Brian Lenney

Brian Lenney, Republican incumbent for Idaho Senate District 13

Brian Lenney is the Republican incumbent for Idaho Senate District 13, which covers part of Nampa in Canyon County. He won the May 19, 2026 primary unopposed with 3,557 votes. He is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot against Democrat Letishia Silva. He is in his second term in the Idaho Senate.

Background

Lenney is a Nampa resident and a Republican. His official page with the Idaho State Legislature lists his second term, his district office box, and his committee assignments. That same page carries a short personal statement, printed verbatim: "America only; Christ is King."

Before his legislative career, Lenney self-published two children's books in 2018, "Why Everyone Needs an AR-15: A Guide for Kids" and "Why is Feminism So Silly: A Guide for Kids," according to their Amazon listings.

On his Idaho GOP candidate questionnaire, Lenney lists his top three issues as medical freedom, educational freedom, and financial freedom. On education, the questionnaire states: "Kids shouldn't have to get on the bus and come home WORSE than they were before. They're being INDOCTRINATED with wokeness from preschool through college and taxpayers are paying for it." On medical policy, it states: "Medical freedom. This is a HUMAN right. No private business nor government entity has the right to force, coerce, or threaten an individual who refuses to inject a medical experiment into their body."

In the Legislature

Lenney sits on three Senate committees. He is vice chair of Commerce and Human Resources and serves on Health and Welfare and Judiciary and Rules, per his official legislator page.

His most prominent bill is Senate Bill 1001, a 2025 measure described as an anti-SLAPP law. SLAPP stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation. These are defamation suits filed to burden a defendant with legal costs rather than to win in court. Lenney's bill lets a defendant pause the case with an anti-SLAPP motion and lets the winning party recover attorney fees. He told the Senate that Idaho was one of 15 states without such a law. "Because the type of lawsuits this bill deals with are not designed to win. They're designed to intimidate, to distract, to bankrupt or to punish a person for exercising free speech," Lenney said on the floor, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.

The bill passed the Senate 32-1, with Senate President Pro Tempore Kelly Anthon the only no vote. Anthon said he agreed with the goal but preferred a different approach through court rules. It passed the House 70-0 and was signed by Gov. Brad Little. An earlier version, Senate Bill 1325, had failed in the Senate 15-20 in 2024 after concerns about its legality.

In 2026, Lenney co-sponsored Senate Bill 1322, which requires poll workers to verify voter affidavit ID before issuing a ballot. That same session, Lenney and Sen. Cindy Carlson used a gut-and-replace amendment on House Bill 516 to add restrictions on teacher-union payroll deductions. The amendment bypassed the Senate Education Committee. The bill passed the Senate 20-14 and was signed into law.

Party factions and leadership conflict

Lenney is a member of the Idaho Freedom Caucus, the in-chamber legislator caucus. The caucus's page on IdahoExtremism.org lists him among its current leaders alongside Sens. Heather Scott and Tammy Nichols.

In November 2023, Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder removed Lenney as vice chair of the Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee over editorials Winder said attacked other senators, according to the Idaho Capital Sun. Lenney disclosed the removal on November 15, 2023. He and fellow Freedom Caucus members Glenneda Zuiderveld and Scott Herndon were all sanctioned in the same action. Lenney later regained the vice chair role, which he holds in the 2026 session per his official legislator page.

In May 2024, Lenney signed a withdrawal letter, along with eight other senators, removing themselves from the Hazlitt Coalition, a national libertarian-leaning legislator group. During the 2024 campaign cycle, the Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC spent money supporting his campaign. That PAC received $390,000 from the national Citizens Alliance of America PAC and a $10,000 personal check from Doyle Beck, a board member of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, per the Idaho Capital Sun. No independently verified donor list for Lenney's 2026 cycle is available.

Sources

• Idaho State Legislature, official member page for Sen. Brian Lenney, committee assignments, term, and personal statement
• Idaho Capital Sun, Senate passage of SB 1001, floor debate, and vote counts
• Idaho Capital Sun, November 2023 removal of Lenney as committee vice chair
• Idaho Capital Sun, 2024 Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC spending and funding
• Idaho Capital Sun, Senate Bill 1322 and poll-worker ID verification
• KTVB, the House Bill 516 gut-and-replace amendment and its passage
• IdahoExtremism.org, current Idaho Freedom Caucus membership and leadership
• Idaho Secretary of State, certified 2026 primary results and general election filing
• Idaho GOP candidate questionnaire, Lenney's stated top issues
• Amazon, listings for Lenney's 2018 self-published children's books