Chuck Lowman

Charles "Chuck" Lowman is a Republican former U.S. Army Chaplain, general contractor, and substitute teacher from Bonner County running for Idaho House District 1 Seat B. The district covers Bonner County and surrounding areas of northern Idaho. He faces incumbent Rep. Cornel Rasor in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary in a rematch of the 2024 primary, which Rasor won narrowly over Lowman.

Background

Lowman is a former U.S. Army Chaplain who served more than ten years of active duty after September 11, 2001, with combined deployments of 39 to 48 months in Iraq and Afghanistan and a nine-month tour on the Korean Demilitarized Zone before leaving active duty in 2019. He works as a general contractor and as a substitute teacher in the Lake Pend Oreille School District. Earlier in his career he worked in research and land management for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, served as a community pastor, and completed missionary service in approximately eight countries. He is an Eagle Scout, serves on the Bonner County Historical Society board, coaches youth track and soccer, and volunteers with Boy Scouts, 4-H, and school programs serving children with emotional and behavioral challenges. He has not previously held elected office.

Political Career

Lowman is a first-time legislator. He ran for the same House District 1B seat in the 2024 Republican primary and lost narrowly to Cornel Rasor with approximately 48 percent of the vote. He has remained active in Bonner County civic life since then and is now running a second time.

Policy Positions

Lowman's campaign platform is built around "Doing What's Right for North Idaho," with an emphasis on local control, parental choice in education, fiscal prudence, and constitutional protections. On property taxes he opposes proposals to eliminate them in favor of state-controlled sales and income taxes, telling the Bonners Ferry Herald the plan would "hand control to the state and reduce local governments to distributing state money." He supports blended local-option sales tax tools combined with property-tax reforms to fund fire protection, police, schools, and infrastructure during rapid population growth. On education, he supports parental choice across homeschool, public, charter, and private settings, with adequate funding for constitutionally mandated programs and periodic standardized testing for transparency. On immigration he supports deportation of criminal illegal aliens but opposes HB 659 and HB 764, telling the Bonner County Daily Bee those bills "pursued that goal by directly eroding 1st, 6th, and 10th Amendment protections—the same protections that safeguard your pastors in their ministries, your lawyers in their duties, and your sheriffs in their authority." On public lands he said at a Sandpoint forum: "I support keeping our public lands. Hands down. Full stop."

Political Alignment

Lowman describes himself as a constitutional conservative who legislates based on the Constitution and the specific interests of District 1 residents. He has emphasized decentralizing power, strengthening 10th Amendment protections, and empowering local sheriffs, commissioners, and school boards. He is endorsed by Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, who said Lowman has "the best grasp of the Constitution and the many challenges facing law enforcement in North Idaho."

Campaign and Endorsements

Lowman is challenging Rep. Cornel Rasor in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary. Documented endorsements include Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler. The general election is November 3, 2026.