Who’s running for Boise mayor? Explore the candidates in our Voter Guide
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Elections 2023 in Ada & Canyon counties
Learn who’s running for mayor and city council in your city. See who’s contributing campaign money to whom — and how much. Follow our coverage of the November 2023 elections in Idaho’s Treasure Valley.
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Four candidates are running for Boise mayor this November, as Mayor Lauren McLean seeks reelection to a second term and battles former Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson, who is vying to unseat her.
In debates and interviews, candidates have focused on issues like affordable housing, growth, and policing.
McLean has emphasized her efforts to use city resources to build more housing, as well as her plan to get Boise to carbon neutrality. Masterson has criticized McLean’s management of city departments, particularly the Police Department.
The two other candidates have not been fundraising and have reported experiencing homelessness recently.
Joseph Evans, who has previously run for Congress, is running on improving infrastructure. Aaron Reis’s campaign is almost entirely focused on bodily autonomy and homelessness issues. Reis has said he was deported from Switzerland for writing about police brutality and that he does not really want to be mayor.
Boiseans can vote absentee by mail so long as they request a ballot from the county clerk by Friday, Oct. 27. Absentee ballots can be mailed back to Ada County or left at a dropbox. The ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 7. Residents can also vote early in-person from Monday, Oct. 23 to Friday, Nov. 3., or in person or on Election Day.
If no candidate wins a majority of votes in the first round, the race would go to a runoff between the top two vote-getters.
The Idaho Statesman asked questions of each candidate, who responded below.
The Statesman conducts background checks on every candidate, and also asks contestants about past criminal and financial history. Evans has three active tax liens dating from 2018, 2020 and 2022 that he did not disclose in his Voter Guide responses. He later confirmed the liens with the Statesman.
Learn more about this race and other local elections at IdahoStatesman.com/Elections.
Swipe below to see all the candidates, or use the slider below them.
This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 4:00 AM.
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