Chad Christensen

Idaho House District 35A | Republican — Far-Right Conservative Activist

Chad Christensen is a former Republican state representative running to return to the Idaho Legislature in House District 35A, covering Jefferson County in eastern Idaho. He previously served District 32B from 2018 to 2022, losing his primary to Josh Wheeler by 362 votes. He is now challenging appointed incumbent Mike Veile with a campaign built around four claims: law enforcement professional, constitutional warrior, man of God, and committed family man. Court records, sworn depositions, and public filings — compiled at chadchristensen.org and sourced to KTVB, the Post Register, and the Spokesman-Review — directly contradict or complicate each of those claims.

The Law Enforcement Claim

Christensen’s entire political brand rests on his law enforcement background. His campaign says he worked as a county probation officer, state felony parole officer, state welfare fraud investigator, and military police investigator. He calls for rebuilding Idaho’s welfare fraud unit, citing that experience directly: “I know this problem personally because I lived it.” What he does not say is how that career ended.

Under oath, Christensen admitted he was fired from State Probation and Parole. His explanation, in his own sworn words: he was too “mean” to a fugitive. After his termination, he applied to a police department. That department pulled his probation and parole personnel file. According to his own sworn testimony, they “didn’t like what they saw.” He was rejected. Christensen campaigns as a law enforcement professional. He was fired from his law enforcement job and then turned down by the next agency he applied to. Neither fact appears on his campaign website, in his biography, or in his social media posts.

What He Did as a Sitting Legislator

In October 2020, while serving as a state representative, Christensen allegedly conspired with his employer at an Eastern Idaho insurance agency to set up Gregory Graf, creator of Political Potatoes. The scheme: lure Graf into a recorded phone call under false pretenses, then route the recording to Greg Pruett at the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance and Dustin Hurst at the Idaho Freedom Foundation, who published a coordinated series of articles attacking Graf’s reputation. 7th District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. dismissed the suit in December 2024. All parties paid their own attorney fees. The defamation suit Christensen filed against the man he allegedly helped set up was thrown out of court. The entire incident, deposition, and discovery files were published on a site exposing Chad Christensen and his record.

The Family Values Claim and the Deposition Record

Christensen campaigns as a husband, father of eight, returned LDS missionary, and man of Christian conviction. His social media posts invoke God and family frequently. His August 2023 sworn deposition in the Graf lawsuit produced a different picture. Asked under oath about sexual relationships during his time as a legislator, Christensen estimated “probably four or five” women. He was able to name only two. He said he could not recall the others. That testimony is documented at chadchristensen.org with full citations to the deposition record.

His Ideology and Campaign Positions

Christensen holds a lifetime Idaho Freedom Foundation score of 98.6% from his prior service, one of the highest ever recorded in the Idaho House. The IFF grades legislators on votes against public school funding, Medicaid, and state services, and in favor of private school vouchers and culture-war legislation. Christensen meets that standard consistently. He is a member of the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, Gun Owners of America, the John Birch Society, the Idaho Farm Bureau, and the American Legion. His campaign hashtag #MakeLibertyWin places him inside the Young Americans for Liberty network that Idaho Education News documented spending $716,000 in Idaho’s 2024 primary. His social media frames ordinary governance as civilizational combat: “I will ALWAYS stand for God’s children and the rights He has given them, even if it means my demise. I will never serve another or betray.” He attacked Governor Brad Little by name over fuel taxes: “Governor Little, you better be on board with cutting fuel tax, especially when we are sitting on a damn 1.5 billion dollar surplus.”

The race against incumbent Mike Veile presents a direct policy contrast. Veile, a former school board trustee appointed by Governor Little, centers his campaign on increasing special education budgets, supporting paraprofessionals in smaller districts, and opposing the private school tax credit. Christensen supports the private school tax credit passed in the 2025 session and frames education through parental rights and school choice. Idaho Education News described the matchup as an education-focused incumbent against a self-described “true conservative” challenger. The Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC, funded almost entirely from out-of-state sources through a Pennsylvania-based skills game company, has backed Christensen along with other candidates who voted for the private school tax credit.

Christensen’s 2026 campaign is bankrolled by Doyle Beck, Bryan Smith’s medical debt collection firm, Smith, Driscoll & Associates; Money Metals’ Stephan Gleason; and Brett Skidmore.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Chad Christensen fired from his law enforcement job?

Yes, by his own sworn admission. Christensen admitted under oath that he was terminated from State Probation and Parole. He testified his firing was for being too “mean” to a fugitive. He subsequently applied to a police department, which reviewed his personnel file and rejected him, also his own sworn testimony. Christensen campaigns on his law enforcement experience and does not disclose his firing or rejection in any public campaign materials.

What criminal cases are in his background?

Before his first legislative run, Christensen resolved two criminal cases by plea: a felony-elevated oil-related charge in North Dakota and a Bannock County misdemeanor the year before he ran. Neither is disclosed in his campaign biography. His broader legal history spans 30 years and seven Idaho counties.

What was the recording scheme against Gregory Graf?

As a sitting legislator in 2020, Christensen allegedly helped his then-employer, EmmaLee Robinson, record a political critic under false pretenses, then routed the recording to Greg Pruett (ISAA) and Dustin Hurst (IFPAC) for a coordinated media attack. Christensen filed a defamation suit against Graf; Judge Dane Watkins Jr. dismissed it in December 2024.

Who is he running against?

Incumbent Mike Veile, a former school board trustee appointed by Governor Little. Veile centers his campaign on public education funding and opposes the private school tax credit. The Republican primary is May 19, 2026.

What organizations is he affiliated with?

Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, Gun Owners of America, the John Birch Society, and the Oathkeepers.His campaign operates within the Young Americans for Liberty / Make Liberty Win network.

Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated April 2026.