Race · November 3, 2026

Governor · Idaho

5 candidates on the ballot.¹

§1Candidates

Why this matters: Every candidate the state lists for this race on the November ballot, in the state's own order.

Pro-Life

Constitution · Challenger

Terri Pickens

Democratic · Challenger

John R. Stegner

Independent · Challenger

Paul Sand

Libertarian · Challenger

Brad Little

Republican · Incumbent

§2Side by side

Why this matters: The same facts for every candidate, in the same order. Where we found nothing for a candidate, the cell says so — that means we didn't find it in public sources, not that it doesn't exist.

Scroll sideways on small screens. Select a name for the full page.
Fact	Pro-Life	Terri Pickens	John R. Stegner	Paul Sand	Brad Little
Party on the ballot	Constitution¹	Democratic¹	Independent¹	Libertarian¹	Republican^1,2
Status	Challenger	Challenger	Challenger	Challenger	Incumbent
Money	Candidates for governor file campaign-finance reports with the state, not the FEC, so this guide doesn't include their fundraising. Search the state's reports: Sunshine campaign finance search — Idaho Secretary of State.³
Abortion law	His campaign website says abortion should be treated as murder, that legal personhood begins at fertilization, and that as governor he would order abortion facilities to stay closed.⁴	Her campaign website says decisions about fertility treatment, contraception and abortion belong to women rather than the state, and calls for reversing Idaho's current laws on the issue.⁵	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says he is strongly opposed to abortion.⁶	His campaign website says he promotes pro-life policies.⁷
State K-12 school funding	Reduce state school funding or slow its growth His campaign website says state governments should not sponsor public education and calls for reduced education spending.^4,8	Increase state funding for public schools Her campaign website says she supports better funding for Idaho schools, including higher teacher salaries, rural districts, pre-K and full-day kindergarten.⁵	His campaign website says the state has an obligation to properly fund public schools and that teachers deserve appropriate pay.^9,10	Not found in the public sources we checked	Increase state funding for public schools His campaign website lists teacher pay increases, a five-fold increase in literacy funding and investments in school facilities among his accomplishments.⁷
Transgender students in school sports	Require teams based on sex at birth His campaign website says transgender girls should never compete in girls' athletics.⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website lists defending women's sports among the ways he has defended Idaho values.⁷
Vouchers and education savings accounts	Not found in the public sources we checked	No public money for private school or homeschooling costs Her campaign website says she would repeal Idaho's school voucher program.⁵	No public money for private school or homeschooling costs His campaign website says he would work to reverse the effects of Idaho's school voucher law and return to public education the more than $50 million it says the law took from it.⁹	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website lists new school choice options for families among his accomplishments.⁷
Selling or transferring federal lands	Transfer large areas of federal land to the states His campaign website says the Constitution does not authorize Congress to own land within states and that the Idaho Legislature should authorize state ownership of those lands in Idaho.⁴	Her campaign website says public lands must stay in public hands rather than be privatized, with access kept for recreation, hunting and fishing.⁵	His campaign website says Idaho's public lands must stay in public ownership and are not for sale.^9,10	His campaign website says he opposes any effort to privatize public lands.⁶	Not found in the public sources we checked
Same-sex marriage	Recognize only marriages between one man and one woman His campaign website says same-sex marriage should not be accepted and that Idaho should ignore the 2022 federal law recognizing it.⁴	Keep same-sex marriage legal in every state Her campaign website says people should be free to love and marry whomever they choose.⁵	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked
Property taxes	His campaign website says Idaho should eventually eliminate property taxes, after eliminating sales and income taxes.⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website argues against ending property taxes, saying they fund local governments and public services.⁶	His campaign website lists school facility investments that also serve as property tax relief among his accomplishments.⁷
State government spending	Cut state spending and return the savings through tax cuts or rebates His campaign website says that as governor he would veto all bills that expand government, and that spending on education, welfare, health and recreation should be cut along with taxes, leading to the phasing out of those state functions.⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	Cut state spending and return the savings through tax cuts or rebates His campaign website says he strongly supports substantial reductions in state agencies and state taxes.⁶	His campaign website lists tax relief for citizens and businesses, a balanced budget, and investments in natural resources, transportation, water, broadband and agriculture made without raising taxes among his accomplishments, and says he plans to give more money back to people through continued tax relief.⁷
State income tax	Phase out the state income tax His campaign website says Idaho should eliminate its income tax after first eliminating the sales tax.⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website proposes making counties the main level of government, with businesses sending state income and sales tax receipts to their county and the state income and sales taxes going away.⁶	Not found in the public sources we checked
High-speed internet access	Not found in the public sources we checked	Her campaign website says all schools and students should have access to broadband.⁵	Not found in the public sources we checked	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website lists investments in broadband and other areas, made without raising taxes, among his accomplishments.⁷

Issues only one candidate has addressed

By candidate, in ballot order. We found nothing public from the other candidates in this race on these issues.

