David Worley

David Worley: Idaho Republican Challenger for Senate District 28

David Worley is a Republican challenger running for the Idaho State Senate in District 28, which covers parts of Bannock and Power counties in Southeast Idaho. Worley lives in Pocatello and is seeking the seat in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary, where he faces 16-year incumbent Senator Jim Guthrie of McCammon. The winner of the primary will face the Democratic nominee in the November 3, 2026 general election.

Background

David Worley was born and raised in Pocatello and is a graduate of Pocatello High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Government and International Politics from George Mason University in Virginia and a Master of Arts in Statecraft and National Security Affairs from the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C., as described on his campaign website. After more than a decade in Virginia, Worley returned to Southeast Idaho with his wife Barbara and their five children.

Worley has served 23 years in the armed forces, including 14 years on active duty. He is a combat veteran with three deployments to the Middle East, including two tours to Iraq, and has led soldiers as an Infantry Company Commander and served as a Battalion Operations Officer. During the 2020 civil unrest in Richmond, Virginia, he was activated to support a Virginia National Guard state task force. His Vote Smart biography indicates his early military service began as a Fire Support Specialist in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2006. He also served as an assistant debate coach at Idaho School District 25 from 2003 to 2004 and completed a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission from 2006 to 2008, during which he served as a district leader, zone leader, and assistant to the mission president.

Political Career

Worley has not held elected office. He previously ran for the Idaho State Senate in 2022 in District 29, winning the Republican primary but losing the November general election to Democrat James Ruchti. Ruchti defeated Worley by approximately eight points. The 2026 campaign in District 28 represents his second bid for the Idaho Senate.

Policy Positions

Worley’s policy platform, published on his campaign website at worleyforidaho.com, covers several major issue areas and is more detailed than the positions he publicly stated during his 2022 run.

On social policy and religious values, Worley frames his platform in explicitly Christian terms, citing John Adams on the necessity of a moral and religious people for constitutional government. His commitments in this area include banning the use of government resources to advance what he describes as the LGBTQ agenda, mandatory minimum prison sentences for the production and distribution of child pornography, restoring Idaho’s traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman, and prohibiting drag performances for children.

On abortion, Worley’s platform states that life begins at conception and calls for keeping abortion illegal in Idaho while expanding legal protections for unborn children to provide them equal protection under the law.

On immigration, Worley calls for criminalizing illegal entry into Idaho at the state level, mandating statewide law enforcement cooperation with ICE, eliminating government benefits and services for people in the country illegally, and imposing penalties on organizations that aid undocumented immigrants.

On government process, Worley’s platform criticizes the practice of committee chairs blocking legislation without a floor vote, which he describes as a “desk veto.” He specifically names incumbent Senator Jim Guthrie by his role as Senate State Affairs chairman and accuses him of using procedural power to block legislation passed by the full House. Worley’s commitments include requiring up-or-down votes, transparent committee scheduling, and rules reforms to eliminate one-person blocking power.

His website also lists election integrity, reducing government spending, lowering taxes, and opposing what he describes as ideological indoctrination in public schools as campaign priorities, consistent with positions he expressed in his 2022 campaign announcement covered by the Idaho State Journal, where he called for resisting federal overreach and ending what he termed “the government education monopoly.”

Political Alignment

The available evidence supports classifying David Worley as a Conservative Activist within Idaho’s political landscape.

Worley’s 2026 campaign is backed by Ryan Spoon, the former chairman of the Idaho Freedom Political Action Committee and current First Vice Chairman of the Ada County Republican Central Committee. As reported by the Idaho Capital Sun, Spoon is linked to the political machine of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, a think tank that has driven primary challenges against Republicans it considers insufficiently conservative, and drew significant attention in early 2025 for using social media to call for ICE raids on the farms of a sitting Republican state legislator, Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen. Idaho campaign finance records show that Spoon donated to Worley’s 2022 primary campaign, reflecting a financial relationship that predates the current race. Those same records show a $500 donation to Worley’s 2022 primary from Dorothy Moon, the current Idaho Republican Party chairwoman, who is associated with the party’s activist faction. Worley’s 2022 campaign rhetoric framed political opposition in terms of resisting “tyranny” and called for using state sovereignty to resist federal authority, language consistent with the activist wing of Idaho Republican politics. His 2026 platform continues in a similar register, with explicit commitments on immigration enforcement, LGBTQ-related restrictions, and procedural reforms aimed at the governing establishment’s control of the legislative process.

Campaign and Endorsements

Worley is challenging incumbent Senator Jim Guthrie, who has held the District 28 seat since 2010. The primary challenge is driven in part by Guthrie’s March 2026 floor vote against the fiscal year 2027 health and human services budget, which drew criticism from the right flank of the Idaho Republican Party. As of the most recent available campaign finance data, Worley had raised $3,000 compared to Guthrie’s $24,825. Ryan Spoon has publicly backed Worley’s challenge. No additional formal endorsements have been publicly reported as of April 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is David Worley in Idaho? David Worley is a Republican candidate from Pocatello running for the Idaho State Senate in District 28 in 2026. He is a combat veteran with 23 years of military service and previously ran for the Idaho Senate in District 29 in 2022, losing the general election to Democrat James Ruchti.

What district is David Worley running in? Worley is running in Idaho Senate District 28, covering parts of Bannock and Power counties in Southeast Idaho. He faces Republican incumbent Jim Guthrie in the May 19, 2026 primary.

Is David Worley an incumbent or challenger? Worley is a challenger with no prior elected office. He is running against 16-year incumbent Senator Jim Guthrie.

What are David Worley’s political positions? Worley’s platform includes banning state support for LGBTQ-related programs, restoring a traditional definition of marriage in Idaho law, keeping abortion illegal, criminalizing illegal entry into Idaho at the state level, mandatory ICE cooperation by law enforcement, school choice, reduced government spending, and reforms to legislative committee procedures to prevent single-member blocking of legislation.

What is the basis for David Worley’s primary challenge against Jim Guthrie? Worley’s campaign targets Guthrie’s vote against the FY2027 health and human services budget and his use of procedural authority as Senate State Affairs Committee chairman to block legislation. Worley’s platform explicitly names Guthrie’s committee role as an example of the “desk veto” culture he is running against.

Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated April 2026. This profile will be updated as additional information becomes available.