Cornel Rasor

Cornel Rasor: Idaho House District 1, Seat B

Cornel Rasor (R) is the incumbent representative for Idaho House District 1, Seat B, covering Bonner and Boundary counties in the Idaho Panhandle. He won the Republican primary on May 19, 2026, defeating challenger Chuck Lowman with 9,314 votes (63.17%) to Lowman's 5,430 (36.83%), per certified results from the Idaho Secretary of State. He faces independent candidate Kathryn Larson in the November 3, 2026 general election.

Background

Rasor was raised in Bonner County on his family's cattle ranch and graduated from Sandpoint High School. Before entering politics he spent more than a decade working in the woods and sawmills of North Idaho. He has managed and owned the Sandpoint Army Surplus Store since 1981, a business he has now operated for 43 years.

His political involvement spans more than 30 years, and he served as a Bonner County Commissioner before entering the Legislature. He and his wife, Kim (Luckey), have been married 48 years; they have three adult children and 16 grandchildren. The couple live in Sagle.

In the Legislature

Governor Brad Little appointed Rasor to the House on September 17, 2024, filling the vacancy created when four-term Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay, stepped down to take a regional director position with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, as reported by the Bonner County Daily Bee. He is now serving his second term.

He holds committee assignments on Business, Local Government, and Revenue & Taxation, per his official legislative profile.

In October 2024 the Idaho Freedom Caucus announced Rasor as a new member. He told the Idaho Capital Sun he was drawn to the group's "ideals of liberty, smaller government and a disposition to maintain a state where people can live in tranquility and peace," adding: "And, they have a track record as well. I understand the need to work with others to achieve good goals."

Campaign Spending

Rasor's 2026 campaign paid $26,774.24 to RMC Strategy, the Las Vegas firm founded by Republican consultant Rory McShane, according to Idaho Extremism's analysis of state campaign finance filings. He separately drew $5,652.43 in independent-expenditure support from the Bonner County Republican Central Committee, which bought advertising through the same firm.

That reporting places Rasor on a Bonner County slate alongside two other Republicans the county committee backed in the May primary. Rasor's position on it differs from theirs in one respect: he was defending his own seat, while they were challenging sitting Republican incumbents. The same reporting records that RMC Strategy has billed Idaho committees more than $2.3 million since 2023, largely for mail and digital advertising in Republican primaries, and that the Bonner County Republican Central Committee is among its largest customers.

Sources

Ballot status and certified primary results from the Idaho Secretary of State. Biography and committee assignments from his official profile at the Idaho Legislature. Appointment and Freedom Caucus reporting by Kyle Pfannenstiel of the Idaho Capital Sun, also published in the Bonner County Daily Bee. Campaign expenditure figures from the Idaho Extremism dossier on Rory McShane.