Race · November 3, 2026

U.S. House · Idaho's 1st District

4 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.

Brendan J. Gomez
Constitution · Challenger
Kaylee Peterson
Democratic · Challenger
Sarah Zabel
Independent · Challenger
Russ Fulcher
Republican · Incumbent
Currently represents Idaho's 1st District in the U.S. House.

§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.
Brendan J. GomezKaylee PetersonSarah ZabelRuss Fulcher
Party on the ballotConstitution1Democratic1Independent1Republican1
StatusChallengerChallengerChallengerIncumbent2
Raised$0 through March 31, 20263$279,404 through October 14, 20264$272,260 through October 14, 20265$848,384 through October 14, 20266
Cash on hand$03$24,3454$62,3335$209,9446
Abortion lawNot found in the public sources we checkedHer campaign website says lawmakers should step out of the exam room and listen to women, families and health care professionals, and that personal faith cannot be legislated.7Not found in the public sources we checkedHis campaign website says he is pro-life and believes life begins at conception.8
Selling or transferring federal landsNot found in the public sources we checked
Keep federal lands in federal ownership
Her campaign website says Idaho's public lands should be permanently preserved, and its public lands plan says she opposes out-of-state corporate lobbying efforts to privatize, sell off or close down access to federal lands.7,9
Keep federal lands in federal ownership
Her campaign website says selling federal land to private developers is the wrong answer, and that she supports the Public Lands in Public Hands Act or a durable solution like it.10		Not found in the public sources we checked
Wildfire prevention and forest managementNot found in the public sources we checkedHer campaign website says the Forest Service and federal agencies should be fully staffed and funded to clear maintenance backlogs, and that Congress should support legislation that protects watersheds and prevents wildfires.7,9Not found in the public sources we checkedHis campaign website says he has supported legislation to improve forest management and reduce the risk of destructive wildfire.8
Health insurance systemNot found in the public sources we checked
One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
Her campaign website says the health care system needs an overhaul that removes health insurance companies from the equation and moves to a universal single-payer system.7
Keep the current mix of private and public coverage, including the ACA
Her health care plan says a wholesale shift to single-payer does not clearly achieve its goals, and proposes structural reforms within the current system, while saying more fundamental restructuring deserves a serious hearing if those reforms prove insufficient.11		Not found in the public sources we checked
Immigration enforcement inside the countryNot found in the public sources we checkedHer campaign website says she wants to shut down private for-profit detention facilities, stop mass deportations and dismantle the current immigration enforcement bureaucracies, and criticizes warrantless arrests and detention without legal representation.7Her immigration outline says people here illegally who have committed serious crimes should be deported, and that she supports gut-level reform of ICE and accountability for those who committed crimes.12His campaign website says he supports strong border security and full enforcement of immigration law.8
Social Security benefit levelsNot found in the public sources we checkedHer campaign website says Social Security must be guaranteed for future generations with automatic cost-of-living increases that let seniors retire comfortably.7
Slow benefit growth for higher earners or future retirees
Her Social Security plan says she supports a Congressional Budget Office option, either a new bend point in the benefit formula for earners above the 70th percentile or a more progressive formula, that reduces benefit growth for higher earners.13		Not found in the public sources we checked
Corporate tax rateNot found in the public sources we checked
Raise it, for example to 25% or 28%, or back to the 35% top rate in place before 2018
Her campaign website says she will increase corporate tax rates.7
Raise it, for example to 25% or 28%, or back to the 35% top rate in place before 2018
Her fiscal stewardship plan says she favors raising the corporate tax rate to 28 percent, with further analysis of 30 and 35 percent.14		Not found in the public sources we checked
Federal income tax ratesNot found in the public sources we checkedHer campaign website says she will cut tax rates and regulations on middle-class Americans and local Idaho businesses.7
Raise rates on high incomes only (for example, above $400,000)
Her fiscal stewardship plan says she supports raising the top individual income tax rates, to 39.6% above about $320,000 for single filers and 43% above about $500,000, and leaving all lower rates alone.14		Not found in the public sources we checked
Federal spending levelsNot found in the public sources we checkedNot found in the public sources we checkedHer fiscal stewardship plan says the goal is not to balance the budget but to stop the debt from growing faster than the economy, through control of executive spending, reform of laws that cost more than they deliver, and adequate revenue.14His campaign website says Congress should not spend money it does not have, that he opposes massive omnibus spending bills, and that Washington must get spending under control to bring down inflation.8

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.

