Review candidates for local, county, state, and federal offices affecting Benewah County and the Idaho Panhandle.
With more than two decades of experience in Idaho classrooms, I, Becky Sundin Mitchell, have gained a deep understanding of the challenges that teachers and students encounter, particularly regarding the recent campaign donations that are influencing Idaho education.
Niedenzu is a science teacher. She also volunteers as a firefighter and emergency medical technician with the East Side Fire District, an all-volunteer department based at the Arrow Point Station in Harrison. The Coeur d'Alene Press featured her in a June 2023 story about the district's many women volunteers. “I'm a role model to high schoolers for sure,” she told the paper. “I always start off the year with, 'I'm a firefighter and an EMT, so I've got you, I've got all your backs, all you diabetics and allergic reactions.'”
Niedenzu is married to Cooper Wester and is the mother of three. In a 2020 Shoshone News-Press item announcing her candidacy for a conservation district seat, she said she had lived in Kootenai County for 25 years, 24 of them on the east side of Lake Coeur d'Alene near Harrison.
Brad Little is Idaho’s 33rd Governor, leading the people of Idaho through the most prosperous time in state history. His tenure as Governor is marked by unprecedented red tape reduction, record tax relief, and historic investments in education, workforce training, and infrastructure.
The people of Idaho elected Brad Little to be their Governor in November of 2018 and reelected him in November of 2022. He has served as Idaho’s 33rd Governor since January 7, 2019.
Governor Little is an Emmett native who was raised on his family’s sheep and cattle ranching operation. He graduated from the University of Idaho in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness and has worked in the ranching industry for his entire professional life. He also has extensive experience in the Idaho banking and manufacturing industries.
In 1978, Brad Little had good fortune and married Teresa Soulen of Weiser. Teresa and Brad are the proud parents of two sons who have wonderful wives – Adam and Angela, and David and Kelsey. They have six beautiful grandchildren.
Brandon D Woolf, Idaho's 21st State Controller, grew up on a dairy farm in Preston, Idaho, graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and earned a Master of Business Administration from Boise State University.
Brandon was appointed to fill the remainder of his predecessor’s term in 2012, and confirmed as State Controller by a unanimous vote of the Idaho State Senate. He was subsequently elected by the people of Idaho to a full term of office in 2014, and was reelected in 2018.
As State Controller, Brandon is responsible for accounting for all state expenditures by providing accounting services to state agencies, processing payroll for approximately 25,000 state employees, and operating the state’s largest data center. Additionally, he serves on the Idaho Board of Land Commissioners, as Secretary to the Idaho Board of Examiners, and on other state boards and commissions.
Hallmarks of Brandon’s administration include initiatives to improve government transparency, efforts to increase efficiency and reduce costs via the consolidation of state IT infrastructure services, and work to modernize the delivery of the accounting and payroll services provided by the State Controller’s Office. As the state’s chief fiscal officer, Brandon is committed to ensuring every cent of the taxpayers’ money is fully accounted for in accordance with the law.
Brandon and his wife Janalee have three children, are active in their church, and volunteer with a variety of community and political organizations.
Brendan Gomez (Constitution Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Idaho's 1st Congressional District. As of September 14, 2026, he pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing child sexually exploitative material.
Resident of Fernwood, Idaho for more than 24 years; Christian, serving the last 35 years in various leadership roles in the church including drug and alcohol abuse counselor; served seven years as a reserve deputy with the Benewah County Sheriff’s Office; worked in mining, logging, and construction; small business owner; NRA certified firearms instructor; precinct committeeman and Benewah County GOP chairman; spouse: Debra, married for 38 years; six children; one grandchild.
Debbie Critchfield was elected Superintendent of Public Instruction in November 2022 and was sworn in on January 2, 2023.
Previously, she served as a seven-year member of the Idaho State Board of Education and was president during her final two years. Debbie was co-chair to Governor Little’s Education Task Force in 2019 and committee chair for Governor Otter’s Higher Education Task Force in 2017. She chaired the Re-Open Idaho Schools Committee in 2020 and was a member of the Governor’s K-12 Council.
Eric Myricks is a proud Idahoan, father, husband, entrepreneur, and brain health advocate devoted to restoring the kind of reasoned, compassionate leadership once embodied by the late Governor Cecil Andrus. Like Andrus, Eric is a moderate Democrat who believes government works best when it listens, includes, and solves problems for everyone, not just the well-connected few. His vision is simple: bring reason, fairness, and people-first government back to Idaho.
