Who’s running for the Canyon County Commission? Hear from the candidates

The Canyon County Commission has one contested primary in the May 19 primary election.

A four-way race has emerged to fill the seat of Leslie Van Beek, who was first elected to the District 1 commissioner’s seat in 2018. She announced her retirement in March. In her absence, three Republican candidates and one independent have stepped forward.

Stewart Hyndman, Travis Palmer and Scott Brock are vying for the Republican nomination, while Jeffrey Skinner is running as an independent. The three Republicans will compete in the primary.

Hyndman is a local entrepreneur and former marketing director for the state of Idaho. He also served as chairman of the Canyon County Republican Party from 2022 to 2024, a position he was elected to.

Palmer, a Treasure Valley native, serves as CEO of the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce.

Brock, a combat veteran and Idaho native, is the owner of a local fencing company as well as a security consultancy. He is also the founder of the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Idaho. As a business owner, Brock is involved in the Middleton Chamber of Commerce. Brock ran unsuccessfully for Idaho House seats in 2018 and 2022.

The victor of the three-way race will face off against Skinner. Skinner, a chaplain with the Utah Air National Guard, is running for office for the first time. In 2012, he interned for U.S. Sen. Jim Risch.

District 2 doesn’t have a competitive primary. Republican incumbent Brad Holton is seeking reelection against Brian Stroops, a Democrat. Holton has also served the past 27 years as mayor of Greenleaf. He was elected to the District 2 seat in 2023. Stroops, a service provider residing in Caldwell, dropped out of the Idaho Legislature race for District 23, House seat B, in March to run for commissioner.

The Statesman sent questionnaires to all candidates in competitive primaries to help voters better understand their priorities in their own words. Their responses, unedited, appear in the graphic below.

You can find out more about your district at voteidaho.gov. To learn about other races, you can view our 2026 Voter Guide.