Dan Foreman

Dan Foreman: Idaho Republican Incumbent Senator for District 6

Dan Foreman is a Republican incumbent running for re-election to the Idaho State Senate in District 6, which covers parts of Latah and Nez Perce counties in northern Idaho. Foreman lives in Viola and is seeking his third Senate term in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary, where he faces challenges from Robert Blair and Representative Lori McCann. He has served in District 6 since December 2022 and previously represented District 5 from 2016 to 2018.

2024 Primary Election Results
Foreman 3,396 votes / Blair 2,983 votes

2024 General Election Results
Foreman 14,847 votes / Parker 12,986 votes

Background

Daniel David Foreman III was born on September 20, 1953, in Lake Forest, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and administration from Bradley University in 1975. He served in the United States Air Force for 30 years and retired as a colonel. He later served as a police officer with the Moscow, Idaho Police Department. Wikipedia His career experience also includes working as a commercial pilot. Ballotpedia Foreman and his wife, Maria, have seven children. Vote Smart He is affiliated with the National Rifle Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Military Officers Association, according to his Ballotpedia profile.

Political Career

Foreman was first elected to the Idaho Senate in 2016, representing District 5, where he narrowly defeated a three-term incumbent Democrat. He was defeated in the November 2018 elections Wikipedia and returned to the legislature in 2022, this time winning District 6 in a contest that required him to first defeat incumbent Robert Blair in the Republican primary, then defeat Democratic incumbent David Nelson and a Constitution Party candidate in the general election.

Foreman assumed office for his current term on December 1, 2022, and his current term ends on December 1, 2026. Ballotpedia In 2024, he survived another primary challenge from Robert Blair before defeating Democrat Julia Parker in the general election, receiving 50.07 percent of the vote to Parker’s 47.97 percent in that November contest. Idaho Capital Sun

His current committee assignments, as listed on his official Idaho Legislature member profile, include Judiciary and Rules, where he serves as Vice Chair, as well as Agricultural Affairs and Commerce and Human Resources.

In the 2026 legislative session, Foreman introduced the Constitutional Courts Act. The legislation, heard by the Senate’s Judiciary and Rules Committee, seeks to reassert that Idaho courts remain bound by the U.S. Constitution and the Idaho Constitution. Foreman stated the bill “does not intend to discriminate against anybody” and is intended to guard against courts departing from the Constitution as the governing legal standard. Idaho Press

In 2024, Foreman introduced legislation to remove rape and incest as exemptions in the state’s abortion laws. Idahovoters In 2023, he supported Senate Bill 1056, which repealed a state law banning groups of people from parading in public with firearms in Idaho cities and towns, arguing the bill was necessary to support rights expressed in the First and Second Amendments. Idahovoters

Policy Positions

Foreman has publicly stated his positions across several policy areas in candidate materials, legislative action, and interviews.

On abortion, Foreman has maintained a maximalist anti-abortion position throughout his legislative career. His 2022 campaign materials described abortion as “the top issue for Idaho” and stated his intent to introduce legislation eliminating the affirmative defense for abortion, with the only permitted exception being to save the life of the mother. Idgop This position is consistent with his 2024 legislation seeking to remove rape and incest exceptions from Idaho’s existing abortion law.

On taxes, Foreman has consistently opposed tax increases and expressed support for reductions. His 2022 campaign platform called for elimination of Idaho’s sales tax on groceries Idgop, and in his early legislative career he introduced bills to reduce the state sales tax rate and provide private school tuition deductions, as reported by the Lewiston Morning Tribune.

On constitutional and judicial matters, his 2026 Constitutional Courts Act reflects a stated concern about courts applying legal frameworks outside the U.S. and Idaho constitutions.

On the separation of church and state, Foreman has stated publicly that he does not support the separation of church and state. Missouri State Government He has also referred to climate change as a “scam.” Missouri State Government

Political Alignment

The available evidence places Dan Foreman in the Far-Right Extremist range of Idaho’s political spectrum, based on multiple documented indicators.

Foreman scored 91.0 percent on the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s 2024 Freedom Index Gemstatechronicle, placing him among the highest-scoring senators in the legislature, well above the threshold associated with the activist conservative wing. The Idaho Freedom Foundation is the primary ideological scoring organization used by the far-right of the Idaho GOP, and a score at this level is consistent with documented alignment with that wing.

Beyond the IFF score, Foreman’s public statements go substantially further than mainstream Idaho Republican positioning. His explicit rejection of the separation of church and state, documented in multiple sources, is a meaningful indicator that goes beyond standard social conservatism. His 2022 campaign profile on the Idaho Republican Party website, while treated cautiously under standard evidentiary rules, includes his explicit personal statement that he accepts the Idaho Republican Party Platform “as the standard by which my performance as a candidate and as an officeholder should be evaluated” — language that, combined with his IFF scores and stated positions on church-state separation and abortion absolutism, reflects formal ideological alignment with the platform rather than routine compliance signing. Taken together, these documented indicators support a far-right classification.

Campaign and Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Foreman in either his 2024 primary or general election races. BallotpediaHis campaign Facebook page identifies his organizational affiliations as the National Rifle Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Military Officers Association. No additional organizational endorsements have been publicly reported as of the date of this profile.

Public Controversies and Criticism

Dan Foreman has been the subject of several documented public controversies during his legislative career.

In October 2024, at a “meet the candidates” forum in Kendrick, Foreman reportedly stood up and interrupted Trish Carter-Goodheart, a Native American woman born in Idaho who was running for the state legislature, while she was responding to an audience question about discrimination. He shouted at her to “go back where you came from” and denied that racism existed in Idaho before leaving the forum. Foreman subsequently wrote on Facebook that he had “enlightened this person to the fact I was born in America, and I am therefore a native American,” and that “there was no racial slur in my statement.” Several attendees confirmed the account of the incident. Wikipedia

In February 2018, State Senator Maryanne Jordan filed an ethics complaint against Foreman after an unverified Twitter account presenting itself as Foreman’s directed students to discuss “killing babies” with a Democratic colleague. Foreman claimed to be the victim of identity theft. The incident followed a separate recorded confrontation in which Foreman yelled at University of Idaho students visiting the Capitol to lobby for a birth control bill, telling them “abortion is murder.” Wikipedia

In 2018, as reported by the Spokesman-Review, Foreman referred to his own legislative district at a candidate forum as a “cesspool of liberalism,” drawing applause from a portion of the audience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Dan Foreman in Idaho politics? Dan Foreman is a Republican state senator representing Idaho Senate District 6, which covers parts of Latah and Nez Perce counties in northern Idaho. He first served in the Idaho Senate from 2016 to 2018, representing District 5, and has held his current seat since December 2022.

What district does Dan Foreman represent? Dan Foreman represents Idaho Senate District 6. He is running for re-election in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary.

Is Dan Foreman an incumbent or a challenger? Dan Foreman is the incumbent, having held Senate District 6 since December 2022.

What are Dan Foreman’s main policy positions? Foreman has publicly stated support for total abortion prohibition with only a life-of-the-mother exception, opposition to tax increases, reduction or elimination of the grocery tax, and opposition to courts applying legal frameworks outside the U.S. and Idaho constitutions. He has publicly rejected the separation of church and state.

How does Dan Foreman score on the Idaho Freedom Foundation index? Foreman scored 91.0 percent on the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s 2024 Freedom Index, one of the highest scores among Idaho Senate members that year, according to the Gem State Chronicle’s analysis.