Idaho General Election · November 3, 2026Find polling place
Republican

Jerald Raymond

Incumbent
Jerald Raymond

Idaho House of Representatives, District 31 Seat A

Campaign website:Campaign Website
Phone:(208) 332-1183
Email:JRaymond@house.idaho.gov
Facebook:Campaign Facebook Page
Campaign finance:Campaign Finance
City:Menan

Jerald Dallas Raymond: Republican Incumbent for Idaho House District 31 Seat A

Jerald Dallas Raymond won the May 19, 2026 Republican primary for Idaho House District 31 Seat A without opposition, receiving 7,999 votes, or 100 percent, according to certified Idaho Secretary of State results. He faces Democrat Kindsey Smith, also unopposed in her own primary, in the November 3, 2026 general election.

Background

Raymond was born in Rigby and raised in Menan, according to his official Idaho Legislature biography. He graduated from Rigby High School and attended Ricks College. He has worked across the livestock industry, including artificial insemination, embryo transfer, cow-calf management, and feedlot operations, and has received livestock industry service awards from Ricks College and Applied Reproduction Strategies in Beef Cattle. His own campaign website describes him as the president and owner of Spring Creek Ranch, Inc. since 1980.

He is a past president of the Idaho Cattle Association and a former Jefferson County commissioner. Raymond and his wife, Cheri, have been married 48 years and have six children and 25 grandchildren, according to his 2026 Idaho Legislature biography.

Path to the House

Raymond first won a House seat in 2018, taking District 35A with 59 percent of the primary vote over Daniel H. Davis, then ran unopposed in the general election. He lost his 2020 re-election bid in the Republican primary to Karey Hanks, 51 percent to 49 percent, a margin of 148 votes.

After 2022 redistricting placed his home area in District 31 Seat A, Raymond beat Hanks in a primary rematch, 55 percent to her 45 percent, and went on to win the general election. He has held the seat since December 1, 2022, now serving his second consecutive term. He won the 2022 general election with 14,401 votes (85.98 percent) against Democrat Connie Delaney's 2,349. He ran unopposed in the 2024 primary, then won the 2024 general election against Delaney again, 22,966 votes (86.0 percent) to 3,735 (14.0 percent).

Committees and Legislation

Raymond chairs the House Agricultural Affairs Committee for the current session, according to his Idaho Legislature biography, and also serves on the Resources and Conservation Committee and the Revenue and Taxation Committee.

He was the floor sponsor of House Bill 356 in 2020, which addressed privacy protections for feedlot nutrient-management planners. The bill passed the House 68-0-2 and the Senate 35-0-0, and Gov. Brad Little signed it on March 9, 2020.

In the 2024 session, Raymond introduced the Rangeland Improvement Act, which gave local grazing-district boards authority to prioritize rangeland projects such as water distribution, cross-fencing, and predator and invasive-species control, and directed the Idaho State Department of Agriculture to seek grants for that work. "There's been a movement for many years for the state to take over either management or ownership of federal lands," he said of the bill. "This gives us the opportunity to partner with those who use the rangelands." He added, "We're excited to get this piece of legislation passed. I've been working on it for quite some time."

As a member of the Resources and Conservation Committee, Raymond has been engaged in the Surface Water Coalition and Idaho Ground Water Appropriators settlement talks over aquifer and water-curtailment issues in eastern Idaho.

Stated Positions

Raymond's Idaho Republican Party candidate page lists his top three issues in his own words: family values, opposing drug diversion, a pro-life position, support for the Second Amendment, and education funding; natural resources and water, where he calls for "managed mining, logging, expanding water storage capabilities and aquifer recharge"; and tax reform, specifically property-tax relief "without hindering local control."

In an October 2024 interview with East Idaho News, Raymond described his background: "I am a fourth generation Idahoan. My wife (Cheri) of 47 years and I have 6 married children and 25 grandchildren... We both graduated from Rigby High School and attended Ricks College... I have had leadership experience in the Farm Bureau Federation, the Idaho Cattle Association (past president), and as a former county commissioner, serving as chairman for 4 years. I also served in the House of Representatives from 2019-2020 and from 2022-2023." Asked about Proposition 1, the 2024 ballot measure on open primaries and ranked-choice voting, he said: "I am opposed!"

In an April 2022 interview with the Rexburg Standard Journal, Raymond reflected on working with his fellow district legislators: "Maybe we (Raymond, Furniss and Sen. Van Burtenshaw, R-Terreton) didn't always agree. We agreed most of the time, but if we didn't agree, we at least discussed it to the point where we understood each other... That is something that is not happening now and it needs to happen."

Campaign Finance

Raymond's 2026 campaign finance filing with the Idaho Secretary of State's Sunshine portal, covering the August 2026 reporting period, shows a beginning cash balance of $36,235.78. He raised $16,435.20 in contributions and spent $16,832.28, leaving an ending cash balance of $37,155.76. The filing lists no debt.

His largest listed contributions, at or near $1,000 each, came from the Idaho Dairy Industry PAC, the Idaho Hospital Association PAC, Richard Larsen, Peggy Larsen, and TP Enterprises LLC. The Idaho Cattle PAC gave $750, and the Amalgamated Sugar Company PAC gave $700. Maverick, Mountain View Hospital, LLC, and St. Luke's Health Plan, Inc. each contributed $500.

Sources

Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated September 28, 2026. This profile will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Frequently asked questions

What office does Jerald Raymond hold?
He is the Republican state representative for Idaho House District 31, Seat A, serving his second consecutive term. He is seeking a third term in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Who is running against Jerald Raymond in 2026?
Democrat Kindsey Smith is his opponent on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
Has Raymond ever lost an election?
Yes. He lost the 2020 Republican primary to Karey Hanks by 148 votes, then won a primary rematch against her in 2022 after redistricting moved his seat to District 31.
What does Jerald Raymond do for a living?
He is a rancher, the president and owner of Spring Creek Ranch, Inc. since 1980, and a past president of the Idaho Cattle Association.
What committees does Raymond serve on?
He chairs the House Agricultural Affairs Committee and serves on the Resources and Conservation Committee and the Revenue and Taxation Committee.
Has Raymond reported his campaign finances?
Yes. His 2026 Idaho Sunshine filing shows $16,435.20 in total contributions, $16,832.28 in expenditures, and an ending cash balance of $37,155.76, with no debt reported.

Also on the ballot in District 31

Every candidate for the State Senate and both House seats in this district. See the full District 31 page.

More on the November 3 ballot