Chad Christensen

Chad Christensen is a former Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives seeking to return to the legislature in Idaho House District 35 Seat A, covering portions of Bingham, Bonneville, Caribou, and Power counties in southeastern Idaho. Christensen represented Idaho House District 32 Seat B from December 2018 through November 2022 across two terms. He is running in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary against Rep. Mike Veile, the Soda Springs businessman Gov. Brad Little appointed to the seat in September 2025. The general election is November 3, 2026.

Background

Per Wikipedia's biographical record, Christensen was born in 1973 in Idaho Falls. He served twelve years in the U.S. Army, earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Ricks College, and a bachelor's in political science from Idaho State University. His career background is on the corrections-and-supervision side of the criminal-justice system, including Jefferson County Probation circa 2001-2003 and the Idaho State Probation and Parole Fugitive Recovery Unit circa 2003-2007, followed by welfare-fraud investigations work at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The full public-record archive on his pre-legislative and in-office record is maintained at chadchristensen.org.

Political Career

Christensen was first elected to the Idaho House in 2018, defeating Rep. Thomas Loertscher in the May 15, 2018 Republican primary, and was re-elected in 2020. After the 2022 redistricting he ran in the redrawn District 35B and lost the May 17, 2022 Republican primary to Ammon City Councilman Josh Wheeler by 362 votes, as reported by LocalNews8 / KIFI. He did not file in 2024. Per LocalNews8's March 2026 race coverage, Christensen filed in 2026 for District 35 Seat A against Rep. Mike Veile, whom the Governor appointed in September 2025 after the prior incumbent left for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Christensen's legislative tenure also produced two episodes Idaho editorial boards weighed in on. In February 2019 he and Three Percenter affiliates open-carried into Bacon, a downtown Boise restaurant; after owner John Berryhill asked the group to consider customer comfort, Christensen called on Facebook for a public boycott of the restaurant. The Post Register editorial board, syndicated by Magic Valley, wrote that "calling for boycott, Christensen abused his office." In October 2019, Idaho Education News reporter Kevin Richert documented Christensen launching a Boise State University defunding campaign over a gender-neutral restroom that included menstrual products.

Policy Positions

Christensen's legislative record was aligned with the Idaho Freedom Foundation policy stack: his lifetime IFF Freedom Index score is 98.6 percent, and his 2021 cycle voting record was measured at 100 percent. His public record includes legislation and floor positions on Second Amendment expansion, opposition to gender-neutral restroom funding at public universities, and the Bacon-restaurant open-carry incident. On the 2026 campaign trail he is running on a "true conservative" framing in contrast with the incumbent's education focus, per LocalNews8's March 2026 race coverage.

Political Alignment

Christensen is Idaho Freedom Foundation-aligned at the highest tier of the IFF Freedom Index. Per September 2022 Associated Press / Post Register reporting by Durkin and Kunzelman, Christensen was identified as a member of the Oath Keepers, the militia organization whose founder Stewart Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy related to the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack and sentenced to 18 years in federal prison.

Campaign and Endorsements

Christensen is running in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary against Rep. Mike Veile in District 35 Seat A. Per the Idaho Sunshine portal, his 2026 campaign is supported by independent expenditures from Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC, Idaho Summit PAC, and Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. Idaho EdNews has reported that Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC draws substantial out-of-state funding, including a $450,000 transfer from a Virginia-based federal affiliate and Pennsylvania gaming-related sources. The general election is November 3, 2026.

About This Profile

For deeper background on Chad Christensen's court record, deposition testimony, and policy positions, see the IdahoExtremism.org dossier on Chad Christensen.