Resident of north Idaho for 25 years; born in Ohio; B.S. in biology from University of Akron, Akron, Ohio; professional aquatic biologist; small business owner; Idaho Freedom Caucus Co-Chair; Club for Growth fellow; Hazlit Coalition member; member of Board of Directors for local nonprofit; daughter of Vietnam veteran; granddaughter of two WWII veterans; spouse: Andrew.
(Write-in candidate) Lifelong Idahoan fighting to protect property rights, cut government waste, and put people first.
Jim Risch, Idaho’s 28th Senator, is a dedicated public servant who is consistently recognized as one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate.
Now in his third term in the U.S. Senate, Senator Risch has built a reputation for protecting the Second Amendment, advocating for energy independence, blocking federal overreach, and defending Idaho agriculture and natural resources.
Senator Risch serves on five key committees: Energy and Natural Resources, Foreign Relations, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Intelligence, and Ethics. He also serves as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
A proud Vandal, Senator Risch received his bachelor’s degree in forestry and Juris Doctorate from the University of Idaho. He began his career in public service when he was elected to two terms as Ada County Prosecuting Attorney. He went on to serve in the Idaho State Senate, where his peers elected him as Republican Majority Leader and President Pro Tempore.
Following his time in the State Legislature, Senator Risch was twice elected as Idaho’s Lieutenant Governor. There, Senator Risch’s lifelong efforts to cut red tape and lower taxes distinguished him as a proponent for small businesses and economic development.
In 2006, Senator Risch became Idaho’s 31st Governor. As Governor, Senator Risch achieved major tax reform, cutting property taxes by 20%, and secured $100 million for Idaho’s public schools. He also led efforts to effectively manage the state’s roadless areas and directed additional funding to expand Idaho’s nursing programs.
Outside of public service, Senator Risch is a rancher, small business owner, and former senior partner of the Risch Goss Insinger Gustavel Law firm. He and his wife, Vicki, have been married for over 50 years. They are the proud parents of three married sons and have nine grandchildren and live on their ranch outside of Boise.
Julie A. Ellsworth was elected Idaho’s 24th State Treasurer in 2018. Under her leadership, Idaho earned its first-ever AAA credit rating, strengthening the state’s financial standing and lowering borrowing costs for Idaho communities.
Her conservative investment strategy has produced exceptional returns. In the current fiscal year alone, her office returned more than $566 million in interest earnings to Idaho taxpayers, easing financial pressures and reinforcing Idaho’s reputation for responsible fiscal management.
Treasurer Ellsworth minted the Idaho Women’s Veteran Medallion, honoring the service of Idaho’s women veterans. Proceeds from the medallion help support the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery.
She strengthened Idaho’s College/Education Savings Program and authored the legislation establishing Idaho’s ABLE accounts, giving families and individuals with disabilities greater financial opportunity.
Before serving as State Treasurer, Ellsworth served twelve years in the Idaho House of Representatives. She served two terms in House Leadership as the Republican Caucus Chair. She authored key legislation on interstate health insurance, led successful Medicaid fraud-reduction efforts, and worked directly with national rating agencies to protect Idaho’s top credit rating.
Her professional experience includes work as a civil mediator, business consultant, foundation grant evaluator/judge, and public-school teacher. She has long championed pro-family policies, community initiatives, and responsible fiscal stewardship.
Julie Ellsworth and her husband are the parents of three children and the proud grandparents of four.
Kaylee Peterson is a 36-year-old working mom, sixth-generation Idahoan, and grassroots organizer running to restore trust in government and to fight for working families.
She and her husband, Trevor, recently celebrated 14 years of marriage and 17 years together. They are raising their two children, their 14-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, in the North Eagle foothills on a street named after Kaylee’s great-grandfather, on land homesteaded by her family generations ago.
Colleen and I have been married for 39 years and have four children and two grandchildren living in Boise.
I received a BA in Business Economics/Finance from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and am a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Lori Hickman is a seasoned attorney, earning her law degree from Brigham Young University’s
J. Reuben Clark Law School. She worked as Associate General Counsel for Micron Technology
where she advised high-level corporate matters. She also worked for the United States District
Court for the District of Idaho before joining a Boise law firm in 2014 where she represents and
advises clients on a variety of business, litigation, and intellectual property matters. Hickman
also provides pro bono legal counsel for guardian aid items in child protection cases.
