Douglas T Pickett

Douglas T. Pickett: Idaho Republican Incumbent for House District 27A

Douglas T. Pickett is a Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives serving District 27A, which covers Cassia, Minidoka, and Oneida counties in southern Idaho. Pickett lives in Oakley and was first elected in November 2022. He is currently serving his second term and seeking re-election in the May 19, 2026, Republican primary, which he is running unopposed.

Background

Pickett was born in Twin Falls and grew up in the Oakley area of Cassia County. He graduated from Oakley Junior/Senior High School and earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from Brigham Young University in 1995, per his Idaho Legislature biography. A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served a mission in Düsseldorf, Germany, according to Wikipedia. He has described witnessing the aftermath of the Berlin Wall's fall during that time as formative to his views on government and personal freedom. With his brothers, Pickett co-owns and operates Pickett Ranch, a fourth-generation operation and Idaho Century Farm producing wheat, potatoes, beef, and lamb, per his campaign website. The ranch traces to his great-grandfather's homestead in 1882. At the community level, Pickett served as a commissioner of the Oakley Valley Cemetery District, vice chair of the Cassia County Gateway Powerline Task Force, and chair of the Cassia County Federal Lands Advisory Group, per his campaign website. He also served on the Governor's Bighorn/Domestic Sheep Advisory Taskforce, as a Cassia County Farm Bureau board member, and coached youth football and basketball for more than ten years. Within the Republican Party, he served for approximately 22 years in various capacities including precinct committeeman, county party chairman, and member of the Republican State Central Committee.

Political Career

Pickett was first elected to the Idaho House in November 2022, winning the Republican primary against Carl Voigt before winning the general election. He succeeded Scott Bedke, who held the seat before running for lieutenant governor, per Ballotpedia. In 2024, he ran unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Democratic candidate Damian Rodriguez in the general election, the district's first contested general since 2002, as reported by the Idaho Press. During his first term, Pickett served on the House Agricultural Affairs, Resources and Conservation, and Revenue and Taxation committees, per his Idaho Legislature biography. In December 2024, House Speaker Mike Moyle appointed him chair of the House Education Committee for the 2025 session, as reported by Idaho Education News. In January 2026, House Republicans elected Pickett as House Assistant Majority Leader, the third-ranking position in the House GOP leadership, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun. His elevation to leadership created a vacancy at the top of the Education Committee. His current committee assignments are Agricultural Affairs, Education, Resources and Conservation, and Ways and Means, per the Idaho Legislature's membership page. Pickett also ran unsuccessfully for the Idaho State Senate in 2012, losing to incumbent Dean L. Cameron in the Republican primary, per Ballotpedia.

Policy Positions

On water and agriculture, Pickett has focused on enforcing groundwater mitigation plans governing Southern Idaho's share of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer. In 2024, he sponsored House Bill 467, which would have raised the maximum excess-use assessment for groundwater districts failing to comply with state-approved mitigation plans. Pickett argued in committee that the existing penalty ceiling was low enough that irrigators were willing to pay it rather than comply with curtailment requirements. On education, Pickett has expressed conditional support for school choice programs. He told the Times-News in November 2024 that he believes there are situations where public funds for private schools are justified, noting that Idaho already directs public money to private schools through programs including Idaho Launch and Advanced Opportunities, as reported by Magic Valley. He has a mixed voting record on Idaho Launch, opposing a 2024 reworking of the program while voting to approve its budget. In 2024, he voted for House Bill 521, a landmark law earmarking $1.5 billion for local school facilities, per Idaho Education News. On fiscal and governance philosophy, Pickett has identified limiting government involvement in people's lives, controlling government growth and debt, protecting water and agricultural resources, and supporting the local economy as his top priorities, per his campaign website.

Political Alignment

Pickett is a Traditional Conservative Republican whose record reflects the governing conservatism of southern Idaho's rural agricultural community. His co-ownership of a multi-generational ranch, his Cassia County Farm Bureau service, his chairmanship of the Cassia County Federal Lands Advisory Group, and his sponsorship of water mitigation legislation aligned with irrigator interests all reflect a career rooted in the agricultural establishment of the Magic Valley region. His appointment as House Education chair by Speaker Moyle and subsequent election as House Assistant Majority Leader place him within House Republican leadership. His top donors from agricultural and business PACs, per Idaho Sunshine campaign finance records, are consistent with that classification. Idaho Education News, reporting on his appointment as Education chair, described him as a rancher whose record showed a nuanced rather than ideologically rigid approach to education policy.

Campaign and Endorsements

Pickett is running unopposed in the May 19, 2026, Republican primary for District 27A, per Ballotpedia. He will face the general election winner in November 2026. Ballotpedia had not identified specific endorsements for the 2026 race as of April 2026. Campaign finance records are available through the Idaho Secretary of State's Sunshine database.