Brent J. Crane

Brent Crane: Idaho Republican Incumbent for House District 13A

Brent Crane is a Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives representing District 13A, which covers portions of Nampa in Canyon County. Crane is seeking re-election in the May 19, 2026, Republican primary. He first assumed office in 2006 and is currently serving his tenth term. He is one of the longest-serving members of the Idaho House and holds two committee chairmanships.

Background

Brent Crane was born on July 2, 1974, in Nampa, Idaho, where he has lived his entire life. He graduated from Nampa Christian High School and earned a bachelor's degree in political science with an emphasis in public administration from Boise State University. Crane is the co-owner of Crane Alarm Service, a family-owned security and fire alarm business that has operated in Nampa since 1964, according to his Idaho Legislature biography. He and his wife Rochenda have two children. Crane is an active member of his church and coaches youth basketball for Nampa Christian Schools.

Political Career

Crane was first elected to the Idaho House of Representatives in 2006, filling a seat vacated by the retirement of Republican Representative Dolores Crow. He has held the seat continuously since then, winning most subsequent elections unopposed or by comfortable margins. In his most recent general election, in 2024, Crane won with 71.5 percent of the vote against Democrat Cliff Hohman. Crane served as Assistant Republican Leader in the Idaho House from 2012 to 2018, per VoteSmart. In 2022, his colleagues elected him to serve as Chairman of the House Ethics and Policy Committee, in addition to his role as Chairman of the House State Affairs Committee, where he also serves as a member of the House Business Committee, per his Idaho Legislature biography. The House State Affairs Committee handles a broad legislative portfolio including elections, abortion policy, electric utility deregulation, the Public Utilities Commission, and the state lottery. As chair, Crane controls which bills receive hearings and advance to the House floor, giving him substantial influence over the legislative agenda on those subjects. In February 2025, Crane joined House Speaker Mike Moyle in introducing a package of four bills aimed at increasing transparency around out-of-state spending in Idaho elections, following a 2024 cycle in which approximately $17 million was spent on legislative races. Crane told the committee that he was "angry about the out-of-state money that is being spent to influence the outcome of elections in Idaho" and described the trend as the "monetization of politics." He acknowledged that the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC limits what the legislature can legally do. Crane has received the Friend of Agriculture award from agricultural interests in multiple years, including 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Policy Positions

Crane's documented policy record reflects consistent support for tax reduction, social conservatism, and resistance to federal authority over state affairs. His campaign website lists co-sponsorship of legislation that lowered personal income taxes and co-sponsorship of legislation prohibiting gender-transition surgeries for minors. Earlier in his legislative career, he passed the Women's Right to View Act, which allowed patients to view an ultrasound before an abortion procedure, and the Fetal Pain Bill, which prohibited abortions after 20 weeks. He co-sponsored a nullification bill that would have prohibited enforcement of the Affordable Care Act in Idaho, though that legislation did not become law. Crane's campaign website describes him as a social conservative who has opposed abortion throughout his tenure and lists an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association. On library materials, Crane supported legislation to regulate materials accessible to minors in Idaho libraries. During the 2024 floor debate, Crane told colleagues that "to sit there and say that this does not exist in Idaho libraries is patently false," calling the bill sound policy. He noted it was the third consecutive year the legislature had sought such legislation. On education, Crane has expressed general support for school choice and parental rights, consistent with the broader Republican caucus.

Political Alignment

Crane is a Traditional Conservative Republican whose long tenure and committee leadership positions place him within the senior governing ranks of the Idaho House Republican caucus. His endorsements from the Idaho Farm Bureau and the Canyon County Republican Central Committee, combined with his Friend of Agriculture award and his close working relationship with House Speaker Mike Moyle on campaign finance legislation, reflect alignment with organized agricultural, business, and law enforcement constituencies. His social conservative record, including his sponsorship of anti-abortion legislation and support for library content restrictions, places him toward the right of the Traditional Conservative classification. His 2025 campaign finance legislation, aimed at reining in outside spending in Idaho primaries, signals distance from the activist organizations that have used independent expenditures to challenge House leadership incumbents.

Campaign and Endorsements

Crane is running in the May 19, 2026, Republican primary for District 13A. Endorsers have included the Idaho Farm Bureau and the Canyon County Republican Central Committee. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Crane in either the 2024 or 2022 election cycles. Campaign finance records are available through the Idaho Secretary of State's Sunshine database.