In announcing her campaign, Hickman called the attorney general “the people’s lawyer,” and
emphasized that the office “must be grounded in ethics, sound legal analysis, and respect for
the constitution.” As attorney general, she has pledged to provide legal advice based on the
Rule of Law and hiring based on ethics and skill rather than political ideology
I come from a place that no longer exists.
My parents raised me in a pleasant middle class suburb south of Denver, Colorado, in the 90’s and 00’s. In 2010, I left home to go to college in the State Which Shall Not Be Named, and stayed there for a job in video game development until 2018. I visited friends back in Denver that year, and found that what had been a mid-sized city on the edge of the Rockies, with its own character, identity, and culture, had transformed into an outpost of the Californian culture. I bought an RV and went searching for a place that felt like I remembered was home.
After a brief stay in North Carolina for a job, I bought a house in the Treasure Valley in 2020, where I found refuge from the insanity of that year, a church that helped me regain my faith in Christ, and a culture where people understand personal responsibility and the value of liberty. I now split my time between volunteering for my church, developing a video game, hiking in the Rockies, and doing administrative work and activism for the Libertarian Party of Idaho.
I am running against nine men for the United States Senate seat representing Idaho. Nine. I am the only woman in this race — and I believe that matters, not because the Senate needs a woman as a token, but because Idaho needs someone who has actually lived here, across decades and circumstances and economic strata, and knows what this state asks of its people.
I have been the kid dropped off in the desert with two little brothers and told to pick up rocks until dusk. A young woman in the technology industry before most people owned a computer. A single mother raising four children in the Treasure Valley on her own. A student who went back to campus in her fifties and sat in class alongside her own daughter. I have lived enough of Idaho’s story to know what it gives people — and what it takes.
My name is Paul Sand. I am a 77 year-old retired computer software engineer with over 65 years of electronics and computer experience. I am also an extreme outdoors adventurer. If I am not playing on liquid or frozen water, I am probably climbing something or building something. I live in White Bird Idaho and previously served ten years on the White Bird City Council and I am a former member of the White Bird Volunteer Fire Department.
I am also a carpenter/architect and I built several homes for my family in my spare time and on weekends. I have a wife, Sandra Miller (pictured), an ex-wife who is the mother of my three grown children, three grandchildren and 4 cats. I grew up in Minnesota and moved west, about 30 years ago, after my divorce. I met my current wife about 26 years ago when I was working in Spokane.
I have been playing and working with electronics and computers since the mid 1950’s. My experience goes back to the days of electronic data processing (EDP), analog computers and digital computers that still used vacuum tubes. I developed the first operating systems for micro-processors long before Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.
I believe that representing the people is a position of service, not a position of power. My wife and I have no retirement savings or retirement income other than social security. Our house is fully mortgaged, and we are living on borrowed money and borrowed time. We have nothing to lose, and we have nothing to gain.
Graduate of Awalt High School, Mountain View, California (1973); received B.S. in civil engineering, University of Utah (1980); received MBA from Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania (1984); Protestant; structural engineer and published author; served on Board of Directors, Remington Water District; served in House of Representatives (2004 to 2012); member of the American Legislative Exchange Council, Gun Owners of America, National Rifle Association, and Wharton Alumni Association; one daughter, Sarah.
Phil McGrane is a 4th-generation Idahoan who loves this state. His happy, honest approach to public service earned him the opportunity to serve as Idaho’s 28th Secretary of State.
Phil was born and raised in Pocatello until he was five, when the wind blew him and his family to the Boise area, where they still call home today. Growing up, he gained an appreciation for service through his church, the Boy Scouts, and, oddly enough, JROTC. After high school, Phil spent a year in AmeriCorps eating BBQ and helping lead volunteers in the building of over 40 homes for Habitat for Humanity in Anniston, Alabama. Around that time, he spent three summers juggling and leading campfire skits as a counselor at Happiness Is Camping, a camp for children with cancer in New Jersey.
Not knowing exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up, Phil earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Washington. After graduation, he landed a job as an Election Specialist in Ada County, where he trained poll workers and counted chads back when Idaho still voted on punch cards. Little did anyone know where this would take him.
