Idaho GOP Platform Responses

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Survey and Interview Responses

How long have you lived in Idaho?

I was born and raised in Idaho and have deep roots in our communities.

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

Since my voting age of 18. I’ve never been affiliated with another party.

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

I’ve previously been involved with Idaho Family Forum, the Christian Coalition, and Idaho Chooses Life. My former employers were IACI members.

Have you supported candidates from another party?

No.

Why are you running for this office?

To support and uphold the constitutional and Christian values on which the United States was founded.

Have you held elected office before?

Yes. I am in my eighth year as a U.S. Congressman and previously served 10 years in the Idaho State Senate.

What makes you qualified for this role?

My background in farming, technology, real estate, government, and international business in 60 countries gives me a strong foundation for the role.

What are your top priorities in your first year?

Election integrity (proof of citizenship to vote), healthcare reform that re-engages market forces to increase access and decrease costs, and improved public land-use management.

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

In addition to the politically active groups listed above, I have served on the boards of a Boise-based charter school and a Meridian-based Protestant non-denominational church.

Do you consider yourself fiscally conservative?

Yes. Government spending should not grow beyond inflation and population growth, and it should not spend more than it takes in. My voting record reflects this stance.

Do you consider yourself socially conservative?

Yes. During my years in the Idaho Senate, I sponsored more pro-life bills than any other legislator in the history of that body as of that time. As a member of Congress, I have consistently supported the value of life, and have opposed what is currently referred to as the “woke” agenda – including transgenderism and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion.)

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

We are in the middle of a war — a war of good versus evil. Roughly half the people I serve with still believe in the traditional foundations our Founders built: Christian values, independence, freedom, a market economy, and a system based on merit. The other half want to fundamentally transform America into a more socialistic, progressive, Western European- or South American-style government that redistributes wealth through government control. This is a battle between a Christian-based, traditional worldview and a secular one. I stand firmly in the former camp.

What is your plan to advocate for your top priorities?

On election integrity, I’m pushing hard to include the Save America Act in the upcoming reconciliation package. This is the only realistic path to pass it with 51 votes in the Senate instead of 60. The Act requires proof of citizenship and voter ID to vote — something the Constitution already demands but we’ve failed to enforce. With 15–20 million non-citizens here after the Biden years, this is critical. The House has already passed it; we’re working daily with the Speaker and Senate leadership to get it done.

On public land use, Idaho has more than 50% of its land federally controlled — one of only four true western states in this situation. The Forest Service and Department of Interior are overwhelmed, 3,000 miles away, and $50 billion behind on maintenance. I’m leading efforts to bring management authority home to the state and local level without selling the land. Local people who live on and use the land — sportsmen, ranchers, farmers, outdoorsmen — are the best stewards. We currently burn a half-million to a million acres in wildfires every year at enormous cost. Local control would generate real revenue from timber, grazing, and responsible use instead of relying on meager PILT and SRS payments of just $1.25 per acre. It’s a win-win for the resource, the economy, and public access.

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

The worst overreach comes through unfunded federal mandates in education and health care. The Department of Education and Obamacare have intruded deeply into state authority, driving up costs and reducing access. If you control a state’s education and health care, you control its people — and that’s wrong. I fought Obamacare at the state level and even ran for governor to stop Idaho from adopting the federal exchange. I’ve personally urged President Trump in both terms to eliminate the Department of Education, and we’re making progress. On health care, I’ve introduced House Bill 1776 to create a voluntary parallel system. Medicare and Medicaid recipients could direct those funds to the provider of their choice. It’s not ideal, but it’s a realistic way out of the Obamacare chokehold given our current political reality.

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

First, cut all entitlement spending to non-citizens — that alone would be a massive step. Second, aggressively root out fraud; the systems have grown so large that oversight is woefully inadequate. Congress’s subpoena power is meaningless without DOJ enforcement, which creates conflicts. Those two actions would remove a huge chunk of excess spending. At the same time, we must grow the economy. President Trump’s policies have already generated $18 trillion in new investment commitments. Turning up economic growth to around 4% and creating jobs for our kids and grandkids is the other half of the solution.

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

It’s not the SAVE Act — it’s the Save America Act. We need proof of citizenship and voter ID to vote. That’s what the Constitution requires, and we must enforce it. I’m the one who teed this up and pushed to include it in the reconciliation package so we can get it passed with 51 votes.

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

Local control is the only answer. The federal agencies are bloated and overwhelmed managing 54 million acres from 3,000 miles away. Bring management home to the Idaho Department of Lands and let the people who actually live here — sportsmen, ranchers, farmers, recreationalists — manage it. We will authorize responsible timber, grazing, and mining projects, generate far more revenue than the current $1.25-per-acre PILT payments, reduce catastrophic wildfires, and improve the environment. The so-called environmental lobby complains about carbon footprints while ignoring the massive emissions from unmanaged wildfires. Give us control, keep your subsidy money — we’ll take care of our own land and do it better.

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

The biggest step was securing the border, and that has been done. We still have some issues on the northern border, mostly limited narcotics, but nothing like the human trafficking crisis we had on the southern border. Our immigration laws are not the problem — enforcement is. We legally immigrate more people than every other nation in the world combined; we are not anti-immigration. But you must follow the law. If you want to come here legally and integrate into American culture, you will be welcomed and add to society. Those who want to bring Sharia law — which is contrary to American values, women’s rights, and basic freedoms — should stay home. I co-founded Sharia-Free America because we do not want that in our country.

Do you support term limits for members of Congress?

Yes, I support term limits and have co-sponsored the constitutional amendment. However, the bigger problem right now is the opposite: we are seeing historic turnover in Congress. Young families can’t afford two homes on congressional pay, security concerns are real, and partisanship is driving good people out. We actually need some tenure to learn the system and build relationships. At the same time, we must extend term limits to the real power centers — the agency heads and career bureaucrats at the FBI, CIA, EPA, IRS, etc., who stay for decades and write rules that have the force of law. That parallel bureaucracy is the greater threat.

What is your stance on legalization of marijuana?

I strongly oppose it. Idaho should not want it. Talk to law enforcement and mayors in border communities, or look at the social costs in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and California. Their own citizens are now lining up in my office begging me to help overturn what they passed locally. I’m a big believer in freedom, but I will not invite that behavior into Idaho. I am personally spending my own money on media efforts to defeat the initiative.

How will you stay accessible and responsive to your constituents?

My legacy won’t be the votes or bills — it will be the outstanding staff in our Coeur d’Alene, Lewiston, Meridian, and D.C. offices who handle real constituent issues every day with the IRS, VA, EPA, Forest Service, and more. Communication is harder than ever because every committee hearing or floor vote is instantly spun on social media and cable news. We’ve turned our website into a newsreel, send regular e-newsletters with straight commentary on the good, bad, and ugly, and use social media and national/local media to cut through the misinformation. I’m doing more national media now simply to tell the truth and share the Idaho perspective.