Who is running for Governor in 2026?

Governor of Idaho

Brad Little is the Republican incumbent Governor of Idaho, elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022, and has served since January 2019¹. A rancher from Emmett, he served in the Idaho Senate beginning in 2001, including as Majority Caucus Chair, before serving as Lieutenant Governor¹. He is seeking a third term in 2026².

Where they stand 15 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incesthigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • At the 2021 signing of the fetal heartbeat bill he said Idaho values the lives of babies and should never relent in efforts to protect the preborn. (2021-04-27) source
  • Signed House Bill 366, which bans abortion once a heartbeat is detected and makes exceptions for medical emergencies and for pregnancies from rape or incest. (2021-04-27) source
  • Signed Senate Bill 1385, which makes abortion a crime if Roe v. Wade is overturned, with defenses where the mother's life is at issue and in cases of rape and incest. (2020-03-24) source
  • Signed House Bill 374, which clarifies the definition of abortion in the criminal abortion law that keeps exceptions for the life of the mother, rape and incest. (2023-04-04) source
• School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familyhigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • After signing House Bill 93 he said Idaho offers education freedom from kindergarten through career and can have strong public schools and education freedom. (2025-02-27) source
  • Signed House Bill 93, creating a refundable tax credit of up to $5,000 per student for private school tuition and other education costs; all families may apply, with highest priority for families under 300 percent of the poverty level. (2025-02-27) source
  • Issued an executive order opting Idaho into the federal scholarship tax credit program. (2026-02-19) source
• Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionshigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • He said biological males have physical differences that give them an unfair advantage over women and girls and that the state should protect women's sports. (2024) source
  • Signed House Bill 500, the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, which his office says made him the first governor in the country to sign such a bill. (2020-03-30) source
  • Signed an executive order, the Defending Women's Sports Act, directing state education officials to act on women's sports. (2024) source
• ImmigrationSecure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadyhigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • After signing his 2025 executive order he said the state supports efforts to increase border security and to ensure immigration laws are followed, focused on illegal immigrants who pose the greatest danger. (2025-02) source
  • Signed Executive Order 2025-03, the Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Act, backing federal immigration enforcement. (2025-02) source
  • Signed House Bill 83, which establishes the Immigration Cooperation and Enforcement Act. (2025-03-27) source
  • Launched Operation No Return, in which state police take people in the country illegally who have finished criminal sentences out of county jails for transfer to federal immigration authorities. (2025) source
• Curriculum and booksParents, including the right to remove material they object tomedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed House Bill 710, which requires public schools and libraries to restrict minors' access to certain materials and lets parents sue over violations. (2024-04-10) source
  • Signed House Bill 239, which requires parental permission for instruction on human sexuality. (2025-03-31) source
• Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed House Bill 71, the Vulnerable Child Protection Act, which prohibits puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery for minors for gender transition, with exemptions for medically necessary uses. (2023-04-04) source
• Election rulesStrict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed House Bill 124, which removed student ID cards from the list of identification accepted at the polls. (2023-03-15) source
  • Signed Executive Order 2024-07, which directs the Secretary of State to review voter rolls with state and federal agencies to identify and remove non-citizens. (2024-07) source
  • Signed House Bill 339, which establishes provisions regarding the accuracy of voter registration information. (2025-04-03) source
• Ranked-choice votingNo, ban ranked-choice voting in all electionsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed House Bill 179, which prohibits the use of ranked choice voting in Idaho. (2023-03-24) source
• DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed Senate Bill 1198, which bars DEI offices, DEI training and DEI-based hiring and admission preferences at public colleges and universities. (2025-04-04) source
  • Signed Senate Bill 1274, which bars public colleges from requiring diversity statements for hiring or admission. (2024-03-20) source
• Kids onlineAlso require safe-by-default design and a legal duty of caremedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed House Bill 542, the Stop Harms from Addictive Social Media Act, which requires parental consent for social media accounts for children 16 and under and bars addictive design features for them. (2026-04-02) source
• GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed Senate Bill 1374, which concerns carrying a concealed firearm on certain public property. (2024-03-27) source
  • Signed Senate Bill 1275, which protects employers that allow employees to lawfully carry firearms. (2024-03-25) source
  • Signed Senate Bill 1430, which adds a penalty for local governments that willfully violate state firearms law. (2026-04-02) source
• Mandatory minimumsAdd or lengthen them for serious crimes like fentanyl traffickingmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed House Bill 406, which adds fentanyl trafficking to the offenses that carry mandatory minimum sentences. (2024-02-26) source
• Death penaltyKeep it for the worst murders under current rulesmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed House Bill 186, which adds the firing squad as a method of execution. (2023-03-24) source
  • Signed House Bill 37, which revises the methods of execution and makes the firing squad the primary method. (2025-03-12) source
  • Signed House Bill 803, which exempts execution procedures from certain legal provisions. (2026-03-31) source
• Safety net programsKeep them, but add work requirements for able-bodied adultsmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed House Bill 161, which adds work requirements for able-bodied adults in the food assistance program. (2023-03-30) source
  • Signed House Bill 913, which requires Medicaid work and community engagement requirements. (2026-04-10) source
• MarijuanaKeep it illegalmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Signed House Bill 7, which adds a mandatory minimum fine for a first conviction of possessing three ounces or less of marijuana. (2025-02-24) source

No public position found on: Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Energy and climate, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Qualified immunity, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Religion in schools, China policy.