Kaylee Peterson — 17 issues
  • Farm payments and crop insurance
    Her campaign website says federal grants and USDA subsidies should go strictly to family-owned Idaho farmers and local businesses.7
  • Visas for farmworkers
    Her campaign website says Congress should have passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, and calls for streamlining legal application processes and expanding the number of immigration judges.7
  • Collective bargaining for public employees
    Her campaign website says she will protect collective bargaining by securing rights for federal employees and all workers.7
  • Federal minimum wage
    Her campaign website says she will increase the federal minimum wage, benefit packages and overtime protections.7
  • Union fees and right-to-work laws
    Allow union contracts that require fees in every state, overriding state right-to-work laws
    Her campaign website says she will repeal right-to-work laws.7
  • Union organizing rules
    Her campaign website says she is a labor-first, union-first candidate and will aggressively penalize union-busting activities.7
  • Tuition-free college
    Free tuition at public colleges and universities
    Her campaign website says public education should be fully federally funded from pre-K through higher education, vocational training, trade schools and professional certifications.7
  • Vouchers and education savings accounts
    No public money for private school or homeschooling costs
    Her campaign website says not a single cent of taxpayer funds should be diverted to private education.7
  • Campaign finance rules
    Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
    Her campaign website says she wants to overturn Citizens United, working to ban corporate political dominance at the state level in Idaho until it can be done federally, and to get dark money out of elections and require full transparency.7
  • Stock trading by members of Congress
    Ban members and their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks
    Her campaign website says she will ban stock trades by members of Congress, their family and associates.7
  • Term limits for Congress
    Longer limits, such as 12 to 18 years in each chamber
    Her campaign website says she supports term limits of at most 6 terms in the House and 2 terms in the Senate.7
  • Data centers and electricity costs
    Pause or limit new data centers
    Her campaign website says she opposes allowing large data centers to be built in Idaho, citing their effects on the power and water grids.7
  • Nuclear power
    Her campaign website says she supports using solar, wind, geothermal and expanded clean nuclear power, but only with strict government oversight and regulations to protect local communities.7
  • Large investors buying single-family homes
    Her campaign website says large investment firms and hedge funds owning single-family homes is a problem that must be handled at the federal level first, along with revising the tax code and HUD to create incentives for local builders.7
  • Medicare Advantage
    Tighten rules on what these plans are paid and when they can require approval for care
    Her campaign website says she will crack down on corporate Medicare Advantage plans, forcing private insurers to guarantee comprehensive coverage.7
  • Business tax breaks
    Cut back many of these breaks and use the money for lower tax rates, deficit reduction or other priorities
    Her campaign website says she will remove corporate tax breaks and subsidies.7
  • Data privacy
    Her campaign website says she will fight against warrantless mass surveillance and the unchecked sale of consumer data, and wants tech companies, facial recognition and automated camera systems heavily regulated.7
Sarah Zabel — 15 issues
  • Tariffs
    Lower or remove most tariffs
    Her campaign website and agriculture outline say the tariffs should be dropped because they raise the costs of fertilizer and raw materials and invite retaliation.10,12
  • Permitting for energy projects
    Her fiscal stewardship plan says she supports streamlining federal permitting, including reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act that cut delay and duplicative analysis without weakening substantive environmental standards.14
  • Who decides on military action
    Her federal accountability outline says she supports reforming the War Powers Resolution to require an affirmative congressional vote to sustain military operations, and her campaign website says service members should enter military conflicts only with the authorization of Congress.10,12
  • ACA premium tax credits
    Bring them back for a limited time, such as through 2028, with or without changes such as income limits or minimum premiums
    Her health care plan says she would use revenue from a surtax on excess pharmaceutical profits to restore as much of the expired ACA subsidies as possible, as a bridge while structural reforms take hold.11
  • Drug prices compared with other countries
    Her health care plan says she would use international reference pricing to anchor what Medicare pays to what other wealthy nations pay, and apply that discipline to the commercial market over time.11
  • Federal Medicaid funding
    Reverse the 2025 changes or increase federal funding
    Her health care plan says that, as a near-term bridge, she would reverse the Medicaid coverage cuts.11
  • Legal immigration levels
    Admit more immigrants, such as by adding work visas or clearing family backlogs
    Her Social Security plan says she supports expanding legal immigration to grow the workforce, and her immigration outline says Congress should set visa goals for each category of worker with periodic revision.12,13
  • Legal status for immigrants here without permission, including Dreamers
    Her immigration outline says Dreamers should immediately receive green cards, supports the Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act as a pathway to temporary worker status for agricultural workers already here, and says other groups would be handled case by case.12
  • Income tax on Social Security benefits
    Her Social Security plan says she would subject all benefits of single filers with adjusted gross income above $100,000 and joint filers above $125,000 to income tax.13
  • Medicare drug price negotiation
    Expand it to more drugs and to people with private insurance
    Her health care plan says she would increase the list of drugs subject to Medicare price negotiation.11
  • Social Security payroll tax cap
    Her Social Security plan says she would raise the taxable maximum each year until it covers 90 percent of total earnings, while opposing an increase in the payroll tax rate.13
  • Social Security retirement age
    Keep it at 67
    Her Social Security plan says she supports adjusting the benefit formula rather than raising the retirement age, and rejects the Brookings proposal to raise the full retirement age for higher earners.13
  • Taxes on very large fortunes
    No tax on wealth or on gains from assets that haven't been sold
    Her fiscal stewardship plan says she opposes annual wealth taxes, other than estate and gift taxes, and taxes on unrealized capital gains.14
  • Rules for artificial intelligence
    Her campaign website says AI policy is the area it develops least, and that her goal is to capture AI's gains while building guardrails that keep the technology honest.10
  • Veterans' disability and survivor benefits
    Expand benefits for some groups, such as combat-injured retirees with under 20 years of service and surviving spouses who remarry
    Her federal accountability outline says she supports the Major Richard Star Act, which would end the reduction of retirement pay for combat-injured veterans who are medically retired before 20 years of service, and fully funding the PACT Act.12
Russ Fulcher — 7 issues
  • Government funding and abortion
    His campaign website says he has backed legislation to stop taxpayer funding for abortion.8
  • Religious exemptions
    His campaign website says he has defended religious liberty against mandates that force faith-based organizations to violate their beliefs.8
  • Conservation and development on federal lands
    His campaign website says local communities are better equipped to manage Idaho's forests, minerals, energy and natural resources, and that he has supported legislation to streamline geothermal energy development, expand domestic mining and improve forest management.8
  • Carry permits across state lines
    Require every state to accept other states' permits
    His campaign website says he has supported legislation to protect concealed carry reciprocity.8
  • Border wall and barriers
    His campaign website lists among his record voting to fund the border wall and supporting President Trump's border security efforts.8
  • Balanced budget amendment
    Add a balanced budget requirement to the Constitution
    His campaign website says he supports a balanced budget amendment.8
  • State sales taxes
    His campaign website lists among his Idaho Senate accomplishments a grocery tax credit that it says returns more than $100 million to Idaho taxpayers every year.15

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