Phil has since definitively earned the title of an “Elections Junkie.” As chief deputy and later Ada County Clerk, he bored many and entertained more with elections insights and analytics aimed at making elections and government more accessible and transparent. Phil’s various efforts in public service have been recognized and celebrated by TIME, Best Places to work in Idaho, TEDxBoise, Fast Company, and even Food & Wine magazine for his “food truck” voting concept.
Pro-Life (born Marvin Thomas Richardson; August 5, 1941) is an American perennial candidate and strawberry farmer known for his strong opposition to abortion, which inspired him to legally change his name.[3] He lives in the unincorporated community of Letha, Idaho.[4] He has made several unsuccessful runs for political office in Idaho[5] and has stated his intention to continue running for office until his death.[3][6] Pro-Life ran in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho, receiving 2.2% of the vote, and was most recently the Constitution Party nominee in the 2022 Idaho lieutenant gubernatorial election, receiving 5.1%.
Rakesh Mohan is a visiting clinical professor at Boise State University’s School of Public Service. Prior to joining Boise State, he led the Idaho legislature’s independent, nonpartisan Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) for 21 years. Under his leadership, OPE conducted studies that have helped the state to improve its services and accountability and save millions of tax dollars in unnecessary expenditures. OPE recommendations have assisted policymakers with some of their major policy and budget decisions in child welfare, health, education, and transportation.
For its utilization focused work, OPE and Rakesh have received awards from the American Evaluation Association, the American Society for Public Administration, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. Rakesh serves on (1) the board of the American Society of Public Administration’s Center for Accountability and Performance, (2) the editorial advisory board of the American Journal of Evaluation, (3) the editorial board of State and Local Government Review, and (4) the advisory board of Boise State University’s School of Public Service.
Raúl R. Labrador is Idaho’s 33rd Attorney General. He was elected to his first term on November 8th, 2022.
Mr. Labrador holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Washington School of Law.
During law school, he interned for the Criminal Division of a United States Attorney’s Office and, after graduation, clerked for the United States Court for the District of Idaho.
General Labrador has spent most of his legal career practicing immigration and criminal law.
He founded and managed a law firm with offices in Boise and Nampa, Idaho.
In 2006, Labrador was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives.
He later served in the United States House of Representatives from 2011–2019,
including as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
Throughout his career, Attorney General Labrador has been recognized for his leadership in protecting constitutional liberty, parental rights, gun rights, and national border security.
Attorney General Labrador lives in Eagle, Idaho with his wife Rebecca. They are the proud parents of five children and have seven grandchildren.
Congressman Russ Fulcher, a fourth-generation Idahoan, grew up on a dairy farm in Meridian, Idaho.
He graduated from Meridian High School, earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in business from Boise State University, and obtained additional certifications in electronic engineering.
Congressman Fulcher spent 24 years in the high-technology industry, working for Micron Technology and Preco Electronics. During this time he did business in 60 countries around the world and in every state in America.
Congressman Fulcher served in the Idaho Senate for 10 years, six of those years as Majority Caucus Chair – elected by his peers. His signature legislation, Idaho’s grocery tax credit, has returned some $800 million to Idaho’s hard-working families. It constitutes one of the largest tax cut in Idaho’s history. In addition, Congressman Fulcher served on the Idaho Senate State Affairs and Education Committees where he fought tirelessly to protect the rights of individual Idahoans, to limit government influence in our lives, to ease our tax and regulatory burdens, and to restore our God-given liberties.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2019, Congressman Fulcher currently sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Natural Resources. Previously, he sat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
I've lived in a lot of places. As a child, I moved with my family from California to Arizona and then to Texas, and I went to college at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. My Air Force career took me across the country and around the world — 19 moves in 31 years — settling me in Japan, Germany, and Qatar, and nine more states. But I have always considered myself to be from the West, and when I reached northern Idaho, I knew I had found my place.
I bought land in Bayview, on Lake Pend Oreille, in 2013, while I was still on active duty. Two of my sisters were already in Washington nearby. The land, the water, the mountains, and the people... it all felt right. In 2018 I retired from the Air Force, and in 2020 I took possession of the house I had built there. I am not passing through. I am home.
Lieutenant Governor Scott Bedke is a pro-life, pro-gun, and limited government constitutional conservative who is committed to maintaining the Idaho way in our state and ensuring Idaho remains a place of outstanding opportunity for generations to come.
