Herndon is up to his old tricks

He’s back at it again ... 

Scott Herndon recently mailed a fundraising letter to District 1 households. The return address reads “Scott Herndon, Idaho State Senate.” He has not been a senator since losing to Jim Woodward in May 2024. The campaign begins exactly as it always does. 

Some voters will remember 2022. That was the year Herndon hired a Las Vegas consulting firm to fill our mailboxes with a photograph of Jim Woodward on a sign reading “I ♥ ILLEGALS.” After winning, Herndon praised the firm’s “creative talents.” He’s back — and so are the methods. 

The 2026 letter attacks Woodward’s voting record using the same technique: strip the context, reverse the meaning, attach an alarming label. Two examples: 

Herndon claims Woodward “voted to make public lands inaccessible.” The bill he cites — SB 1086 — makes it a trespass violation to ignore posted land use restrictions. It does not close a single acre of public land. It enforces rules that already exist. Woodward voted for it. More importantly, the bill never became law — it died in the House Resources and Conservation Committee before the governor ever saw it. A bill that never passed, that Woodward supported, somehow becomes evidence that Woodward wants to close public lands. 

Herndon also claims Woodward voted against a school choice tax credit — HB93 — and this one is accurate. So did 15 other senators. Before signing it, Gov. Little admitted “there’s not enough accountability in it.” Thirty-two thousand Idahoans called Little’s office urging a veto. Woodward voted with those Idahoans. 

The organization scoring Herndon’s votes — the Idaho Freedom Foundation — had four of its own board members donate directly to his 2024 campaign. 

Jim Woodward grew up here, served 21 years in the Navy, and came home to build a business in Sagle. Let’s keep him as our senator. Vote May 19.

BOB CLARK

Sagle

SOURCES: McShane LLC 2022 mailers — documented archive. “Creative talents” quote — Herndon written testimonial post-2022 campaign. SB 1086 — 2025 Idaho Legislature, died in House Resources and Conservation Committee. HB 93 — signed Feb. 27, 2025; 32,366 calls to veto vs. 5,091 to sign (KTVB, March 2025); Gov. Little quote — documented. Conservative senators NAY votes — Idaho Legislature Journal of the Senate. IFF board donations — Idaho Secretary of State Sunshine reports, sunshine.sos.idaho.gov.