now Vying for Idaho’s Special Election Congressional Seat as Sanford Enters Race

The Republican field for Idaho’s 2026 special election congressional primary grew to ten candidates after Sanford formally entered the race, adding another contender to an already crowded contest for what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive intraparty battles the state has seen in recent memory. A Crowded Republican Field Sanford’s entry […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 28, 2026
Elections

Abortion Rights Measure Qualifies for Idaho’s November Ballot After Record Signature Haul

An abortion-related ballot initiative will go before Idaho voters this November after supporters gathered a record-breaking number of signatures, setting up one of the state’s most consequential electoral fights in years. The Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act would establish a right to abortion before fetal viability and allow post-viability procedures to protect the health of […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 24, 2026
Elections

Ada County Road Fee Renewal Heads to November Ballot — But Truck Exemption Stirs Debate

Ada County voters will have a say this November on whether to extend a long-standing vehicle registration fee that pumps roughly $14 million annually into road and bridge maintenance across the county, after the Ada County Highway District Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to place the measure on the general election ballot. A Fee With […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 22, 2026
Elections

Idaho Governor’s Race Candidates Split on November Abortion Rights Initiative

Two of Idaho’s gubernatorial challengers have publicly declared their support for a November ballot measure that would roll back the state’s near-total abortion ban, while the Constitution Party candidate has vowed to fight the initiative if it passes. Republican incumbent Gov. Brad Little did not respond to requests for comment on the measure. Where the […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 22, 2026
Elections

Two Idaho Death Row Inmates Sue Over Firing Squad Law as Advocacy Campaign Targets Boise

A federal lawsuit filed by two of Idaho’s longest-serving death row inmates is challenging the state’s newly enacted firing squad execution law on constitutional grounds, while an advocacy group has taken its opposition directly to the public with a billboard campaign in Boise. The Lawsuit Thomas Creech and Gerald Ross Pizzuto Jr. filed suit against […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 21, 2026
Elections

Idaho Attorney General’s Office Tells DOJ to Back Off McGrane, Drop Election Lawsuit

Idaho’s attorney general office fired back at the U.S. Department of Justice this month, demanding federal officials cease direct contact with Secretary of State Phil McGrane and drop a civil lawsuit filed against him earlier this year over access to voter registration records. James E. M. Craig, a division chief in the Idaho Attorney General’s […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 17, 2026
Elections

Idaho Abortion Rights Initiative Cleared for November Ballot After Record Signature Haul

Idaho’s Secretary of State has approved the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act for the November ballot, setting up a direct confrontation between voters and the state’s near-total abortion ban that has been in effect since 2022. The certification follows a signature drive that produced more validated signatures than any other qualifying initiative in Idaho history. […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 13, 2026
Elections

Idaho’s Top Election Official Pushes Back on Federal Pressure to Overhaul Voting Rules Before November

Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane, a Republican seeking a second term, says no changes to the state’s voting rules are expected before the November election — even as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on states to restrict mail-in voting and tighten noncitizen voting enforcement. Federal Push to Reshape State Election Laws The U.S. Department […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 12, 2026
Elections

Idaho Abortion Initiative Draws Signatures From Across Party Lines, Including Thousands of Republicans

A campaign to restore abortion access in Idaho has gathered more than 110,000 petition signatures — well above the roughly 71,000 needed to qualify — and organizers say roughly 28 percent of those signatures came from registered Republicans in a state President Trump carried by nearly 37 percentage points last year. The Reproductive Freedom and […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 10, 2026
Elections

Justice Department Warns Idaho’s Top Election Official of Criminal Prosecution Risk Over Noncitizen Voting

The Trump administration this week warned Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane that election officials could face criminal charges if noncitizens cast ballots in the 2026 federal midterm elections — part of a nationwide campaign by the Justice Department to pressure states on voter roll compliance. The Warning Letter A seven-page letter from the Justice […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 10, 2026
Elections

Idaho Democrats Running for Governor, Schools Chief Bring Campaign to Eastern Idaho This Weekend

Idaho’s Democratic nominees for governor and state superintendent of public instruction are taking their campaigns to eastern Idaho this weekend, scheduling back-to-back public events in Pocatello and Idaho Falls. Terri Pickens, the Democratic candidate for governor, and Dr. Becky Sundin Mitchell, running for state superintendent of public instruction, will appear together at both stops. The […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 10, 2026
Elections

Idaho Election Watchdog Warns Pop-Up PACs Hide Money Until After Votes Are Cast

A campaign finance concern is drawing renewed attention in Idaho and beyond: so-called “pop-up” political action committees that form late in an election cycle, spend heavily, and dissolve quickly — leaving voters with little information about who actually funded the effort until the ballots are long counted. The structure exploits a gap between disclosure timelines […]

By Idaho Politics Staff · July 7, 2026