Bedke is a proud Idahoan. His Gem State heritage stretches back to the 1870s, when his great grandfather homesteaded in the Oakley Basin, beginning his family ranching tradition. Bedke was born in Twin Falls and graduated from Oakley High School. It was in Oakley where he started his career of service, working on his hometown’s City Council.
Bedke became a Representative of District 27 in 2000, and he proudly represented the citizens of Cassia and Minidoka Counties for 11 terms. He served on the Joint Finance & Appropriations Committee, the Revenue & Taxation Committee, the Resources & Conservation Committee, the Transportation & Defense Committee. He also chaired the Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee and served on the Credit Rating Enhancement Committee. He was honored when his conservative peers elected him Speaker of the House in 2012, a position he held longer than anyone else in Idaho history. In 2022, Bedke was elected as Lieutenant Governor of Idaho.
Bedke has also served as the president of Idaho Cattle Association and the director of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, advocating for ranchers and the vitally important work they do.
Scott and his wife of 44 years, Sarah, still operate the family cattle ranch started by his great grandfather nearly 140 years ago. They have four children and 16 grandkids, which represent the fifth and sixth generations of Bedkes in Idaho. They are part of the reason why Bedke is running for Lt. Governor – to protect and defend Idaho’s future for all Idahoans and to give back to the state that has given his family so very much.
Shawn Keenan is running to give Idaho voters a clear choice and ensure elections are administered with fairness, transparency, and respect for every eligible voter. A longtime resident of Coeur d’Alene with a background in communications and media studies, Shawn previously ran for this office in 2022 and remains committed to strengthening democratic participation in Idaho’s elections.
Motivated by a belief that public officials should oppose misinformation and protect voter access, Shawn stepped forward to offer an alternative in a race where many voices went uncontested, and to stand up for inclusive election administration. He believes the Secretary of State’s office should focus on expanding voter access and building public confidence in the democratic process, and he is running to make sure Idaho voters have a voice and a real choice at the ballot box.
Teresa Roundy is a Constitution Party candidate seeking the office of Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2026. With a background as a former firefighter and an educator whose classroom achieved top test scores in California, she identifies as a human behavior and development expert. Roundy’s campaign focuses on creating emotionally safe classrooms and communities, arguing that learning requires a trauma-free environment. Her policy proposals include advocating for transparent reporting of child sexual abuse by teachers, critiquing "predator safety first" policies, and integrating daily "groomer safety" education through emotional safety curriculum. She asserts her qualifications to address significant issues within Idaho’s education system.
Terri Pickens is a fourth-generation Idahoan, born and raised in Pocatello. She graduated from Highland High School and went on to earn her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern California in 1994. Terri returned home to the University of Idaho College of Law, where she participated in the Idaho Law Review and Appellate Clinic, earning her J.D. in 1998.
After law school, Terri served as a Public Defender for Nez Perce County in Lewiston before moving to Boise in 1999 to be a trial attorney. In 2008, she founded Pickens Law, P.A., where she practices real estate litigation, construction litigation, and general commercial litigation. Terri is a member of the Idaho State Bar, Idaho Women Lawyers, and the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association. She is licensed to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Idaho and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Terri has tried cases in Idaho’s District Courts and argued appeals before both the Idaho Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit.
Deeply committed to service, Terri supports the Women’s & Children’s Alliance and volunteers with the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program in Ada County, representing children in protective cases. She received the Denise O’Donnell Day Pro Bono Award from the Idaho State Bar for her work with Family Advocates.
I am running as a candidate for the United States Senate because the two-party system has failed America. Both parties increase the national debt, keep us in endless wars, and favor big corporations, harming our families in the process. Both parties benefit from division among Americans. I reject the left-right divide because the challenge ahead of us is those at the top versus those at the bottom — those in power against the people. I will fight for all Idahoans, not billionaires or extremists.
I grew up on a family farm, where I learned from a very young age the values we hold in Idaho: hard work and caring for others. I served in the United States Army as a tank commander and armor officer. The Army taught me the discipline of teamwork, leadership, and determination. These are the qualities I bring to public service.
Idaho is worth fighting for.
Across our state, families are asking whether they can afford to stay here, build a career here, raise a family here, and access the healthcare and opportunities they need. Too many people feel like the leaders elected to serve them have stopped listening.
I believe leadership means stepping in when something isn't working and doing the hard work to make it better. That's the responsibility I carried as a judge, as a Justice on the Idaho Supreme Court, and it's why I’m running for Governor.