Chad Christensen

Chad Christensen: Idaho Republican Challenger for House District 35A

Chad Christensen is a Republican challenger running for the Idaho House of Representatives in District 35A, which covers a large swath of Bonneville County along with Teton, Caribou, and Bear Lake counties in eastern Idaho. He is based in Ammon and is challenging appointed incumbent Rep. Mike Veile in the May 19, 2026, Republican primary. Democrat Walter Boyd is running in the Democratic primary for the November general election.

Background

Christensen was born in Idaho Falls and grew up in eastern Idaho. He earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Idaho State University. He served in the U.S. Army for 12 years, including as a military police investigator, and served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in San Diego, California. After his military service, his career included work as a county probation officer, state felony parole officer, and state welfare fraud investigator, as documented in his Ballotpedia profile. He resides in Ammon with his wife Stephenie and their eight children.

Christensen has been a member of the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, Gun Owners of America, the John Birch Society, the Oath Keepers, the Idaho Farm Bureau, and the American Legion, per his Ballotpedia profile.

Political Career

Christensen was first elected to the Idaho House in 2018, defeating incumbent Thomas Loertscher in the Republican primary for District 32B. He was re-elected in 2020. Following redistricting after the 2020 census, he ran in the newly configured District 35B in 2022, losing the Republican primary to challenger Josh Wheeler by 362 votes, a margin of approximately 4 percent. He did not file to run in 2024, supporting incumbent Kevin Andrus, who subsequently resigned to accept an appointment from the Trump administration as state executive director for the Farm Service Agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Christensen carried a lifetime Idaho Freedom Foundation Freedom Index score of 98.6% during his prior service, one of the highest ever recorded in the Idaho House. During his previous terms he served on committees including State Affairs, Judiciary and Rules, Health and Welfare, and Resources and Conservation, per Idaho Legislature records.

Policy Positions

Christensen’s 2026 campaign centers on welfare recipient fraud enforcement, school choice, law enforcement, and fiscal conservatism. His top stated priority is rebuilding a dedicated welfare fraud investigation unit within the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, drawing on his prior experience as a state welfare fraud investigator. He told the Post Register: “I know this problem personally because I lived it. I worked as a welfare fraud investigator for four years. When enforcement is weak, fraud spreads,” as reported by the Post Register.

He supports the private school tax credit passed in the 2025 legislative session and frames education policy around parental rights and school choice, while stating he also supports traditional public schools and career-technical education. He has said he would also prioritize harsher penalties for sex offenders and school district consolidation where economically feasible, as reported by Idaho Education News. He favors funding schools based on enrollment rather than average daily attendance. He has spoken at an Idaho Stands With ICE rally in Boise in 2026 and supports immigration enforcement, per the Idaho State Journal.

Public Controversies

In October 2020, while serving as a state representative, Christensen was alleged by Gregory Graf, creator of the Political Potatoes newsletter, to have participated in a scheme to record Graf under false pretenses and route the recording to Greg Pruett at the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance and Dustin Hurst at the Idaho Freedom Foundation for a coordinated media attack on Graf’s reputation. Christensen filed a defamation suit against Graf; 7th District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. dismissed it in December 2024, with all parties paying their own attorney fees. Information drawn from sworn depositions and public filings related to the case has been published at chadchristensen.org and covered by KTVB, the Post Register, and the Spokesman-Review.

Political Alignment

Christensen is classified as a Far-Right Extremist. His lifetime 98.6% IFF Freedom Index score from prior service is among the highest ever recorded in the Idaho House. His organizational memberships include the John Birch Society, Oath Keepers, and the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance. His campaign hashtag #MakeLibertyWin places him within the Young Americans for Liberty network that Idaho Education News documented spending $716,000 in Idaho’s 2024 primary. His public statements frame ordinary governance in terms of civilizational and spiritual struggle.

Campaign and Endorsements

Christensen held an early fundraising advantage over Veile, with $15,230 raised compared to Veile’s $4,750 as of early 2026, per Idaho Education News. Key donors include Doyle Beck of Idaho Falls, an IFF board member; Bryan Smith’s medical debt collection firm Smith, Driscoll and Associates; Stefan Gleason’s Money Metals Exchange through SMC Properties; and Brett Skidmore. The Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC has also backed his campaign. Christensen has received support from the Stop Idaho RINOs network and the Idaho Freedom PAC.

FAQ

Who is Chad Christensen? Chad Christensen is a former Republican state representative from Ammon who served District 32B from 2018 to 2022. A combat veteran, former welfare fraud investigator, and lifelong eastern Idaho resident, he is running to return to the Idaho House in District 35A in 2026.

What district is Chad Christensen running in? District 35A, covering Bonneville County and Teton, Caribou, and Bear Lake counties in eastern Idaho.

Is Chad Christensen an incumbent or challenger? Challenger. He previously served two terms in the Idaho House (2018-2022) and is seeking to return after a four-year absence from the Legislature.

Who is he running against? Appointed incumbent Mike Veile in the May 19, 2026, Republican primary. Veile was appointed by Governor Little in September 2025 to fill the seat vacated when Rep. Kevin Andrus resigned to join the Trump administration. Democrat Walter Boyd is running in the general election.

What are Chad Christensen’s political positions? Christensen’s priorities include rebuilding Idaho’s welfare recipient fraud investigation unit, supporting private school tax credits and school choice, harsher penalties for sex offenders, immigration enforcement, and fiscal conservatism. He holds a lifetime 98.6% Idaho Freedom Foundation Freedom Index score from his prior service.

What organizations is he affiliated with? Christensen has been a member of the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, Gun Owners of America, the John Birch Society, the Oath Keepers, the Idaho Farm Bureau, and the American Legion.

Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated April 2026. This profile will be updated as additional information becomes available.