Ben Adams

Ben Adams: Republican incumbent for Idaho Senate District 12

Ben Adams is the Republican incumbent state senator for Idaho Legislative District 12, and his name is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. He is seeking a third Senate term. His opponent is Democrat Krystal Flippence, who won her primary unopposed. Adams won his own May 19, 2026 primary with 2,704 votes, 73.94 percent, against Shaun M. Simmons's 953 votes, per certified results.

Background

Adams was born in Jupiter, Florida. As the son of Christian missionaries, he was raised on the mission field in Kiev, Ukraine, before his family settled in Emmett, Idaho, where his father pastored a church. He is a homeschool graduate of Idaho and studied at Boise State University.

He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2009 and left the service in 2014, reaching the rank of sergeant. His official legislative bio lists two combat tours in Afghanistan and one Marine expeditionary deployment as part of a battalion landing team. He and his wife Rebecca have two children. His listed occupation is public speaker.

Political history

Adams first won office in 2020, taking a House seat in District 13. He won that year's four-way Republican primary with 49.3 percent of the vote, then beat Libertarian Jess S. Smith in the general with 77.7 percent. He moved to the Senate in 2022, winning the District 12 primary with 81.7 percent against Thomas Netzley and running unopposed in the general.

He was re-elected in 2024 after winning a primary against Victor Rodriguez with 57.6 percent of the vote. He ran unopposed in that year's general election and received 17,241 votes. All figures come from the Idaho Secretary of State's elections database.

In the Senate, he serves as vice chair of the Local Government and Taxation Committee. He also sits on State Affairs and Transportation.

Legislative record

Adams sponsored Senate Bill 1252 in 2024, known as the Defend the Guard Act. The bill would have required a declaration of war by Congress before the Idaho National Guard could be deployed under active-duty orders. It passed the Senate 27-8 and died in a House committee.

Also in 2024, he was the Senate floor sponsor of House Bill 421, which redefined sex and gender terms in Idaho code. The bill passed the Senate 26-8-1 and was signed into law.

In 2025, he sponsored Senate Bill 1077, which would have directed state money to subsidize crisis pregnancy centers. The Senate State Affairs Committee killed the bill on a 5-4 vote. Adams sits on that committee and voted to advance it.

Public lands amendment

Adams's most prominent current proposal is a joint resolution to amend the Idaho Constitution so that land the state acquires from the federal government could never be sold. He unveiled the amendment text at an August 2025 event at the Pine Cafe in Elmore County.

The proposal would place newly acquired federal land into a state trust that could not be sold, though it could be exchanged with two-thirds legislative approval. It does not apply to the 2.5 million acres of state endowment land Idaho already controls, which can still be sold. The amendment also does not address how the state would pay for any land it buys.

"Let's send a message so loud that they can hear it all the way back in D.C: Our land is not for sale," Adams said at the event, according to the Idaho Capital Sun. Amending the Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of both legislative chambers. If it clears that bar, the question would appear on the November 2026 ballot and need a simple majority to pass.

Where he stands

His campaign platform, listed on the Idaho Republican Party's candidate page, centers on three issues. First, protecting what he calls God-given rights, naming free speech, the right to bear arms, and freedom of worship. Second, tax policy that supports Idaho families, including restructuring homestead exemptions so homeowners and the elderly can afford to stay in their homes. Third, protecting public lands from sale, a position he ties to the constitutional amendment described above.

On the party's integrity in affiliation form, Adams noted one exception to the state Republican platform. While he supports the state managing federal land, he wrote that the platform lacks a provision restricting the sale of public land under state management, which is why he proposed the constitutional amendment.

Campaign finance

Per Idaho's Sunshine campaign finance portal, Adams's 2026 campaign has raised $37,030.00 in total contributions. He reports a cash balance of $24,053.06. Of his contributions, $30,280 came from in-state donors and $6,750 from out-of-state donors.

His general election opponent, Krystal Flippence, is a Democrat who won her primary unopposed.

Sources

• Idaho State Legislature, official member page confirming Adams's district, term, committees, and biography
• Republican Party of Idaho, candidate page listing his biography and top three campaign issues
• Ben Adams for Idaho, his campaign site, for his 2009-2014 Marine Corps service dates
• Idaho Secretary of State, elections database, certified results for his 2020, 2022, and 2024 races
• Idaho Secretary of State, certified May 19, 2026 primary results for Senate District 12
• Idaho Capital Sun, coverage of the public lands constitutional amendment and Adams's August 2025 event in Pine
• Idaho Secretary of State, Sunshine portal, 2026 campaign finance totals
• Idaho Legislature, SB 1252, the Defend the Guard Act
• Idaho Legislature, HB 421
• Idaho Capital Sun, Senate State Affairs Committee vote on SB 1077