Who’s running in Idaho Legislature’s District 11 primary? Hear from the candidates
Republicans in Idaho’s legislative District 11 will choose among six candidates from Caldwell in the May 19 primary election.
Sen. Camille Blaylock is running for reelection against Chris Trakel following her first term in the Idaho Senate. Blaylock, 37, is the daughter of Tom Luna, former Idaho superintendent of public instruction. The upcoming race marks a rematch for the two candidates.
Trakel, a retired Marine, served in the Legislature from 2022 to 2024. He lost to Blaylock in the May 2024 Republican primary by 129 votes. Trakel, 45, ran for the same seat in 2020 and lost.
Trakel sued the Idaho Department of Education and his children’s public charter school, the Idaho Home Learning Academy, over its refusal to reimburse his family for its selection of a religious curriculum. A judge dismissed the case in August, the Idaho Statesman reported.
The winner of the GOP primary will face Susan Counsil, a Democrat, and Esther Ma, of the Constitution Party, in the general election this fall. Counsil and Ma are both running uncontested in their respective primaries.
Elsewhere on the ballot, Rep. Kent Marmon is defending his House position A seat against Carlos Hernandez in the Republican primary. Marmon, 70, took office after beating Julie Yamamoto in the Republican primary in 2024. Hernandez, 33, ran for Caldwell City Council in 2025 and lost.
Rep. Lucas Cayler, a former Navy technician, is running in the Republican primary against Debbie Geyer for reelection to the House position B seat. Cayler, 45, was first elected in 2024. He sponsored a bill in the 2026 legislative session that would have limited instances in which criminal charges could be brought against parents for denying medical care or other basic needs to their children.
Geyer, 69, served as clerk for the city of Caldwell for 24 years before retiring in 2025.
Joshua Preminger, a Democrat, is also vying for the House position B seat. He’ll face off against the winner of the Republican primary in the general election.
District 11 includes Caldwell and some unincorporated areas of Canyon County. Find your legislative district on the Idaho Legislature’s website, and look up your polling place at VoteIdaho.Gov. All legislative positions have two-year terms. Only Republican voters can cast ballots in Idaho’s closed GOP primary.
The Statesman sent surveys to each of the candidates in contested races, and their responses are presented below, unedited. Marmon did not respond to the questionnaire. Swipe below to see all the candidates, or click on the scroll bar at the bottom.
To learn more about these and other local races, check out the Idaho Statesman’s Voter Guide.
