Idaho GOP Platform Responses

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Survey and Interview Responses

How long have you lived in Idaho?

I’ve lived in Idaho for 26 years. My family moved here from Arizona in June 2000.

How long have you been a Republican? Any prior party affiliation?

I’m a lifelong member of the Republican party.

Have you been involved with any political organizations (IACI, Idaho Majority Club, IFF< etc.)

I’m not associated with political groups other than the Republican Party.

Have you supported candidates from another party?

At times when the Republican nominee was too moderate or centrist for me, I voted Libertarian.

Why are you running for this office?

My goal is to reduce the job security of incumbents in Congress.

Have you held elected office before?

I served on the Soda Springs school board for four years.

What makes you qualified for this role?

By the Constitution’s standard, I am qualified. What sets me apart are my convictions, my goals, and what I intend to do once in office.

What are your top priorities in your first year?

Introduce reforms such as term limits, balanced budgets, single-subject bills, and a constitutional amendment process that enables states to initiate new amendments without having to hold a convention. I also want to remove the Congressional franking privilege, reform how bills are voted on, remove the power of committees and seniority in Congress, and remove the ability of Congress to set its own rules.

How have you served your community (boards, nonprofits, etc.)?

I’m an Eagle Scout, served on the Soda Springs school board for 4 years and the library board for one year, and have given significant hours to community and church service.

Fiscal conservative

Yes. I would never, ever vote for any bill that increases the national debt. I would like to eliminate most federal agencies and significantly shrink the budgets of those that remain.

Social conservative

Yes. I am strongly pro-life, 100% pro-Second Amendment, support secure borders, and oppose males competing in girls’ sports or boys calling themselves girls and vice versa.

Give us your one-minute elevator speech for the campaign.

I’m Perry Shumway, and I’m running because the founders never intended Congress to be a lifetime career. In the last primary, incumbents were reelected at a 99.5% rate—better job security than I have at the hospital. Mike Simpson has been in politics 46 years and in Congress 27 years. He seems like a nice guy, but that kind of permanence isn’t healthy. I want to remove the huge advantages incumbents have so we get more turnover and representatives who actually stay responsive to voters.

What is your plan to advocate for your top priorities?

As a candidate, my plan is to get the message out through forums like this, news media, and anywhere people will listen. The core message is that we must remove the structural advantages that let incumbents stay in office forever. If elected, I have specific ideas on how to make that happen, but right now the focus is simply making sure voters hear why career politicians and 99.5% reelection rates are bad for the country.

Where do you see harmful federal overreach in Idaho, and how would you return authority to states and local communities?

The single biggest area of federal overreach that bothers me is healthcare. I work in healthcare and see it every day—it’s wildly expensive in Idaho because the federal government is entrenched in every aspect of it. Medicare, Medicaid, medical-school regulations, insurance rules—you name it. We say we don’t want single-payer, but we’re nowhere close to a true free market either. That overreach hurts Idaho families more than almost anything else.

What steps would you take to reduce federal spending, address debt, and restore fiscal discipline?

If I’m elected, I will never, ever vote for any budget or bill that increases the national debt—period. Many members, including Mike Simpson, talk about supporting a balanced budget amendment but then vote again and again for bills that add to the debt. I won’t do that. A balanced budget amendment is nice in theory, but it’s never going to happen, so I’m drawing a hard line right now on the spending itself.

What is your position on the SAVE Act and federal efforts to strengthen election integrity?

I very much favor the SAVE Act and support strong election integrity measures, including voter ID. It’s ridiculous that we require ID for so many other things but not voting. I’m also watching the Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling on mail-in ballots. That said, while it’s important, election integrity is not at the very top of my personal priority list. I have other bigger issues I’m more focused on.

How would you protect access to federal lands for grazing, timber, recreation, and resource use while supporting rural economies?

Idahoans overwhelmingly (95-96%) do not want federal public lands sold off to private owners. I love the free market, but I completely respect that sentiment. People want to keep hunting, fishing, hiking, and grazing access. I would never sell those lands. The federal government managing them is actually unconstitutional, but I’m sensitive to how strongly Idahoans feel. I would only support the state taking over with an ironclad guarantee that none of it would ever become private.

How do federal immigration policies impact Idaho, and what changes would you support to enforce laws and protect workers?

I strongly support what President Trump has done on border security—it’s constitutional and it’s working. At the same time, Idaho agriculture relies heavily on migrant farm labor. If we simply sent everyone home, we wouldn’t have enough workers for the fields or processing plants. I would never support amnesty or citizenship for people who came illegally, but I’m sympathetic to hard-working, non-criminal people already here contributing as long as they aren’t on welfare.

Do you support term limits for members of Congress?

Term limits are one of the most important issues to me. We’ve had them for the presidency for 75 years and no one wants to repeal them. We should do the same for the House and Senate—I’d support 12 years total or even the 6-year House proposal. To actually get it done, I would propose letting states initiate an amendment directly, bypassing a risky Convention of States.

What is your stance on legalization of marijuana?

Even though marijuana products are more potent than they were in the 1960s, and even though I’ve never been a marijuana user, I still think that governments have no business telling adults what they can and cannot take into their bodies. I therefore favor legalizing marijuana for responsible adults.

How will you stay accessible and responsive to your constituents?

I would hold four in-person town hall meetings in Idaho every single year I’m in office. Online town halls aren’t the same as standing in front of people. I’m also strongly opposed to the franking privilege—the taxpayer-funded mailers, TV, radio, and internet ads that incumbents get. In 2026 we don’t need that unfair advantage. Staff can post on Facebook like anyone else. I would work to eliminate the franking privilege entirely.

What question do you wish voters were asking—but aren’t?

I wish voters would ask: If Congress has an approval rating that hovers around 15%, why do we keep re-electing incumbents at a 99%+ rate every two years? That’s the disconnect I want people thinking about. If they asked me that, I have lots of answers—starting with the massive structural advantages incumbents enjoy that the founders never intended.