Ethan Sanford

Ethan Sanford: Democratic Nominee for Idaho Senate District 34

Ethan Sanford won the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary for Idaho Senate District 34 without opposition, receiving 255 votes, according to certified Idaho Secretary of State results. He faces three-term Republican incumbent Sen. Doug Ricks in the November 3, 2026 general election. This is Sanford's first campaign for public office; Idaho Secretary of State records show no prior electoral history under his name.

Background

Sanford, whose full name is Ethan Golden Sanford, was born in Tennessee, moved to Ohio at age 3, moved back to Tennessee at 15, and came to Idaho to attend Brigham Young University–Idaho, according to his campaign website. He is a BYU-Idaho student majoring in political science with a minor in creative writing, expecting to graduate in December 2027, and says he plans to pursue a career in public service and public administration. He served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from January 2022 to December 2023, first in Arizona and later as a service missionary in Tennessee, and achieved Eagle Scout in October 2019. He has worked since age 17, including at Kroger and, currently, 25 to 32 hours a week at Walmart while attending school, supplementing his income with DoorDash deliveries. He chairs the Madison County Democrats.

Platform

On his campaign website, Sanford lists seven policy priorities: protecting water resources; keeping public lands in public hands; maintaining a balanced state budget; protecting Idaho's Medicaid expansion; protecting public and private schools; protecting the right to ballot initiatives; and protecting reproductive rights, including support for the 2026 Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act ballot initiative and opposition to new Medicaid work requirements. On why he decided to run, he wrote: "I've wanted to run for public office for a long time now; not for personal gain or to become powerful, but to serve my country." On his party affiliation, he wrote: "I'm running as a Democrat," adding that "there are good people in both parties; we just disagree (sometimes passionately) about how to accomplish the best for our country and our local communities."

Campaign Finance

Sanford's 2026 campaign finance filings with the Idaho Secretary of State's Sunshine portal show total contributions of $1,248.90 and total expenditures of $546.56 for the election cycle to date, leaving an ending cash balance of $702.34 and no debt. His contributions include $318.90 from himself, $200.00 from the Madison County Democrats, and $100 each from G. Andrus, Ellie Gilbreath of Ketchum, Michelle Meyer of Hendersonville, Tennessee, and Linda Porter, along with smaller contributions including $75.00 from Renae Sanford of Nashville, Tennessee.

Sources

• Idaho Secretary of State, certified results for the May 19, 2026 primary election
• Idaho Secretary of State, election canvass database
• Ethan Sanford for Idaho Senate, campaign website
• Idaho Secretary of State Sunshine portal, 2026 campaign finance filings for Ethan Sanford