Jilene Burger

Jilene Burger: Idaho Republican Challenger for House District 33B

Jilene Burger is a Republican candidate challenging incumbent Marco Erickson for the Idaho House of Representatives in District 33B. Burger lives in Idaho Falls and is seeking election in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary. She has no prior legislative experience. Burger ran for the same seat in the May 2024 Republican primary and lost to Erickson. District 33 covers a central section of Idaho Falls bounded by Anderson Street, Skyline Avenue, and portions of Sunnyside Road.

Background

Jilene Burger was born in Provo, Utah, and spent her childhood in Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, and Virginia. As a university student, she worked three summers in Washington, D.C., for the Department of State and the Internal Revenue Service. She and her late husband, David Burger, moved to Idaho Falls in 1981. According to her May 2024 East Idaho News candidate Q&A, she worked as an elementary classroom and music teacher. Her husband taught band at Idaho Falls High School for 30 years. Both played in the Idaho Falls Symphony for more than three decades. After her husband’s death in 2012, Burger became more involved in Republican Party politics, serving as a Precinct Committee Officer for approximately 13 years. She was subsequently elected chairwoman of the Legislative District 33 Committee of the Idaho Republican Party. She also ran unsuccessfully for Idaho Falls City Council in 2023.

Political Career

Jilene Burger has never held elected office. She ran for Idaho Falls City Council in 2023 without success. In 2024, she entered the Republican primary for House District 33B against incumbent Marco Erickson and lost. Ballotpedia recordsshow Erickson defeated Burger in that May 21, 2024, primary and went on to win re-election in November 2024. Burger filed again for the 2026 Republican primary in the same race.

As chairwoman of the Legislative District 33 Committee, Burger was a central figure in Idaho GOP platform enforcement proceedings in late 2023 and early 2024. The Post Register reported that the committee initiated formal complaints against all three District 33 legislators — Reps. Barbara Ehardt, Marco Erickson, and Sen. Dave Lent — alleging violations of the Idaho GOP party platform. In a formal letter to those legislators, Burger wrote that she sought to provide “fair consideration to alleged violations and provide a meaningful opportunity for the official to be heard.” The proceedings resulted in censure recommendations for Erickson and Lent. East Idaho News reported that despite the censure proceedings, all targeted legislators won re-election in the May 2024 primary. Following that primary, Burger lost her own PCO position. East Idaho News coverage from June 2024 reported she was replaced as District 33 Committee chairwoman.

Policy Positions

In her May 2024 East Idaho News candidate Q&A, Burger outlined her positions across several policy areas. On taxes and spending, she stated that in her view no part of the state budget needs more funding, and expressed support for repealing the grocery tax and reducing or repealing property taxes. She described her platform as one of “fiscal and social responsibility and a return to limited government spending.”

On the role of government, Burger argued that “the government thinks it has the authority to redistribute wealth” and said she would limit state spending to core functions such as police, fire, defense, and transportation. On education, she called the Idaho Launch scholarship program a “grievous mistake,” objecting to the restriction of the $8,000 award to students pursuing certain fields of study. She also expressed support for what she described as protecting freedom of speech, freedom of association, bodily autonomy, and “the freedom to educate our children in a free-market system.” On her campaign website, Burger describes herself as a conservative running against a “liberal leaning” Erickson and cites a vote of “no confidence” the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee passed against him in 2024.

Political Alignment

Jilene Burger appears aligned with the far-right activist wing of the Idaho Republican Party. As Legislative District 33 Committee chairwoman, she organized platform enforcement proceedings against sitting Republican legislators, a practice documented by the Post Register as relying in part on Idaho Freedom Foundation scoring as a measure of platform compliance. Her 2026 campaign website characterizes the sitting Republican incumbent as “liberal leaning,” a pattern of rightward criticism against fellow Republicans that appears across multiple documented instances. Taken together, her role in organizing platform enforcement proceedings against Republican legislators, her use of IFF-adjacent criteria as the measuring standard for those proceedings, and her sustained campaign messaging targeting a conservative incumbent from a rightward position support a classification of Far-Right Extremist by Idaho political standards.

Campaign and Endorsements

Burger’s 2026 campaign centers on fiscal conservatism, property tax reduction, grocery tax repeal, and opposition to incumbent Erickson. Her campaign is organized at jileneburger4legislature.com. As of April 2026, no third-party endorsements for Burger’s 2026 campaign have been publicly reported.

Public Controversies or Criticism

The platform enforcement proceedings Burger led as Legislative District 33 Committee chairwoman drew significant public criticism. The Spokesman-Review reported that former Idaho GOP leaders called for a “course correction” in response to the proceedings. Targeted legislators characterized the hearings as inappropriate responses to ordinary differences of legislative opinion. East Idaho News reported that every legislator subjected to censure proceedings won re-election in the May 2024 primary. The Bonneville County Republican Central Committee subsequently elected new leadership, replacing Burger and others associated with the enforcement effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Jilene Burger in Idaho? Jilene Burger is a Republican candidate from Idaho Falls running for the Idaho House of Representatives in District 33B. She is a former elementary teacher and Republican Party activist who previously served as chairwoman of the Legislative District 33 Committee of the Idaho GOP.

What district is Jilene Burger running in? Burger is running in House District 33B, covering a central section of Idaho Falls near Anderson Street, Skyline Avenue, and portions of Sunnyside Road.

Is Jilene Burger an incumbent or challenger? Burger is a challenger. She has never held elected office. She ran for District 33B in the May 2024 Republican primary and lost to incumbent Marco Erickson.

What are Jilene Burger’s political positions? Based on documented public statements, Burger supports repealing Idaho’s grocery tax, reducing property taxes, limiting government to core functions, and expanding school choice. She opposed the Idaho Launch scholarship program and has criticized incumbent Marco Erickson’s voting record from a conservative direction.

Has Jilene Burger held public office before? No. She ran unsuccessfully for Idaho Falls City Council in 2023 and for House District 33B in the 2024 Republican primary.

2024 Primary Election Results Erickson def. Burger (results on file with the Idaho Secretary of State; vote totals available via Ballotpedia)

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