Retired software engineer; antiques shop operator (White Bird)

Paul Sand is the Libertarian candidate for Governor, making his second run after the 2022 race¹. He is a retired computer software engineer from White Bird who served on the White Bird City Council from 2007 to 2017¹. His platform calls for eliminating the state income and sales taxes and shifting authority to county governments¹.

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy, School choice, Curriculum and books, Abortion.

Private citizen

Jacob Burnett is an independent write-in candidate for Governor. He describes himself as an Idaho native raised outside Middleton who is not a politician¹. His survey answers call for audits of state departments, cuts to income and property taxes, and a moratorium on large-scale developments¹.

Where they stand 2 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familymedium

  Questionnaire answer · medium confidence

  • In the CBS2/FOX9 survey he said he supports school choice through year-end tax refunds parents can use at any institution. (2026-08-24) source
• Curriculum and booksParents, including the right to remove material they object tomedium

  Questionnaire answer · medium confidence

  • In the CBS2/FOX9 survey he said parents should have full disclosure and a direct say in the material their children are exposed to, with minimal state involvement. (2026-08-24) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy, Abortion.

Retired Idaho Supreme Court justice

John R. Stegner is an independent candidate for Governor and a retired Idaho Supreme Court justice from Grangeville¹. He says he spent 27 years as a judge, serving Idaho's 2nd Judicial District and then the Idaho Supreme Court¹. He is listed on the 2026 general election ballot as an independent².

Where they stand 2 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)medium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Said he would strongly defend the ballot initiative that would legalize abortion until fetal viability and in emergencies, and would veto efforts by the Legislature to change or limit it. (2026-07-10) source
  • Said the ballot initiative would undo what he thinks are 19th-century laws and that he would be a fervent supporter of ensuring it is the law if it passes. (2026-07-10) source
• School choiceNo, keep public money in traditional public schoolsmedium

  Questionnaire answer · medium confidence

  • In the CBS2/FOX9 survey he criticized Gov. Little for approving the private-school tax credit and said Idaho must provide a general, uniform and thorough system of public schools. (2026-08-24) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy, Curriculum and books.

Attorney and owner, Pickens Law, P.A. (Boise)

Terri Pickens is the Democratic nominee for Governor¹. She is a Boise attorney who founded Pickens Law, P.A. after working as a public defender and trial attorney, and volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate². She ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2022³.

Where they stand 2 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)medium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Said she supports 100 percent the ballot initiative that would legalize abortion until fetal viability and in emergencies, to restore reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy. (2026-07-15) source
• School choiceNo, keep public money in traditional public schoolsmedium

  Questionnaire answer · medium confidence

  • In the CBS2/FOX9 survey she said she would revoke the $50 million school voucher program for private religious schools and fully fund public education. (2026-08-24) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy, Curriculum and books.

Organic strawberry farmer (Letha, Gem County)

Pro-Life is the Constitution Party candidate for Governor, listed under the name Pro-Life on the Idaho Secretary of State's candidate list¹. He is an organic strawberry farmer from Letha who graduated from BYU in 1967 and worked as a licensed public accountant in Idaho beginning in 1974². He has said he would use executive orders to stop abortion and would work to block the 2026 abortion rights ballot initiative³.

Where they stand 3 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorsmedium

  Questionnaire answer · medium confidence

  • In the CBS2/FOX9 survey he said he would oppose transgenderism at any age and would not allow transgender surgery or chemicals in Idaho. (2026-08-24) source
• Safety net programsCut them back; families, churches and charities should leadmedium

  Questionnaire answer · medium confidence

  • In the CBS2/FOX9 survey he said all spending should be reduced, especially Medicaid, public education and welfare. (2026-08-24) source
• AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestlow

  Said · low confidence

  • Said he considers abortion to be murder and that he would go to the Legislature immediately to block the abortion rights ballot initiative if voters approve it. (2026-07) source
  • In the CBS2/FOX9 survey he said he would use executive orders to stop abortion and that a new person begins when sperm meets egg. (2026-08-24) source

No public position found on: Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy, School choice, Curriculum and books.