When Idaho voters headed to the polls on May 19, immigration enforcement emerged as one of the sharpest fault lines separating Republican primary candidates across the state’s legislative races. The results showed a clear shift: in several districts, candidates who pushed for stricter enforcement bested incumbents seen as insufficiently aggressive on the issue.
Nine incumbent lawmakers lost their primary bids this cycle, a notable number given that all 105 seats in the Idaho Legislature turn over on a two-year cycle. Five of those defeated incumbents belonged to the group known as the “Gang of Eight,” a bloc that had drawn criticism from conservatives over its role in bottling up legislation during the 2026 session, including several immigration-related bills that stalled without a floor vote.
Boise State University political science professor Jaclyn Kettler observed that the results reflected a geographic and ideological sorting. “In some areas of the state we saw more hardline conservatives, especially on issues of immigration enforcement, be successful,” she said.
That trend was visible even in North Idaho. Two incumbent moderate Republicans in the region lost their races to challengers positioned further right. The defeats signal that the conservative base in Kootenai County and surrounding areas has little patience for legislators perceived as blocking the policy agenda, particularly on immigration.
One of the most closely watched North Idaho voices on the issue is Coeur d’Alene Republican Rep. Jordan Redman, who has spent three consecutive years pushing legislation that would require Idaho employers to use a federal verification program to confirm the legal work status of new hires. Those efforts have repeatedly run into resistance, including opposition from the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, whose CEO Rick Naerebout has argued against penalizing employers who hire workers without legal status. The dairy industry faces particular challenges because it does not have access to the H-2A visa program that covers seasonal agricultural workers in other sectors.
Despite the headwinds, Redman expressed cautious optimism following the primary results. “I think as far as the primaries went, I am hopeful that we’ll be able to get more of this immigration legislation through this upcoming year,” he said.
His optimism may hinge significantly on the composition and priorities of the Senate State Affairs Committee, which typically handles immigration-related bills. Senate State Affairs Chairman Jim Guthrie won his own primary race, defeating David Worley, who had made “uphold immigration law” one of his central campaign commitments. As chairman, Guthrie holds the authority to decide whether House-passed bills receive a hearing in his committee, a gatekeeper role that has frustrated enforcement advocates in past sessions.
The sharpest contested race drawing statewide attention was in Senate District 24, where incumbent Glenneda Zuiderveld, another member of the Gang of Eight, lost to Brent Reinke. Zuiderveld’s stance on immigration enforcement had drawn scrutiny from multiple outlets. Reinke, a former Twin Falls County commissioner and former director of the Idaho Department of Correction, prevailed in a race that became something of a referendum on how far Republicans should go on the enforcement question.
Other incumbents fared better. Rep. Rick Cheatum won his primary race, and Rep. Dan Garner ran without opposition. Nampa Republican Sen. Brian Lenney, a vocal advocate for tougher immigration enforcement, also remained a prominent figure in the debate heading into the fall campaign season.
With the general election set for November 3, the composition of the next Legislature could determine whether bills like Redman’s employer verification proposal finally advance. The Trump administration has also been reshaping federal immigration enforcement infrastructure, adding a national dimension to debates that are playing out at the state level across the country.
For North Idaho Republicans watching these results, the primary outcomes reinforce what polling and candidate forums have suggested for months: immigration enforcement is no longer a secondary issue. Voters in competitive districts are treating it as a litmus test, and incumbents who were seen as standing in the way paid a price on May 19.
Post-primary audits are already underway in several Idaho counties, providing an additional layer of scrutiny to the results before the November general election.
North Idaho Republican Staff