Chris Bruce

Chris Bruce: Idaho Republican Incumbent for House District 23A

Chris Bruce is a Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives serving District 23A, which covers the Kuna area and portions of Ada and Canyon counties, as well as all of Owyhee County. Bruce assumed office on December 1, 2024, after defeating incumbent Melissa Durrant in the 2024 Republican primary by 82 votes. He is running for re-election in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary, where he faces a rematch against Durrant. Paul Smith of the Constitution Party is also running in the primary.

Background

Chris Bruce was born and raised in Georgia and has lived in Idaho for approximately a decade, according to his campaign website. His wife’s roots in Idaho go back generations. He began his career in mortgage origination in 2001 and has since worked as a branch manager and loan officer with Premier Mortgage Resources, according to his Idaho Legislature member profile.

Bruce is a survivor of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and serves as a wellness advocate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Idaho and Montana Branch. He is a life group leader at Changed Life church, a coach and umpire with Kuna Youth Softball Baseball Association, and has served on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council for the Kuna Joint School District. He and his wife Kyrsti have been married more than 20 years and have two sons.

Political Career

Bruce ran unsuccessfully for the Idaho House twice before winning in 2024. He lost the District 22A Republican primary to incumbent John Vander Woude in 2020, and lost the District 23B Republican primary to Tina Lambert in 2022, according to Ballotpedia. He was elected to the Kuna City Council in 2021, where he served as council president and sat on the municipal public works and economic development committees. He also served on the board of directors for the Kuna Chamber of Commerce.

In May 2024, Bruce defeated incumbent Rep. Melissa Durrant in the Republican primary for House District 23A by 82 votes, 3,288 to 3,205. Durrant had opposed school choice legislation, and the American Federation for Children PAC spent $136,492 opposing her and two other House Republicans who had blocked school choice proposals, as reported by the Idaho Press. Bruce went on to win the November 2024 general election over Democrat Wendy Coome, 19,921 to 4,945.

As of the 2026 legislative session, Bruce’s committee assignments are Appropriations, Commerce and Human Resources, and Environment, Energy and Technology, per his Idaho Legislature member profile. His campaign website lists seven bills from his freshman session that he credits as enacted into law, including HB 528, which ensures patients can provide their own or a directed donor’s blood for transfusions, and HB 648, which creates co-insurance parity for cancer treatment patients regardless of how treatment is administered.

Policy Positions

Bruce’s campaign website states that he is inspired by Frédéric Bastiat’s The Law and believes the government’s only legitimate role is the protection of God-given rights. He describes his re-election campaign as being about ensuring Idaho remains the “last bastion of American freedom.”

On property taxes, Bruce told the Idaho Press in October 2024 that he does not support taxation of unrealized gains and that local government bears significant responsibility for property tax levels, noting that cities and counties have a direct hand in the property tax burden residents face. On education, he supports school choice as a competitive mechanism for improving all education options. He signed the U.S. Term Limits convention pledge in 2024, as documented by U.S. Term Limits. He has answered the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance candidate survey with 100 percent pro-gun responses, as noted in his campaign’s social media.

Political Alignment

Bruce is a Conservative Activist. His 2025 legislative scorecards, as listed on his campaign website, show an IFF Freedom Index score of 89.4%, an IFF Spending Index score of 91.7%, a 100% rating from CPAC, and a 100% score from the John Birch Society. His IACI score of 29 signals that the business community does not view him as aligned with mainstream Idaho commerce interests. His campaign’s Bastiat framing, “last bastion of American freedom” language, and opposition to unrealized gains taxation are consistent with the activist conservative wing of the Idaho Republican Party. His 2024 victory was materially assisted by American Federation for Children PAC spending against his opponent, reflecting alignment with the school choice activist network. Taken together, these indicators place Bruce firmly in the Conservative Activist category, with his JBS and IFF scores trending toward the further edge of that classification.

Campaign and Endorsements

In the 2024 primary, Bruce benefited from $136,492 in American Federation for Children PAC spending against incumbent Melissa Durrant, as reported by the Idaho Press. He received a 100 percent survey score from the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance and signed the U.S. Term Limits convention pledge. He faces a rematch against Durrant and Constitution Party candidate Paul Smith in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary, per Ballotpedia. The general election is November 3, 2026.

FAQ

Who is Chris Bruce, Idaho? Chris Bruce is a Republican state representative from Kuna serving his first term in the Idaho House of Representatives for District 23A. He is a mortgage industry professional, former Kuna City Council president, and leukemia survivor who defeated incumbent Melissa Durrant in the 2024 Republican primary by 82 votes.

What district does Chris Bruce represent? Bruce represents House District 23A, which covers the Kuna area and portions of Ada and Canyon counties, as well as all of Owyhee County.

Is Chris Bruce an incumbent? Yes. Bruce was first elected in 2024 and is seeking a second term in the May 2026 Republican primary.

What committees does Chris Bruce serve on? As of the 2026 legislative session, Bruce serves on the Appropriations, Commerce and Human Resources, and Environment, Energy and Technology committees, per his Idaho Legislature member profile.

2024 Primary Election Results Bruce 3,288 / Durrant 3,205

2024 General Election Results Bruce 19,921 / Coome 4,945

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