Sunshine reports: A closer look at the key legislative races

Let’s take a deeper dive into the sunshine reports, and look at some fundraising in some of this fall’s legislative races.

These thumbnails focus on some of the spendiest legislative races on the Nov. 8 ballot, including races in the state’s four likeliest swing districts.

District 6, Senate

David Nelson, Democrat, Moscow (incumbent, Senate Education Committee member)

Fundraising: $67,350. Spending: $51,581.

Notable recent donors: J.R. Simplot Co., $1,000; state Sen. Melissa Wintrow, $1,000; Associated General Contractors, $1,000.

Daniel Foreman, Republican, Viola

Fundraising: $13,800. Spending: $9,866.

Notable recent donors: State Republican Party chair Dorothy Moon, $150; state Sen.-elect Cindy Carlson, $1,000; Larry Williams, Boise, $1,000; Fred Birnbaum, Idaho Freedom Foundation staff member, $250.

James Hartley, Constitution, Moscow

Fundraising: $100. No spending activity.

District 6, House Seat A

Lori McCann, Republican, Lewiston (incumbent, House Education Committee member)

Fundraising: $61,819. Spending: $40,108.

Notable recent donors: Idaho Chooses Life, $500; Idaho Land Fund, $1,000;

Trish Carter-Goodheart, Democrat, Moscow

Fundraising: $7,203. Spending: $3,545.

Notable recent donors: state Democratic Party chair and state Rep. Lauren Necochea, $1,000; Nez Perce County Democrats, $1,000; Nelson, $1,000.

District 6, House Seat B

Brandon Mitchell, Republican, Moscow (incumbent)

Fundraising: $31,019. Spending: $8,076.

Notable recent donors: Idaho Land Fund, $500; Skaug Law, a Nampa law firm headed by Republican state Rep. Bruce Skaug, $250; state Rep. Vito Barbieri, $500.

Tim Gresback, Democrat, Moscow

Fundraising: $93,662. Spending: $58,153.

Notable recent donors: Nelson, $1,000; Wintrow, $1,000; Necochea, $1,000; a $15,000 personal loan to the campaign.

District 10, Senate

Tammy Nichols, Republican, Middleton (incumbent House member)

Fundraising: $30,880. Spending: $26,566.

Notable recent donors: Vicki Keen, Idaho Republican Party finance chair $250; Birnbaum, $250;

Larry Williams, $1,000; Marianne Williams, Boise, $1,000.

Bob Solomon, Democrat, Middleton

Fundraising: $44,236. Spending: $28,898.

Notable recent donor: former state Rep. Mat Erpelding, $1,000.

District 15, Senate

Codi Galloway, Republican, Boise (incumbent House member, member of House Education)

Fundraising: $51,273. Spending: $49,161.

Notable recent donors: Skaug, $100; state Sen. Lori Den Hartog, $500; Barbieri, $500; state Rep. Heather Scott, $100; Larry Williams, $1,000; Marianne Williams, $1,000; Tree Top Ranches, Boise, $1,000.

Rick Just, Democrat, Boise

Fundraising: $58,568. Spending: $32,872.

Notable recent donors: state Sen. Michelle Stennett, $250; Idaho AFL-CIO, $1,000.

Sarah Clendenon, Constitution, Boise

No fundraising activity.

District 15, House Seat A

Steve Berch, Democrat, Boise (incumbent, House Education member)

Fundraising: $85,927. Spending: $89,232.

Steve Keyser, Republican, Boise

Fundraising: $22,340. Spending: $89,232.

Notable recent donors: Moon, $150; Idaho Chooses Life, $500; unsuccessful state Senate candidate Rosa Martinez, $500.

District 16, Senate

Dennis Mansfield, Republican, Garden City

Fundraising: $55,926. Spending: $36,531.

Notable recent donors: House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, $500; Idaho Land Fund, $500; Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, $500; Idaho Chooses Life, $1,000.

Ali Rabe, Democrat, Boise

Fundraising: $33,225. Spending: $12,017.

Notable recent donors: Solomon, $100; retired Boise schools superintendent Don Coberly, $50.

