Still undecided? Here are the Idaho Statesman’s endorsements all in one place | Opinion

The Idaho Statesman editorial board has made endorsements in local races ranging from Ada County Commission to state Legislature and ballot measures to Congress on the November ballot. Here are summaries of those endorsements plus links to the full editorials:

Ada County Commission

District 1

While Democrat Jonathan Lashley isn’t our ideal candidate, and some of his positions are esoteric and theoretical, he offers a viable alternative to incumbent Republican Ryan Davidson, who, in our book, has made some unforgivable decisions. Davidson continues to support of Ryan Cole to serve on the Central District Health board. Davidson every year votes against a fireworks ban put into place during the hottest and driest times of the summer. He voted against a solar farm project, a decision that hamstrings the owners of the land and cuts off a needed source of energy. He approved the massive 3,000-house, 761-acre Spring Rock subdivision without any impact fees in place. And he voted to cut funding for New Path Community Housing. Our choice: Jonathan Lashley.

District 3

We wish more races were like the one between incumbent Republican Ada County Commissioner Tom Dayley and his Democratic challenger, Devin Gutierrez. There’s mutual respect, cordiality and civil disagreement on the issues in this race for District 3. But however respectful, reasonable and thoughtful Dayley is, the results are the same: Ryan Cole is still on the Central District Health board (and would remain under Dayley); the massive, 3,000-acre, 761-house Spring Rock development was approved without any impact fees; a solar farm proposal was shot down; and funding was cut for a housing first program that proved to be successful and saved money. Our pick: Devin Gutierrez.

Idaho Legislature

Senate, District 15: Democratic Sen. Rick Just and Republican Codi Galloway

The District 15 race for Idaho Senate presents a rematch between incumbent Democratic Sen. Rick Just and Republican challenger Codi Galloway, who lost to Just in 2022 by only 327 votes, in a three-way race in which the Constitution Party candidate received 413 votes. This purple district that represents West Boise between Chinden Boulevard and Interstate 84 promises another competitive race, and the voters have a stark choice. Just is a moderate Democrat (as Idaho Democratic legislators have to be), while Galloway falls into that camp of knee-jerk legislators tackling imaginary culture war issues. Our pick: Rick Just.

House, District 15A: Democratic Rep. Steve Berch and Republican Annette Tipton

Idaho Rep. Steve Berch, a Democrat representing District 15 in west Boise, has proven to be an excellent representative for his constituents. He is well-spoken and knowledgeable on just about every issue facing Idaho and can articulate his positions. Berch is facing a challenge from Republican Annette Tipton, who was unable to make her appointment to meet with the editorial board and has not responded to an invitation to reschedule. Our choice: Steve Berch.

House, District 15B: Republican Rep. Dori Healey and Democrat Shari Baber

Idaho Rep. Dori Healey, R-Boise, is the type of Republican who probably would benefit from passage of Proposition 1. Instead, Healey seems to be feeling the pressure from the more extreme factions of her party to take extreme positions on such issues as abortion, gender-affirming care and library books. While her opponent, challenger Democrat Shari Baber, is not as informed on the issues as we’d like her to be, she acknowledges that she’s new, has a lot to learn and that she’s doing her research. Our recommendation: Shari Baber.

House, District 16A: Democratic Rep. Soñia Galaviz and Republican Chandler Hadraba

The decision to endorse Rep. Soñia Galaviz, D-Boise, in the District 16 race was an extremely easy one. Galaviz is reasonable, smart, composed, professional, has the right priorities and works well with legislators on both sides of the aisle. During an interview with the editorial board, her opponent, Republican Chandler Hadraba, showed himself to be rude, inappropriate, unprofessional and at times simply incomprehensible. Our pick: Soñia Galaviz.

