Jane Sauter

Jane Sauter: Republican Nominee for Idaho House District 1, Seat A

Jane Sauter won the May 19, 2026 Republican primary for Idaho House District 1, Seat A, unseating incumbent Rep. Mark Sauter — no relation, despite the shared surname — with 8,050 votes (53.55%) to his 6,982 (46.45%). She is the Republican nominee for the November 3, 2026 general election and faces Democrat Karen Matthee.

Background

Sauter has lived in Bonner County for ten years. She married her husband, Steve, in 1986; the couple have nine children and 21 grandchildren, and have run several small businesses together since 1988. Their children were homeschooled for the majority of their education, supplemented with public, private, Christian and online schooling. She attended Bible college in inner-city Dallas, Texas, and graduated with an associate's degree in theology. She and her husband have done extensive Christian missions work on five continents.

Her party service includes election as Kelso Precinct Committeeman from 2020 to 2022. She ran for this same House seat in the 2024 Republican primary and lost to Mark Sauter, then defeated him in the 2026 rematch. Idaho Secretary of State records list her as a non-incumbent.

Where She Stands

In her candidate statement filed with the Republican Party of Idaho, Sauter names illegal immigration as her first issue, writing that “we feed, clothe, house, educate and medicate illegals, all while using up taxpayer dollars that are supposed to be used for the truly needy Idaho citizens, especially our veterans and senior citizens,” and that “limiting the resources to illegal immigrants is an absolute must.”

On taxes, she supports reducing and eventually eliminating property taxes, and writes that “a good start would be to eliminate the grocery tax.” She adds that “government does not have to grow at the same rate as the population.” On education, she writes that “the time has come for the School Choice Tax Credit to be a viable option.”

On cultural issues, she writes that “the trans and LGBTQ agenda has been a continual battle” and calls for standing up “for the safety of our children, in our libraries, our schools, and in all public, and especially gender-specific, spaces.” She cites the governor's signing of House Bill 752 as a win. She also describes medical freedom as important to her family, writing that almost all of their children were born at home and “are unvaccinated to this day.”

Party Support and Campaign Spending

Sauter was the endorsed candidate of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee, which backed her over the sitting Republican incumbent. A dossier published by Idaho Extremism records a $5,652.43 independent expenditure by the Bonner County Republican Central Committee with the firm of Las Vegas political consultant Rory McShane in support of her primary campaign. According to that reporting, McShane's firm produces mail, digital advertising and text messages for Idaho county parties running independent expenditures against sitting Republican legislators, and Sauter did not pay the firm directly.

Sources

Ballot status and certified primary results from the Idaho Secretary of State. Candidate statement and biographical detail from Sauter's candidate page at the Republican Party of Idaho and her Bonner County Daily Bee candidate questionnaire. Endorsement reported by the Bonner County Daily Bee. Independent expenditure and consultant detail from the Idaho Extremism dossier on Rory McShane.