Benjamin Chafetz

Benjamin Chafetz, Republican nominee for Idaho Senate District 17

Benjamin Chafetz is the Republican nominee for Idaho Senate District 17 on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. He faces Democratic incumbent Carrie Semmelroth for the third consecutive general election. In 2022, Chafetz lost 10,094 votes to 6,790, a 59.78% to 40.22% margin, per the Idaho Secretary of State elections database. In 2024 he lost again, 13,250 to 9,879, or 57.3% to 42.7%, per the Secretary of State's canvass results.

Chafetz won the May 19, 2026 Republican primary unopposed with 2,199 votes, according to certified results from the Idaho Secretary of State.

Background

Chafetz is a Boise State University graduate with a degree in electrical engineering, according to his campaign website. While at BSU, he chaired the College Republicans Club. He works as an engineer and describes himself as a landlord in southwest Boise. He and his wife, Broquelle, have two sons, Ryker and Everett.

In the CBS2/FOX9 candidate survey, he listed his hometown as Boise and said he has lived in Idaho for 13 years. He described his background as "Servant of the Lord, Husband, Father, Patriot, Engineer."

He is also cofounder and president of Micron Employees for Religious Freedom, a nonprofit that, in his words, "aims to stop Micron from infringing upon employees' rights to bodily autonomy, medical privacy, and medical freedom."

Where he stands

In the CBS2/FOX9 survey, Chafetz named three district priorities: housing costs "that have outpaced wages," chronic traffic congestion, and "a growing rodent problem" affecting neighborhoods and businesses. On housing, he said he would work to "reduce government subsidies and regulatory barriers" so prices can moderate through competition. On traffic, he said it is primarily a responsibility of the Ada County Highway District, but that he would partner with it and push for state-level coordination. On the rodent issue, he said he would work with pest-control professionals and local government on "practical abatement rather than more studies."

Asked what the legislature is failing to address, he named "illegal immigration and its downstream costs," saying he supports "cooperation with federal authorities" and "restrictions on benefits."

On the state's recent budget shortfalls, he wrote that "Idaho does not have a revenue problem so much as a spending-discipline problem." He favors spending cuts over tax increases and, long term, simplifying the tax code to rely primarily on a broad-based sales tax.

His closing statement in the survey, in his words: "My goal is simple: keep Idaho a place where my kids (and yours) can still afford to live, raise a family, and enjoy the same freedom and beauty that brought me here. I am not looking for a career in politics."

On his Idaho Republican Party candidate page, he lists his top three issues as fiscal responsibility, "freedom for the people I serve," and cutting government bureaucracy. He has also signed the party's Integrity in Affiliation pledge supporting the Idaho Republican Platform.

Campaign finance

As of his last filed report with the Idaho Secretary of State's financial disclosure system, Chafetz reported $0.00 in contributions, $0.00 in expenditures, and a $0.00 cash balance for both the 2024 and 2026 election cycles.

Sources

• Benjamin Chafetz campaign website
• Benjamin Chafetz, About
• Idaho Republican Party candidate page
• CBS2/FOX9 2026 general election survey: State Senate District 17
• Idaho Sunshine financial disclosure: Benjamin Donovan Chafetz