Pro-Life — 13 issues

Birth control and IVF
Let states limit some methods, such as by giving embryos legal protection
His campaign website says any ban on surgical abortion should also ban birth control pills and morning-after pills, and opposes the freezing and discarding of embryos in IVF.⁴
Marijuana laws
Keep recreational use against the law
His campaign website says he opposes recreational marijuana.⁴
Collective bargaining for public employees
Limit or end union bargaining for most public employees
His campaign website says a union with majority support should not be allowed to bargain for all government employees.⁴
Federal Reserve independence
His campaign website says a strict reading of the Constitution would allow only gold and silver coin as money, calls for an audit of the Federal Reserve and says the Federal Reserve should be abolished.^11,12
Nuclear power
Build no new reactors and rely on other energy sources
His campaign website says he opposes nuclear power because of radioactive waste.¹¹
Who decides on military action
Require Congress to approve military action in advance, except to defend against an attack
His campaign website says presidents have waged wars that Congress never declared, which it calls unconstitutional, and faults Congress for allowing them.¹²
AR-15-style rifles
No bans or added limits on these rifles
His campaign website says he supports repealing existing gun laws and relying on juries to decide cases of individual misuse of firearms.⁴
Medical transition for minors
Ban these treatments for minors
His campaign website says Idaho should make transition-related hormones and surgery illegal at any age.⁴
Public health emergency powers and workplace vaccine requirements
Limit emergency powers and bar governments and employers from requiring workers to get vaccinated
His campaign website says he would never issue mask, vaccine or other health mandates, and that a governor's emergency powers should last about 14 days before the legislature takes over.⁴
School vaccine requirements
End school vaccine requirements
His campaign website says no one should be required to be vaccinated for school or any other reason, and that he opposes childhood vaccination.⁴
Birthright citizenship
His campaign website says children born in the US should be citizens only if their parents are US citizens.¹²
Refugee admissions
His campaign website says the federal government should stop sending refugees to Idaho who have not been vetted, and that Idaho should vet all refugees headed to the state.⁴
State sales taxes
His campaign website says tax cuts should start with eliminating the sales tax.⁴

Terri Pickens — 2 issues

Immigration enforcement inside the country
Her campaign website says people who enter the country illegally should be treated humanely, and that violent criminals should be stopped from entering and deported if they enter illegally.⁵
Legal immigration levels
Her campaign website says the US needs immigrant workers and should have simple, easy ways for them to work here.⁵

John R. Stegner — 3 issues

Data centers and electricity costs
His campaign website says companies that want to build data centers should have to prove the power and water are available and that communities will not be harmed, and that residents should decide whether data centers are built near them.^9,10
Medicaid expansion
His campaign website says he supports voter-passed initiatives, including restoring Medicaid access for Idahoans who lost it.⁹
Rules for citizen ballot measures
His campaign website says the legislature has a duty to carry out measures that Idaho voters approve by majority, and that he would stand by voters' decisions.⁹

Paul Sand — 2 issues

Foreign aid
Cut foreign aid further or end most of it
His campaign website says he opposes sending any money or weapons to any country.⁶
Zoning and new housing
His campaign website says he opposes all land use restrictions but supports state permitting and inspections for electrical, plumbing and HVAC work.¹³

Brad Little — 2 issues

Police funding
Increase police funding, for example to hire more officers
His campaign website says he opposes defunding the police and has brought pay increases and more resources for Idaho police officers.⁷
State and local role in immigration enforcement
His campaign website says Idaho is working with law enforcement and President Trump against drug cartels, and that the state's Operation No Return is removing immigrants here illegally who have committed crimes.⁷

Issue statements are drafted by AI from the public sources cited, and only cover what each candidate has said publicly.

All 2026 races in Idaho