Jerald Dallas Raymond: Idaho Republican Incumbent for House District 31A
Jerald Dallas Raymond is a Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives, currently serving in District 31A, which covers Fremont, Jefferson, Clark, and Lemhi counties in eastern Idaho. Raymond lives in Menan and is seeking re-election in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary. He is the incumbent for the seat and faces no Republican primary challenger as of April 2026. Kindsey Smith is running in the Democratic primary for the same seat.
Background
Jerald Dallas Raymond was born in Rigby, Idaho, and is a fourth-generation Idahoan. He graduated from Rigby High School and attended Ricks College. His professional life has centered on agriculture: he owns and operates a livestock enterprise in Jefferson County and has worked as a rancher and livestock consultant throughout his career. Raymond served as a Jefferson County commissioner from 2010 to 2016, including four years as commission chairman, according to his VoteSmart biography. He served as president of the Idaho Cattle Association from 2018 to 2019 and as a board member of that organization beginning in 2014. Raymond has been an appointed member of the Bureau of Land Management Resource Advisory Council for the Upper Snake River District since 2015. He also serves on the board of the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission and as a member of the local Future Farmers of America Advisory Council. He served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Norway from 1974 to 1976. Raymond and his wife Cheri have been married more than 45 years. They have six children and 25 grandchildren, as he noted in a 2024 candidate profile published by East Idaho News.
Political Career
Raymond was first elected to the Idaho House of Representatives in 2018, representing District 35A, where he served one term. He lost the 2020 Republican primary to Karey Hanks by 148 votes after a computer error at the state level initially reported the wrong outcome on election night. After redistricting placed both Raymond and Hanks in the newly drawn District 31, Raymond defeated Hanks in the 2022 Republican primary and went on to win the general election. He won re-election in 2024, again defeating Democrat Connie Delaney in the general election.
For the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions, Raymond serves as chair of the House Agricultural Affairs Committee and as a member of the Resources and Conservation Committee and the Revenue and Taxation Committee, as listed on his official Idaho Legislature member profile. His elevation to chair of the Agricultural Affairs Committee was noted by the Idaho Association of Counties as part of a broader pattern of former county commissioners filling key committee leadership positions in the current session.
During his first term representing District 35A, Raymond worked alongside Rep. Rod Furniss to push Governor Brad Little to address the cost of health insurance for school employees. That advocacy contributed to legislation that passed in the 2022 session, creating a fund allowing school districts to enroll staff in the state government health insurance plan. Raymond had been voted out before the bill was formally written.
Policy Positions
Raymond has stated consistent priorities across public lands, education, agriculture, and taxes in multiple public forums.
On public lands, Raymond has argued against federal regulatory changes that he believes would undermine the multiple-use doctrine governing Bureau of Land Management lands. In a June 2023 guest column published by the Post Register and Idaho State Journal, he criticized a proposed Department of the Interior rule that would have introduced conservation as an approved land use under new standards, arguing it would threaten existing grazing practices. He wrote that ranchers provide wildlife habitat and that livestock grazing reduces wildfire fuel loads.
On education, Raymond has identified it as a top legislative priority in multiple candidate questionnaires and interviews. He has expressed support for Idaho’s public school system and noted the importance of school staff compensation and health coverage. In the 2022 campaign cycle, he told the Post Register that quality education for Idaho children was his principal motivation for seeking office.
On taxes, Raymond noted in his 2023 public lands column that Idaho’s 5.8 percent flat income tax rate is a draw for new residents, signaling general support for the state’s current tax structure. In the 2022 general election cycle, he identified property tax relief as an ongoing concern for his constituents, as reported by the Rexburg Standard Journal.
On water and agriculture, Raymond has listed water rights and transportation infrastructure among his core priorities, describing them on his campaign website as paramount concerns given his work as a livestock operator.
Political Alignment
Jerald Dallas Raymond appears aligned with Traditional Conservative Republican politics as evidenced by his professional affiliations and legislative positioning. He served as president of the Idaho Cattle Association and has been a long-standing BLM Resource Advisory Council appointee. His work on the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission and his history with the Farm Bureau Federation are consistent with the rural agricultural conservatism those organizations represent. His approach to legislating has emphasized inter-district cooperation and practical governance, and he has explicitly contrasted that approach with what he described as the counterproductive voting patterns of a Freedom Caucus-aligned predecessor.
His voting record during his first term drew criticism from an Idaho Freedom Foundation supporter who reported in a March 2020 Post Register guest column that Raymond had scored 45 percent on the Idaho Freedom Index at that point in the 2020 session. That was a mid-session figure, not a final annual score, and it was from his first term. No current IFF score for Raymond is publicly available in an accessible online format. There is no documented evidence of affiliation with the Idaho Freedom Caucus, the Citizens Alliance of Idaho, or comparable activist organizations.
Campaign and Endorsements
No formal endorsements for Raymond’s 2026 race have been publicly reported as of April 2026. His campaign website is jeraldraymond.com. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Raymond in either his 2022 or 2024 races.
FAQ
Who is Jerald Dallas Raymond? Jerald Dallas Raymond is a Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives representing District 31A in eastern Idaho. He lives in Menan, is a rancher and livestock consultant, and is seeking his third term in 2026.
What district does Jerald Raymond represent? Raymond represents House District 31A, covering Fremont, Jefferson, Clark, and Lemhi counties in eastern Idaho.
Is Jerald Raymond an incumbent? Yes. Raymond is the incumbent for Idaho House District 31A and is running unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary as of April 2026.
What committees does Jerald Raymond serve on? Raymond chairs the House Agricultural Affairs Committee and serves on the Resources and Conservation Committee and the Revenue and Taxation Committee, as listed on his Idaho Legislature member profile.
What has Jerald Raymond sponsored or prioritized in the Idaho Legislature? Raymond has focused on public lands access under the multiple-use doctrine, education funding and school staff health insurance, property tax relief, water rights, and agricultural policy. He helped push the 2022 school employee health insurance legislation while serving his earlier term in District 35A.
2022 Primary Election Results Raymond / Hanks (incumbent) — winner not reported with vote totals in available sources
2022 General Election Results Raymond 14,401 / Delaney 2,349
2024 Primary Election Results Raymond — Unopposed
2024 General Election Results Raymond defeated Delaney — vote totals not available in publicly accessible sources at time of publication
Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated April 2026. This profile will be updated as additional information becomes available.
