Pete Gertonson

Pete Gertonson: Idaho Democratic Candidate for House District 7B

Pete Gertonson is a Democratic candidate from Lewiston running for Idaho House District 7B in the November 2026 general election. Gertonson is a perennial candidate in North Idaho’s Clearwater region who has run for multiple legislative seats, including Idaho House District 6A in 2012 and Idaho Senate District 6 in 2014, before turning his attention to the House District 7B seat held by Republican incumbent Charlie Shepherd. He and his wife Jerene have two children.

Background and Community

Gertonson is from Lewiston, the largest city in the Clearwater region and the commercial hub of Nez Perce County. Lewiston sits at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers at the Washington state border, and its economy spans food processing (including the Clearwater Paper facility), healthcare, education through Lewis-Clark State College, and the Port of Lewiston, the most inland deepwater port in the western United States. The port, accessible via the Snake River navigation system, connects Lewiston-area grain, pea, and lentil producers to Pacific export markets, making the river system a fundamental piece of the regional agricultural economy. His years of candidacy in the region reflect a sustained commitment to civic engagement in a part of Idaho where Democratic candidates face significant structural challenges but continue to offer voters a choice.

Perennial Candidacy and Party Building

Gertonson’s 2012 run for House District 6A and 2014 run for Senate District 6 reflect the kind of persistent candidate engagement that Democratic Party organizers in rural Idaho rely on to maintain ballot presence and voter contact infrastructure. In heavily Republican legislative districts, the value of repeat candidacy extends beyond the individual race: each campaign cycle builds name recognition, volunteer networks, and voter file data that the next Democratic candidate in the district can inherit. Gertonson’s willingness to run multiple times in the Clearwater region represents a long-term investment in Democratic Party viability in North Idaho.

District 7B

House District 7B covers a geographically expansive area of central Idaho centered on the rural communities of the Salmon River drainage while including portions of Nez Perce County around Lewiston. The district’s Republican incumbent, Charlie Shepherd, represents a rural North Idaho constituency that has trended heavily toward the national Republican Party’s most conservative positions. Gertonson’s 2026 candidacy ensures that voters in District 7B have a choice in November, maintaining the democratic principle that legislative seats should be contested and that voters should hear alternative perspectives on state policy regardless of the structural odds in a given district.

FAQ Who is Pete Gertonson? Pete Gertonson is a Democratic candidate from Lewiston running for Idaho House District 7B. He is a repeat candidate in North Idaho’s Clearwater region, having previously run in 2012 and 2014. He and his wife Jerene have two children.

Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated April 2026.