District 19, Senate

Melissa Wintrow, Democrat, Boise (incumbent)

Fundraising: $50,214. Spending: $42,109.

Notable recent donors: Everytown for Gun Safety. $1,000; Idaho State Democratic Party, $2,000; District 19 Democrats, $1,000.

Blair Moss, Republican, Boise

Fundraising: $38,766. Spending: $26,969.

Notable recent donor: Galloway, $85.

District 22, House Seat A 

John Vander Woude, Republican, Meridian (incumbent)

Fundraising: $44,050. Spending: $36,324.

Notable recent donors: Melaleuca, $1,000; Larry Williams, $1,000.

Natalie MacLachlan, Democrat, Boise

Fundraising: $46,868. Spending: $20,065.

Notable recent donors: Idaho Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, $1,000; former Boise school trustee and gubernatorial candidate A J Balukoff, $1,000; Susie Balukoff, $1,000.

District 26, Senate 

Laurie Lickley, Republican, Jerome (incumbent House member)

Fundraising: $93,585. Spending: $41,259.

Notable recent donors: State Sen. Jim Guthrie, $500; former state Rep. Maxine Bell, $250; Melaleuca, $1,000; state Sen. Van Burtenshaw, $1,000; Idaho Chooses Life, $500; state Sen. Lee Heider, $1,000.

Ron Taylor, Democrat, Hailey

Fundraising: $54,600. Spending: $30,830.

Notable recent donors: Blaine County Democrats, $2,000; Idaho State Democratic Party, $1,000; Wintrow, $1,000.

District 26, House Seat A

Ned Burns, Democrat, Bellevue (incumbent)

Fundraising: $90,191. Spending: $33,105.

Notable recent donors: Blaine County Democrats, $2,000; District 26 Democrats, $1,000; Idaho State Democratic Party, $1,000; AFL-CIO, $750.

Mike Pohanka, Republican, Jerome

Fundraising: $22,148. Spending: $10,863.

Notable recent donors: Bell, $250; state Rep.-elect Steve Miller, $350; state Rep.-elect Britt Raybould, $250.

District 29, Senate

James Ruchti, Democrat, Pocatello (incumbent House member)

Fundraising: $93,561. Spending: $62,061.

Notable recent donors: Idaho Power, $1,000; J.R. Simplot Co., $1,000; AFL-CIO, $1,000; Meridian Firefighters Local 4627, $1,000; Nampa Firefighters PAC, $1,000.

David Worley, Republican, Pocatello

Fundraising: $55,380. Spending: $26,193.

Notable recent donors: Bonneville County Republican Central Committee, $1,000; state Sen.-elect Ben Toews, $500; Keen, $250; Scott, $100; Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, $500; state Sen.-elect Glenneda Zuiderfeld, $200; Carlson, $500; Idaho Freedom PAC, $1,000; state Senate candidate Scott Herndon, $1,000.

District 29, House Seat B 

Nate Roberts, Democrat, Pocatello

Fundraising: $32,771. Spending: $18,072.

Notable recent donors: United Steelworkers, District 12, $1,000; Idaho Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, $290; Washington Teamsters Legislative League, $200; Pocatello Labor PAC, $200; Bannock County Democrats, $500; Legislative District 29 Campaign Committee, $1,000.

Jake Stevens, Republican, Pocatello

Fundraising: $43,091. Spending: $26,046.

Notable recent donors: Bonneville County Republican Party, $1,000; state Rep. Mike Kingsley, $200; Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, $500; Idaho Chooses Life, $500; Moyle, $500; Scott, $100; Idaho Freedom Foundation board chair Brent Regan, $500.

District 33, House Seat A

Barbara Ehardt, Republican, Idaho Falls (incumbent, House Education member)

Fundraising: $39,416. Spending: $35,153.

Notable recent donors: Moyle, $500; Larry Williams, $1,000; Marianne Williams, $1,000.

Miranda Marquit, Democrat, Idaho Falls

Fundraising: $13,799. Spending: $11,735.

Notable: Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville, $50.

Disclosure: J.B. Scott — the founding chairman of the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, which funds Idaho Education News — is affiliated with the Idaho Land Fund.

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 35 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. He can be reached at [email protected]

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