House, District 16B: Democrat Todd Achilles and Republican Jackie Davidson

Todd Achilles is a welcome newcomer to Idaho politics. The Democrat running for House seat B in Boise’s District 16 is articulate and clear in his positions. He’s an Army veteran, former tech executive and currently a public policy teacher at the university level. Achilles is just the kind of person we need in the Legislature. With a Republican supermajority, it’s important to have voices like Achilles’ not only to work across the aisle to get things done but also to present a clear and forceful argument against bad legislation. Meanwhile, his opponent, Republican Jackie Davidson, declined to interview with the Idaho Statesman editorial board for this race, but she ran four years ago and raised several red flags at the time. Davidson espoused conspiracy theories about vaccines, Bill Gates and hydroxychloroquine, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting. She has shared social media posts about QAnon and has made social posts with the hashtag #JailFauci. Our pick: Todd Achilles.

House, District 19A: Democrat Monica Church and Republican James Feederle

The “Church for Idaho” signs sprouting up around Legislative District 19 have some voters feeling nostalgic for the good-old days, when much-revered Frank Church represented the Gem State in the U.S. Senate as a Democrat. Those signs are for a new generation of Church running for political office: Monica Church, who is running as a Democrat for state representative, seat A, to replace outgoing Lauren Necochea. What you might not have noticed in those signs is that the blue color is intended to closely match the blue of campaign signs for another beloved Idaho icon: the late Gov. Cecil Andrus. That’s because Monica Church is not only the granddaughter of Frank Church; she’s also the granddaughter of Cecil Andrus. It’s tough to argue with that kind of political lineage. The Idaho Statesman endorses Monica Church.

House, District 21A: Republican Rep. James Petzke and Democrat Casey Hess

At just 30 years old, Rep. James Petzke is a rising star not just in the Republican Party but in the Idaho Legislature. He’s smart, reasonable, articulate and measured in his decisions. We don’t agree with him on all the issues, but he is able to explain his reasoning, demonstrates a deep understanding of the issues and is a good representative for his District 21, which includes west Meridian. Petzke’s Democratic challenger, Casey Hess, offers a viable alternative for Democratic voters and raises important issues, but we found Hess not as knowledgeable on some issues, and we believe that with a supermajority in the House, constituents in District 21 are well-served by a reasonable Republican in office. The Idaho Statesman endorses James Petzke.

Ballot measures

Proposition 1: To establish open primaries and ranked choice voting

This editorial board is more comfortable with the concept of open primaries than we are with ranked choice voting, and some of us would have preferred the initiative address just open primaries. But that’s not enough for us to oppose the measure. Idaho voters have a binary choice: Support both parts of the initiative or none of it. This is an all-or-nothing proposition, and despite any misgivings about ranked choice, it’s vital that Idahoans approve the whole deal to fix Idaho’s elections. Proposition 1 is Idaho’s best shot to remedy a serious problem that has beleaguered our state for the past 12 years. The Idaho Statesman recommends a “yes” vote on Proposition 1.

Constitutional amendment: To prohibit non-citizens from voting in Idaho elections

Six of one, a half-dozen the other. Lots of consequential policies will appear on your Nov. 5 ballot, from selecting the next leader of the free world to determining how Idaho elections are run, from picking who will represent you in Congress to who your next state legislators will be. Your vote on a change to the Idaho Constitution isn’t one of them. If you have a vote to cast for dog catcher, that matters more. The point of this amendment isn’t policy. It’s propaganda. Our recommendation: Either way you vote, it doesn’t really matter.

Congress

1st Congressional District: Republican Rep. Russ Fulcher and Democrat Kaylee Peterson

Republican Rep. Russ Fulcher made our 1st Congressional District endorsement decision easy. Kaylee Peterson, his Democratic challenger, spent an hour with our board answering questions about problems ranging from the federal debt to the future of Social Security to the fate of the Lower Snake River dams. We didn’t agree with every answer she gave, but she said she would work to restore women’s right to choose, would work to balance the complicated competing interests involved in the dams and would fight efforts to cut programs like Social Security. Fulcher couldn’t even be bothered to meet with us. Our pick: Kaylee Peterson.

This story was originally published November 3, 2024 at 4:00 AM.