Who’s running for Legislative District 20? See the candidates and what they say

Voters in Legislative District 20 will weigh in on two contested seats in the upcoming general election, with another seat unchallenged.

The Idaho Statesman has compiled a Voter Guide for each of the candidates using their answers to a survey regarding top priorities and their approaches to making change in the Legislature.

District 20 includes parts of West Boise and North Meridian, sitting north of Interstate 84.

Senate: Keyser vs. Arriaga

In the Senate race, Republican Josh Keyser, who upset Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder in the May primary, will face Democrat Andy Arriaga.

Keyser edged out Winder with 52.3% of the votes in one of several upsets in the primary that favored further-right candidates over moderates, the Statesman previously reported. Winder had served in the Senate for 16 years. Keyser has earned an endorsement from the Idaho Freedom PAC.

Keyser is a former Marine and briefly served on the Boise Police Department. In the Statesman’s Voter Guide for the May primary, Keyser described himself as an auditor. He did not respond to did not respond to the Statesman’s survey for the general election.

Arriaga, who works as a public works analyst for the city of Boise and sits on the city of Meridian’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee, ran unopposed in the May primary.

House A: Palmer vs. Navarro

The race for House Representative A has come down to longtime incumbent Joe Palmer, a Republican who has held the position since 2008, and 23-year-old Isaiah Navarro, a Democrat who graduated from The College of Idaho with a degree in psychology in 2023. Both candidates ran unopposed in the May primary.

Palmer ran for mayor of Meridian in 2019, coming in second to Mayor Robert Simison. He is seeking his eighth term as House Representative A.

A routine Statesman background showed that Navarro was charged with a misdemeanor for driving under the influence in June and one for driving without privileges in August. Navarro pleaded not guilty to both charges, and the cases are pending. Navarro told the Statesman he had no comment on the charges.

Neither Palmer nor Navarro responded to the Statesman’s survey.

Incumbent James Holtzclaw is running unopposed for House Seat B. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Holtzclaw is seeking his seventh term. All terms in the Legislature last two years.

Candidates’ responses to the survey are included below, unedited, except to limit responses to 100 words. Use the horizontal scroll bar underneath each candidate to read the full Q&A. You also can click on the chart and drag horizontally.

Find more Treasure Valley candidate Q&As like this in the Statesman’s Voter Guide. Learn more about these races and other local elections at IdahoStatesman.com/Election.

This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 2:30 PM.

Rose Evans

Idaho Statesman

208-863-0443

Rose covers Meridian, Eagle, Kuna and Star for the Idaho Statesman. She grew up in Massachusetts and previously interned for a local newspaper in Vermont before taking a winding path here. If you like reading stories like hers, please consider supporting her work with a digital subscription. Support my work with a digital subscription