Dan Garner

Dan Garner Runs Unopposed in the Primary, Now Faces Jayson Meline Again in Idaho House District 28

The May 19, 2026 primary set the stage quietly on both sides. In House District 28, Seat B, Republican incumbent Dan Garner ran unopposed and received 6,089 votes, while Democrat Jayson Meline ran unopposed in his own primary with 933 votes, according to certified Idaho Secretary of State primary results. On November 3, the two will meet for the second time in two years.

The first meeting went decisively to Garner. He beat Meline 18,188 votes (76.7 percent) to 5,514 (23.3 percent) in the 2024 general election, and after the win he told voters what he planned to focus on: "I'd like to thank the voters in District 28 for their support and I look forward to representing them for the next two years." He named continued funding for education and the Idaho Launch program as his top priority.

Farm, Family and Small Business

Garner has farmed and ranched in Clifton, in Franklin County, for 38 years, according to his campaign website. He grew up on the family farm and still runs the operation today. While starting it, he spent four years at Brigham Young University in Provo and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.

Alongside the farm, he has owned and operated several small businesses: a septic-tank installation business, a trucking company, and a small gravel-pit operation. He also holds a certified SMAW welder credential from Bridgerland Technical College in Logan, Utah, and received the FFA Honorary State Farmer Degree in 2012.

His campaign site lists service on the local school board for roughly eight years, service on the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation State Board, and seats on American Farm Bureau's Organic and Direct Marketing Committees. He and his wife, Sherri, have four children.

How He Got the Seat

Garner first won the open Seat B position in 2022, defeating R. Scott Workman, a Franklin County farmer who had served eight years as a county commissioner, in the Republican primary. He won the general election that November and was sworn in on December 1, 2022.

During the current 2026 session, he serves on the House Agricultural Affairs, Education, and Judiciary, Rules & Administration committees, according to the Idaho Legislature's membership listing.

The Library Bills: Three Separate Episodes

Garner's voting record on library-content legislation spans three distinct episodes across two sessions.

The first came in February 2023, during a House Education Committee hearing on House Bill 139, an earlier bill sponsored by Rep. Jaron Crane. As reported by Idaho Education News, Garner questioned how such a law would work in practice, asking, "Are we going to say something has literary value after a certain cutoff date?"

The second episode was House Bill 314 itself, a 2023 bill that would have prohibited certain materials from being made available to minors by schools and public libraries and created a legal cause of action. The bill's official legislative history shows it passed the House 40-30 on March 20, 2023, with Garner among the nays. After the Senate amended it, the House voted 42-26-2 on March 31, 2023 to concur, and Garner again voted no.

Governor Brad Little vetoed the bill on April 5, 2023. The House attempted an override on April 6 and fell short, 46-24, sustaining the veto. Garner voted no on the override as well, according to the official House Journal for that session.

The third episode came in 2024 with House Bill 710, a successor bill also sponsored by Crane that moved challenged library materials to restricted sections and created a cause of action against libraries. The bill's official legislative history shows Garner voted against it on its 47-23 House passage; it was later signed into law. On the House floor, he framed his opposition in local-control terms: "This is a local government issue, it is overreach by the state government." He added that he appreciated Crane "trying to represent his district" but needed to represent his own.

The School Funding Bill He Supported

Garner's record on education funding includes a major yes vote. In 2024, he voted in favor of House Bill 521, which revised school facilities funding and tax provisions. The bill passed the House 61-6 before clearing the Senate and being signed into law that March.

Money in the 2026 Race

Campaign finance filings for the current cycle, available through Idaho's Sunshine disclosure system, show Garner has raised $16,460 in contributions and loaned his campaign $6,000. He has spent $16,696.04, leaving an ending cash balance of $9,017.70. His top contributors include the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation PAC ($1,500), the Idaho Dairy Industry PAC ($1,000), the Idaho State AFL-CIO State PAC ($1,000), state Senator Jim Guthrie ($1,000), and Secretary of State Phil McGrane ($750).

Endorsements

Garner's campaign homepage displays an endorsements section with logos from the Fraternal Order of Police, the NRA, Associated General Contractors, the Agriculture and Natural Resource Industry PAC, Professional Firefighters, and Idaho Dairymen's.

Sources

• Idaho Secretary of State, certified May 19, 2026 primary results
• Dan Garner for Idaho, campaign website About page
• Dan Garner for Idaho, campaign homepage
• Idaho State Legislature, House membership listing, 2026 session
• Idaho State Legislature, House Bill 314 (2023) legislative history
• Idaho State Legislature, House Bill 710 (2024) legislative history
• Idaho State Legislature, House Bill 521 (2024) legislative history
• Idaho Secretary of State, Sunshine campaign finance portal