Brent Reinke

Brent Reinke: Idaho Senate District 24

In May 2026, Brent Reinke did something primary voters rarely do: he removed a sitting state senator from the ballot. Reinke, a 72-year-old Twin Falls County commissioner, beat incumbent Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld in the Republican primary for Legislative District 24, taking 60.14 percent of the vote to her 39.86 percent, according to certified results summarized in the Idaho Capital Sun's primary voter guide. The win came in a contest where Zuiderveld declined to respond to the voter guide's survey, while Reinke answered every question in his own words.

On November 3, Reinke faces Democrat Mary Jo Durfee in the general election. The race is a two-candidate contest; an independent candidate withdrew earlier in the year, leaving the seat to be decided between the Republican nominee and the Democrat.

Roots in Twin Falls County

Reinke was born in Twin Falls County and has lived in Idaho his entire life. He is a third-generation Idahoan, a fact he includes in his own biography on the Idaho Association of Counties site. He and his wife Carla were married in Filer and raised five sons, all of whom graduated from Filer High School.

His business career began in 1981, when he started MR. B's, a fine food and ice cream operation in Filer that later expanded to Buhl. The family also runs a food booth at the Twin Falls County Fair, a tradition that has stretched across more than four decades.

City Hall, then the County Courthouse

Reinke's public life started in 1986 with election to the Filer City Council, where he served eight years across three terms. He then won a seat as a Twin Falls County commissioner, holding it from 1994 to 1997, per his Idaho Association of Counties profile.

In 1997, Gov. Phil Batt appointed him director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections. He spent ten years running that agency, holding the post through a reappointment under Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, before the next step in his state career arrived.

Running Idaho's Prison System

In January 2007, Reinke became director of the Idaho Department of Correction, the agency that incarcerates and supervises adult felony offenders statewide. When he left the post in November 2014, he was the longest-serving director in the department's history, according to Spokesman-Review coverage of his resignation.

The tenure was eventful. Per the Associated Press wire report on his resignation, "his tenure included overseeing the fallout of a private-prison scandal, handling the first two executions since 1994 and enhancing the department's contract oversight." The scandal involved Corrections Corporation of America wrongly telling the state that guard shifts were staffed when they had actually been left vacant; the company later pulled out of Idaho. Reinke submitted his resignation during a Board of Correction meeting on November 25, 2014, writing in his letter, "It's been an incredible run, but it's time for me to serve in a different way."

Gov. Butch Otter, who had appointed him, publicly thanked him the next day. "I have appreciated Director Reinke's effort, enthusiasm and empathy throughout my tenure as Governor. It's a tough job, and nobody in Idaho history has done it longer," Otter said, per the Spokesman-Review. Board of Correction Chairman Robin Sandy offered her own tribute: "For the past 18 years straight, Brent has logged long hours."

During his eighteen years of state service, Reinke also chaired the Governor's Criminal Justice Commission for about eight years, according to his own account, a span consistent with his dates running the adult corrections agency.

Back to the County, and the Push for a Third Bridge

In January 2019, Reinke returned to local government, winning back his old seat as a Twin Falls County commissioner. The move put him in the middle of one of the Magic Valley's most consequential infrastructure debates: whether and where to build a third crossing over the Snake River to relieve pressure on the Perrine Bridge.

In June 2021, Reinke joined Jerome County commissioners and local highway district officials in signing a Joint Powers Agreement to advocate for the project. "It's important from the standpoint to be able to work with our stakeholders throughout our counties in the Magic Valley, and to be able to work with ITD as we move forward on this project," he said, according to KMVT. He also made the case for starting soon: "the Perrine Bridge is 44 years old, and the Hansen Bridge is 55 years old. So when you start looking at the long-range planning of this kind of an effort it needs to happen and it needs to get started now."

A $4 million state-funded Environmental Linkage Study followed, weighing options from widening the Perrine Bridge to a new crossing. His campaign materials describe him as chair of the local effort and as Justice and Public Safety chair for the Idaho Association of Counties; both titles come from his own materials rather than independent reporting, so voters can weigh them as his characterization of his role.

What Reinke Says He Would Do in the Senate

Reinke answered every survey question in the Capital Sun's primary guide, and his responses sketch a practical, budget-focused conservative. On the Legislature's across-the-board spending cuts, he broke with the approach: "I don't support across the board cuts, I would evaluate the Governor's recommendations, there are critical needs facing the state of Idaho that affect community safety."

On immigration enforcement, he opposes requiring local law enforcement agencies to enter 287(g) agreements with ICE. "This is an example of an unfunded mandate on local government," he wrote, adding that "local law enforcement is proactive with law violations, of all Idahoans including illegal and foreign born labor."

His position on the 2025 school choice tax credit hardened between the primary and the general election. In his primary survey response, he said he needed to review school funding levels first: "My primary concern is the public school budget as it relates special need students, class size and recruiting and retention of staff." By the general election survey, he had settled the question: "House Bill 93 is a difficult question... we have very few private schools in district 24. The state has been trying to deal with a 100 million dollar short fall in special ed funding. I have a number of questions about the voucher system from the stand point of unintended consequences and lessons learned. So as it stands today I am not in favor of expanding the program." On local control, he put it plainly: "I'm a believer in local control... Trust but verify."

His campaign site lists four priorities: affordability for families, safe communities, responsible growth, and keeping Magic Valley agriculture strong. He is a member of the 2019 class of Leadership Idaho Agriculture, a professional development program, per Capital Press reporting.

The Money Behind the Campaign

Reinke's campaign has raised $88,418.63 in contributions, received $25,305.37 in loans, and spent $98,363.04, leaving $15,360.96 on hand, per Secretary of State filings. His largest donors include the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation PAC and the Idaho Land Fund at $2,000 each, with Kauffman Farms of Filer and Eagle View Farms LLC giving $1,000 each.

The November Choice

District 24 covers part of the Magic Valley, and the general election on November 3 is a two-candidate contest between Reinke and Durfee. What Reinke offers is the record documented here: more than three decades of local and state administrative service, a contested primary win over an incumbent, and stated positions that lean pragmatic on budgeting, immigration enforcement, and school funding.

Sources

• Idaho Capital Sun, District 24 Republican primary voter guide
• Idaho Capital Sun, District 24 general election voter guide
• Idaho Association of Counties, Brent Reinke profile
• Spokesman-Review, "Idaho state prisons chief submits resignation"
• Spokesman-Review, "Otter on Reinke resignation: 'It's a tough job; Brent has my thanks'"
• KMVT, "Jerome and Twin Falls sign Third Crossing Joint Powers Agreement"
• Brent David Reinke candidate profile, Idaho Sunshine campaign finance portal