Chandler Stewart Hadraba

Chandler Stewart Hadraba, Republican candidate for Idaho House District 16, Seat B

Chandler Stewart Hadraba is the Republican nominee for Idaho House District 16, Seat B, on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. Hadraba won the May 19, 2026 Republican primary unopposed, receiving 2,199 votes, per certified results from the Idaho Secretary of State. The general election opponent is Democratic incumbent Annie Haws.

Background

Hadraba lists Boise as a hometown in a 2026 candidate survey from CBS2/FOX9. Hadraba was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Wheaton, Illinois, and reports living in Idaho for about 10 years. The candidate's occupation, in Hadraba's own words on the survey: "Working electronics and manufacturing technician. Currently a Service Technician/Engineering Technician supporting operations at the Micron Technology facility in Boise." Hadraba also states on the survey a record of leading a manufacturing startup through Chapter 11 bankruptcy while meeting payroll. Hadraba describes a history of community volunteering and is serving a third consecutive term as Republican Vice Chair for Legislative District 16, a role also listed on the campaign's Facebook page.

2024 campaign

Hadraba ran for public office once before, in 2024, for the neighboring District 16 Seat A rather than the Seat B race now being contested. Hadraba ran unopposed in that year's Republican primary, then lost the 2024 general election to Soñia Galaviz by a count of 9,044 votes (39.0 percent) to 14,177 (61.1 percent), according to the Idaho Secretary of State elections database.

Where the campaign stands

Hadraba's campaign platform, published at chandler4idaho.com, lists issues that include employment, visas and outsourcing, ranked-choice voting and open primaries, and a Bigfoot hunting tag. The site argues that employers who hire workers in the country illegally should face the same enforcement as the workers, asking why only the workers are raided and handcuffed and not the people who hired them. Under a heading on H-1B visas and outsourcing, it raises concerns about whether jobs from Micron's new fab will go to Americans or foreigners. The platform also proposes requiring Idaho job openings to be published physically, in the "paper of record," and not only online.

Two proposals stand out on the site. The platform says Hadraba is against both ranked-choice voting and open primaries. It also proposes a Bigfoot hunting tag: a $100 tag administered by Idaho Fish and Game, comparing the tourism potential to how Loch Ness and Roswell, New Mexico have built economies around their own "mythical creatures."

In the CBS2/FOX9 survey, Hadraba lists district priorities including a larger residency buffer for registered sex offenders, comparing Idaho's 500-foot buffer to California's 2,000-foot buffer, along with support for school choice, a property-tax break for homeowners over 65, and higher impact fees on new development. On the state budget, Hadraba proposes capping spending growth at a fixed percentage of economic growth plus inflation.

Campaign finance

Hadraba's 2026 campaign is self-funded at a small scale, per the Idaho Sunshine campaign finance portal. Cycle-to-date contributions total $348.00, all from Hadraba personally and all in-state. Expenditures total $480.92. The cash balance stands at $278.40, with $1,000.00 in outstanding debt.

Sources

• CBS2/FOX9 (idahonews.com), 2026 election candidate survey
• Chandler4Idaho.com, campaign platform
• Idaho Sunshine campaign finance portal, candidate profile for Chandler Stewart Hadraba, Legislative District 16-B, 2026
• Idaho Secretary of State elections database, 2024 primary and general election results for District 16 Seat A