Doug Okuniewicz
Idaho Senate, District 3
Doug Okuniewicz, Republican incumbent for Idaho Senate District 3
Doug Okuniewicz is the Republican incumbent for Idaho Senate District 3, which covers part of Kootenai County in North Idaho, including Hayden. He won the May 19, 2026 Republican primary unopposed with 8,392 votes. He is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot, where he faces Democrat Brian Seguin, who is making his second consecutive run against him after losing in 2024.
Background
Okuniewicz is in his second Senate term. He served one term in the Idaho House from 2020 to 2022, then moved to the Senate in 2022, according to his official legislative profile. He chairs the Senate Transportation Committee and also serves on the Resources and Environment Committee.
His profile lists a B.A. from the University of Nevada and an M.A. in communication from the University of Alabama. He works in intellectual property management and small business, and he is an inventor with more than 25 U.S. patents. He lives in Hayden, is married, and has two children.
Ballot initiatives
Okuniewicz's most consistent legislative focus has been Idaho's citizen initiative process, the method by which voters can put a new law on the ballot without the Legislature. Current law requires initiative campaigns to collect signatures from 6% of registered voters spread across 18 of the state's 35 legislative districts.
In 2023, Okuniewicz sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 101, a constitutional amendment that would have required signatures from 6% of voters in all 35 districts. He carried the bill as floor sponsor in the Senate, where it passed 27-8. It failed in the House 39-31, short of the two-thirds majority a constitutional amendment requires.
He testified for a reintroduced version in a Senate committee in February 2025. "We're talking about something in the order of 2,000 signatures per district. There are 60,000 residents in each district. This is not an overwhelming number," Okuniewicz said, according to Idaho News. He also said: "The problem SJR1 addresses is one where wealthy elites who don't even live here can easily buy their way onto the ballot in Idaho."
Opponents of the measure disagreed sharply. Luke Mayville of the group Reclaim Idaho told Idaho News the bills "will effectively shut down the ballot initiative process." Idaho News reported that a nearly identical 2021 law was struck down by the Idaho Supreme Court.
In 2024, Okuniewicz sponsored Senate Bill 1377, which required people paid to gather initiative signatures to say so, wear a badge, and note the paid status on the petition itself. "It's essentially a truth in advertising approach," he told the Idaho Capital Sun.
2026 session: SB 1300
Okuniewicz sponsored Senate Bill 1300 in the 2026 session. The bill shifted appointment authority over the directors of the Idaho Transportation Department, Fish and Game, and Parks and Recreation from their boards and commissions to the governor, with Senate confirmation. It passed the Senate 21-14 on March 2 and the House 41-29 on March 24, and Gov. Brad Little signed it into law on April 2, 2026. Opponents argued the change could conflict with the terms of a 1963 agreement under which the Harriman family gave the state the land that became Harriman State Park. In an email to East Idaho News, Okuniewicz wrote: "As I have said all along, S1300 does not even come close to violating the Harriman agreement."
Stated positions
His campaign site lists property taxes, opposition to a criminal re-entry center in the community, and school choice among his priorities. On abortion, the site states: "Every avenue for protecting the unborn needs to be considered and supported. Doug will work hard to extend protections for life wherever possible, and work with others until the day abortion is abolished." The site also lists a 100% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union and several endorsements, all dated to his 2020 House campaign.
Sources
- Idaho State Legislature, official member page for Sen. Doug Okuniewicz
- Idaho State Legislature, Senate Joint Resolution 101 bill history
- Idaho News, February 2025 report on initiative-restriction bills
- Idaho Capital Sun, March 2024 report on Senate Bill 1377
- East Idaho News, April 2026 report on Senate Bill 1300 and the Harriman State Park dispute
- Doug Okuniewicz campaign site, stated positions and endorsements
Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated September 24, 2026. This profile will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Frequently Asked Questions
- QWhat district does Doug Okuniewicz represent?
- AHe represents Idaho Senate District 3, which covers part of Kootenai County in North Idaho, including Hayden. He is the Republican incumbent and is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
- QWho is Doug Okuniewicz running against in 2026?
- AHe faces Democrat Brian Seguin, who is making his second consecutive run against him after losing in 2024. Okuniewicz won the May 19, 2026 Republican primary unopposed with 8,392 votes.
- QWhat has Okuniewicz done about Idaho's ballot initiative process?
- AHe sponsored SJR 101 in 2023, a constitutional amendment requiring initiative signatures from 6% of voters in all 35 legislative districts. It passed the Senate 27-8 but failed in the House 39-31. He testified for a reintroduced version in 2025.
- QWhat is SB 1377?
- AIt is Okuniewicz's 2024 bill requiring paid signature-gatherers for ballot initiatives to disclose their paid status to voters, wear a badge, and note it on petitions. He called it "a truth in advertising approach."
- QWhat does SB 1300 do?
- AThe 2026 law shifted appointment power over the directors of the Idaho Transportation Department, Fish and Game, and Parks and Recreation from their boards to the governor, with Senate confirmation. It passed the Senate 21-14 and the House 41-29 and was signed by Gov. Brad Little on April 2, 2026.
- QWhat committees does Okuniewicz serve on?
- AHe chairs the Senate Transportation Committee and serves on the Resources and Environment Committee, according to his official legislative profile.
- QWhat does Okuniewicz do outside the Legislature?
- AHis legislative profile lists him as an intellectual property management professional and small business owner with more than 25 U.S. patents. He holds a B.A. from the University of Nevada and an M.A. in communication from the University of Alabama.
- QWhere does Okuniewicz stand on abortion?
- AHis campaign site states he supports extending protections for unborn life "wherever possible" and working with others "until the day abortion is abolished." The site also lists school choice, property tax relief, and opposition to a criminal re-entry center among his priorities.
- QWhat did Okuniewicz say about the Harriman agreement and SB 1300?
- AOpponents of SB 1300 argued the bill could conflict with the terms of the 1963 Harriman land-donation agreement that created Harriman State Park. In an email to East Idaho News, Okuniewicz wrote: "As I have said all along, S1300 does not even come close to violating the Harriman agreement." Gov. Brad Little signed the bill into law on April 2, 2026.