SANDPOINT — Jane Sauter announced she has filed to challenge Mark Sauter for the District 1A seat in the Idaho State House of Representatives this week.

Sauter, who is unrelated to Mark Sauter, ran for the District 1A seat two years ago. She said she chose to run again because she feels her family isn’t being properly represented by the incumbent. 

“Every two years, voters have the opportunity to consider how their elected officials have represented them," Sauter said. “Personally, I feel that the incumbent is not representing me or my family, and so I felt like the voters needed to have another option of a person who votes more conservatively.” 

On her campaign website, Sauter said her main priority if elected would be tackling the issue of illegal immigration. She said this remains a priority because it’s what she’s heard from her constituents in a phone poll and throughout her discussions with them.  

Sauter said she supports House Bill 700, which would increase penalties for employers who hire undocumented people. Sauter said she doesn’t feel like the issue is out of control but claimed that undocumented people were taking up resources that were meant for Idahoans.  

A study from the University of Idaho released in 2024 found that undocumented immigrants are contributors to Idaho’s tax base, paying $26.3 million in 2014, and key to the state’s agricultural industry.  

“I've been to many South American countries, I love people. It's just that if we're going to live under the law, then we need to expect people coming from other countries to obey our laws,” Sauter said. “If that's not happening, we need to really look at why. Why is that not happening and dealing with it accordingly.” 

Sauter said her next priority is increasing transparency and awareness of what is in the state’s water and air. Sauter said she has issues with the process of geoengineering, a broad range of activities that are intended to cool the Earth, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.  

"That's really important, that people know what's going on, and they have full knowledge of things being sprayed, either down their dirt road or in their fields or over their fields,” Sauter said. “I think that a legislator should be involved in that, on that level of making sure those things are transparent.” 

The Idaho state budget has been the hot topic down in Boise this session, and Sauter said she was in favor of cutting the budget but did not specify how. She advocated for repealing the state’s grocery tax and more oversight for state agencies. 

“If we just have good oversight and make sure everything there is legitimate and well worth the taxpayers' money, there needs to be just really tight oversight on that,” Sauter said. "Also not just adding to it every year and then going outside of our budget.” 

Reflecting on her experience running in 2024, Sauter said she plans on attending more events outside her interests this time and continue going door to door to gather support. Sauter’s name will appear alongside Mark Sauter’s on the May 19 ballot for the District 1A seat in the Idaho House.