Jared Dawson

Jared Dawson: Idaho Democratic Candidate for House District 8B

Jared Dawson is a Democratic candidate for the Idaho House of Representatives District 8B, a four-county district in west-central Idaho covering Valley, Custer, Boise, and Elmore counties. Dawson lives in the mountains outside Idaho City in Boise County and will face Republican incumbent Faye Thompson and Constitution Party candidate Tony Ullrich in the November 3, 2026, general election. Dawson ran for the same seat in 2024, losing to Thompson in the general election. He is running unopposed in the May 19, 2026, Democratic primary, per Ballotpedia.

Background

Dawson was born in Silverton, Idaho, and grew up on a small farm outside Kellogg in Shoshone County, as he described in his 2024 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. He graduated from Kellogg High School, earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Idaho in 2004, and a graduate degree from Washington State University in 2006, per Ballotpedia. His career experience includes work as a program manager, manual labor, and teaching communication classes at Lewis-Clark State College. He is married with children and currently lives in Boise County.

Political Career

Dawson has not previously held elected office. He ran for Idaho House District 8B in 2024, winning the Democratic primary unopposed and advancing to the general election, where he lost to Republican Faye Thompson, per Ballotpedia. Thompson received 16,546 votes, Dawson received 6,702, and Constitution Party candidate Tony Ullrich received 1,111. His 2026 filing is his second consecutive campaign for the seat.

Policy Positions

Dawson’s documented positions draw from his 2024 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey and his 2024 campaign materials.

On healthcare, Dawson supports government-funded universal healthcare coverage. He supports Medicaid expansion and has called for protecting access to it, per the Valley County Democrats. On reproductive rights, he supports women’s access to reproductive healthcare and opposes state restrictions on abortion. On end-of-life care, he supports aid-in-dying legislation. On civil rights, his survey responses indicate he believes individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even when doing so conflicts with religious or moral beliefs.

On libraries, Dawson has stated support for funding public libraries, per the Valley County Democrats. He has described his candidacy as offering voters in District 8B a representative who listens to constituents rather than outside organizations.

As of April 2026, Dawson has not published a detailed 2026 policy platform beyond these documented positions. This section will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Political Alignment

Dawson is a Liberal Democrat. His survey responses reflect support for universal government healthcare, reproductive rights, civil rights protections for LGBTQ individuals, aid-in-dying legislation, and public library funding. These positions place him to the left of Mainstream Democrat positioning, particularly in the context of rural west-central Idaho. No endorsements from progressive activist organizations have been documented.

Campaign and Endorsements

Dawson is running in the May 19, 2026, Democratic primary unopposed, per Ballotpedia. Ballotpedia did not identify any endorsements for his 2024 campaign. No endorsements for the 2026 race have been publicly reported as of April 2026. Campaign finance records are available through the Idaho Secretary of State’s Sunshine database.

FAQ

Who is Jared Dawson, Idaho? Jared Dawson is a Democratic candidate for Idaho House District 8B, a large west-central Idaho district covering Valley, Custer, Boise, and Elmore counties. A Silver Valley native who now lives outside Idaho City, he teaches communication at Lewis-Clark State College and is making his second consecutive run for the seat in 2026.

What district is Jared Dawson running in? Dawson is running in Idaho House District 8B, covering Valley, Custer, Boise, and Elmore counties in west-central Idaho.

Is Jared Dawson an incumbent or challenger? He is a challenger with no prior legislative experience. He lost to Faye Thompson in the 2024 general election and is running against her again in 2026.

What are Jared Dawson’s political positions? His documented positions include support for universal government healthcare, Medicaid expansion, reproductive rights, civil rights protections, public libraries, and aid-in-dying legislation.

2024 Primary Election Results Dawson / Unopposed

2024 General Election Results Thompson 16,546 / Dawson 6,702 / Ullrich 1,111

Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated April 2026. This profile will be updated as additional information becomes available.