Jane Sauter

Jane Sauter is a Republican primary candidate for Idaho House District 1 Seat A, covering parts of Bonner and Boundary counties in North Idaho. She is running against incumbent Rep. Mark Sauter (no relation per public records) in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary, a rematch of the 2024 primary; the general election is November 3, 2026.

Background

Sauter, 63, was born and raised in southern Minnesota and has lived in Bonner County for ten years, since approximately 2016. She graduated from Austin Christian Academy in 1981 and earned an associate's degree in theology from Christ for the Nations Bible Institute in Dallas, Texas, per her campaign biography. She describes herself as a homemaker and stay-at-home mother who homeschooled the majority of her nine children. She and her husband Steve Sauter have run several small businesses since 1988 and have nine children and 21 grandchildren. The family has done extensive Christian missionary work on five continents.

Political Career

Sauter has not previously held elected office. She sought the same seat in the 2024 Republican primary and finished second with 31.6 percent against incumbent Rep. Mark Sauter, as documented by Ballotpedia. She has served as a Republican Party precinct committeeman in the Kelso Precinct (2020-2022) and as a poll worker, election judge, and Bonner County Republican Central Committee volunteer; she was previously active in Goodhue County, Minnesota Republican politics beginning in 1990.

Policy Positions

Sauter's 2026 platform centers on opposition to spending on illegal immigration, deep cuts to state government, school choice, and what she calls "the transgender agenda." In her Bonner County Daily Bee candidate questionnaire, she said: "57 percent of illegals are using welfare in one way or another compared to 37 percent of American citizens... There is no justification for allowing illegal aliens to stay in our country! They must all go out and come back in lawfully." On gender she has stated her aim to "stand firm against the transgender agenda, making sure that children receive actual gender affirmation, that the gender they were born as, is PERFECT, and that God did not make a mistake." She supports repealing the grocery tax, eliminating property taxes, redirecting the LAUNCH program to school choice, and reducing federal dependency in the Idaho state budget. She is a member of Gun Owners of America, the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, and the NRA.

Political Alignment

Sauter is endorsed by Idaho Freedom PAC, Citizens Alliance of Idaho, and the Bonner County Republican Central Committee. She self-describes as a "lifetime Republican" and "TRUE conservative" and has framed her candidacy against an incumbent she views as insufficiently conservative.

Campaign and Endorsements

Sauter's 2026 campaign is supported by approximately $4,387 in independent expenditures from the Bonner County Republican Central Committee and Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC, per the Idaho Sunshine portal. Idaho EdNews has reported additional independent expenditures supporting Sauter and opposing the incumbent from 36-18-1 Inc., a PAC funded primarily by Rep. Jordan Redman of Coeur d'Alene. Idaho EdNews has also reported that Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC draws substantial out-of-state funding from a Virginia-based federal affiliate ($450,000 transfer to the Idaho state PAC) and Pennsylvania gaming-related sources.