Republican gubernatorial candidates offer differing solutions for Idaho

BOISE — A slate of Republican gubernatorial candidates convened at Boise High School’s auditorium Wednesday to outline their varying policy priorities in the weeks before the May primary.

Each candidate is looking to unseat Gov. Brad Little, who is seeking his third term as Idaho’s governor. In a video statement provided for the forum — which he did not attend — Little pointed to greater levels of school choice implemented during his tenure and investments in public safety that keep Idaho “a family-friendly place where all can prosper, make a good living and retire comfortably.”

As for the six Republican challengers who were in attendance, their priorities touched on a range of issues, including lessening the financial burden on the state’s counties, improving auditing and transparency in the state and addressing affordability for families.

Sean Crystal

Sean Crystal, an Ammon resident, said his campaign, named Elevate Idaho, is centered around liberty through protecting water rights, building up infrastructure and investing in agriculture.

Crystal, who donned a “medical cannabis for Idaho” button, said part of this pursuit of liberty included the issue of marijuana legalization in the state. As part of his platform, he is seeking to implement “sensible cannabis policy.” Crystal’s platform outlined he was in favor of medical cannabis access to prevent Idahoans from being criminalized for seeking relief for cancer treatments, chronic pain and other ailments.

Crystal said his overarching goal is to “restore the balance” within government by returning authorities to communities, families and individuals.

“That means restoring fiscal discipline so taxpayers are not constantly asked to fund unchecked growth,” Crystal said.

Mark Fitzpatrick

Owner of the Old State Saloon in Eagle, Mark Fitzpatrick took a strong stand against Little on Tuesday, saying Idaho was “heading towards a socialist dumpster fire” under Little’s leadership. To counter the state’s perceived trajectory, Fitzpatrick said he would root out corruption and “stand for truth.”

He noted his business “became famous” celebrating Hetero Awesome Fest last year as a response to celebrations of Pride Month in Boise. The event drew controversy for a podcast hosted during the event where co-host David Reilly said a highlight of Idaho was “there aren’t any Black people here.” At the time, Fitzpatrick said Reilly’s remarks had “nothing to do with him,” as was previously reported by the Idaho Press.

Fitzpatrick said he realized the backlash from the event was preparation for a gubernatorial run.

“I went through all that to prepare myself and my family for this. We are at a Founding Fathers moment in our history,” Fitzpatrick said. “Ladies and gentlemen, we need to elect people who will stand for what is right and true.”

Daniel Fowler

Daniel Fowler said he first moved to Idaho from Texas in 2020. Now a Nampa resident, Fowler said his candidacy was founded on a desire to reduce wasteful spending in government and redirect dollars back to roads, farms and ensuring skilled labor remains in the state.

Fowler cited strong public schools as one of the core tenets of his candidacy, with a platform that advocates for improved public school teacher pay with bonuses as well as curriculum promoting reading, writing, math and science starting in kindergarten.

As part of his public school aims, Fowler advocated for stronger parent involvement in schooling by removing bureaucracy and putting “parents in charge of the schools.”

Ron James

Ron James currently serves as a Teton County Commissioner and said that during his time in the role, he has seen roads going unfixed and pressure increase on law enforcement and rural hospitals. With his current elected experience in mind, James said his platform can be defined as “strong counties, strong Idaho.” Part of adhering to the mantra, James said, was not making funding or tax decisions at the state level that leave counties with fewer resources.

“When the state cuts funding and shifts the burden to counties, that’s not tax relief, that’s a tax shift that Idaho families are paying for.”

James also mentioned his experience balancing budgets for the county and recent political efforts to advance legislation at the state level, including a short-term rental bill addressing the Vrbo and Airbnb marketplaces.

Lisa Marie

Lisa Marie has participated as a candidate in Republican primaries for over a decade, including 2014 as a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives along with several previous gubernatorial campaigns.

She framed her entrepreneurial experience as a core asset of her candidacy and mentioned her prior bridal shop business and her work with PASS4Kids, a charity dedicated to providing school supplies, health care items and other necessities to children.

Marie said addressing the issue of missing children in the state, and the nation at large, was the core issue of her campaign and where she said she now puts “all my attention.”

Justin Plante

Justin Plante, a resident of Twin Falls and self-described “journeyman mechanic,” said his primary aim was to “fix” the problems he observed in government. He firstly called for auditing of government at all levels and further transparency in state finances. Though he described Transparent Idaho, the state’s platform making financial data for state agencies accessible, as a “good start,” Plante said more could be done to show how taxpayer dollars are being utilized.

He posited citizen task forces in government agencies, schools and highway districts as a way to identify problems and allow for direct communication with the governor and the attorney general.

“I started looking at the government, they way it was being run, and decided we need do some repairs on it,” Plante said, “and maybe a mechanic (would) be a good fit for this.”

Each of these candidates will be on the Republican ballot for the May 19 primary.