Carl Bjerke

Carl Bjerke is a Republican member of the Idaho Senate representing District 5, which covers parts of Kootenai County including the Coeur d'Alene area. Bjerke was first elected in 2022 by defeating then-incumbent Sen. Peter Riggs in the Republican primary and was re-elected in 2024 with 79.4 percent in the general. He is seeking re-election in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary. The general election is November 3, 2026.

Background

Bjerke, 63-64, was born in 1962 and raised in Southern California. He earned an associate degree in respiratory therapy and a bachelor's in organizational leadership, and is a graduate of the Paramedic Training Institute. He worked as a respiratory therapist and mortician's apprentice before joining the Santa Monica Fire Department in 1987, where he advanced through firefighter, paramedic, captain, training chief, and battalion chief positions, retiring in 2017 as Deputy Chief of Operations after 32 years of service, as described on his campaign website. The Bjerke family purchased property in Coeur d'Alene in 2014 and relocated when their home was completed in 2017. Post-retirement he has worked as a fire technology instructor at the College of Eastern Idaho. He has been married to his wife Lesli — a retired teacher, small-business owner, and elected member of the Coeur d'Alene School Board — for approximately 35 years and they have two adult children. He sponsors a legislative Bible study.

Political Career

Bjerke was first elected to the Idaho Senate in 2022 by defeating then-incumbent Sen. Peter Riggs (then a Senate Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee co-chair) in the Republican primary, per Ballotpedia. He was re-elected in 2024, defeating Cheri Zao in the Republican primary and Democrat Adam Chapman 79.4 percent to 20.6 percent in the general. He serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee and as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC), Joint Millennium Fund Committee, and Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee. He served on the Idaho COVID-19 Response Study Committee and on the Idaho DOGE task force.

Policy Positions

In the 2025 session Bjerke co-sponsored House Bill 345, which required Idaho to seek federal approval for Medicaid work requirements and managed-care privatization; the bill passed on a party-line vote and was signed by Gov. Brad Little. On the Idaho DOGE task force he argued that Medicaid expansion "wasn't working" and supported recommending its repeal. From the Kootenai County GOP candidate questionnaire, Bjerke described the COVID-19 response as a "coordinated farce intended to control the populace and diminish our liberties" and as "completely lawless," and stated, "We only have two genders. Life begins at conception. We deserve what we work for." He has voted in favor of education savings accounts, biological-sex bathroom policies in schools, and HB 93 (Parental Choice Tax Credit), and against what he calls "porn in libraries."

Political Alignment

The Idaho Freedom Foundation Freedom Index has scored Bjerke in the 70-82 percent range across recent cycles (75.1 percent / C grade in 2025), with consistently weaker Spending Index marks (as low as 31.5 percent / F). Bjerke was a Hazlitt Coalition walkout signatory in May 2024 alongside Sens. Scott Herndon, Phil Hart, Brian Lenney, Tammy Nichols, Benjamin Toews, and Glenneda Zuiderveld. He is endorsed by Stand for Health Freedom.

Campaign and Endorsements

Bjerke is running in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary. Independent expenditure filings on the Idaho Sunshine portal show 2026 backing from the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee totaling approximately $1,786. Idaho EdNews reports the KCRCC filed approximately $6,000 in total 2026 IE supporting a slate of conservative candidates including Bjerke, Sen. Scott Herndon, Sen. Phil Hart, Sen. Benjamin Toews, Sen. Doug Okuniewicz, Cornel Rasor, Rep. Heather Scott, Rep. Dale Hawkins, and Rep. Vito Barbieri. He is recommended in the KCRCC voter guide. The general election is November 3, 2026.