Jim Guthrie

Jim Guthrie: Idaho Republican State Senator for District 28

Jim Guthrie is a Republican incumbent running for re-election to the Idaho State Senate in District 28, which covers Bannock, Franklin, and Power counties in southeastern Idaho. Guthrie lives in McCammon and is serving his seventh Senate term, according to the Idaho Legislature’s official directory. He faces a Republican primary challenge from David Worley in the May 19, 2026, primary election. The winner will face the winner of a Democratic primary between Mandy Peace and Rosann Mathews in the November general election.

Background

Guthrie was born on July 13, 1955, in Pocatello and has lived in the Marsh Valley area his entire life, as described on his campaign website. He graduated from Marsh Valley High School and attended Idaho State University. Before entering the Legislature, he worked as a rancher and business owner, operating a cow-calf beef operation in McCammon.

His community service included serving on the Marsh Valley School District Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2001 and as a Bannock County Commissioner from 2001 to 2007, according to Ballotpedia. Guthrie and his wife, Barbara, have three children, ten grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, per his Idaho Legislature profile.

Political Career

Guthrie first ran for the Idaho Senate in 2006, losing the District 29 general election by 370 votes to Democrat Diane Bilyeu. He won election to the Idaho House of Representatives in 2010, representing District 29 Seat B. Following 2012 redistricting, he ran for the open Senate seat in District 28, winning the Republican primary with 65.3 percent and the general election with 66.1 percent, as detailed on his Ballotpedia page. He has served continuously since December 2012 and has repeatedly defeated primary and general-election challengers, most recently defeating Democrat Russ Matter and independent Mike Saville in the 2024 general election.

Guthrie chairs the Senate State Affairs Committee, which handles legislation covering elections, government administration, and constitutional matters, and also serves on Commerce and Human Resources and Resources and Environment. In earlier terms he chaired the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee.

During the 2026 session, Guthrie sponsored Senate Bill 1398 to reinstate Idaho’s presidential primary in May, saying the 2024 caucus “estranges a lot of voters from the process.” He also sponsored Senate Concurrent Resolution 114 to cap each legislator’s bill-drafting requests at ten per year, citing “problematic levels” of new legislation as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun. He was a legislative co-sponsor in 2023 of the bill that established the Idaho Launch grant program, according to Idaho Education News.

In March 2026, Guthrie delivered a six-minute floor speech opposing Senate Bill 1375, the fiscal year 2027 health and human services maintenance budget, arguing that Idaho’s budget pressure was “in large part self-inflicted.” The budget failed on a 10-25 vote, with 19 Republicans joining all six Senate Democrats in opposition, and the speech prompted Sen. James Ruchti to call it “the true speech of statesmanship” and Sen. Treg Bernt to say he was ready to give a standing ovation. The Post Register’s editorial board called the speech a “moment of courage.”

Also during the 2026 session, Guthrie was one of three committee votes against advancing Senate Bill 1441, which would have mandated that Idaho law enforcement enter 287(g) immigration enforcement agreements with federal authorities. As State Affairs chair, he has used his agenda authority to hold several immigration bills without hearings, drawing pointed criticism from hardline Republicans and public pressure from the Trump White House, which sent letters urging passage.

Policy Positions

Guthrie’s publicly stated positions, as outlined on his campaign website, center on water rights, agriculture, education funding, and local government authority. He supports defending senior water rights and sustainable aquifer management, particularly for the Eastern Snake Plain. On education, he supports local school board authority over curriculum decisions and has pushed for restored school budgets and expansion of vocational and technical programs.

Guthrie voted against House Bill 93 in 2025, which created the $50 million Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit, saying at an American Falls public event that the credits were “contrary to the Constitution,” per Idaho Education News.

On fiscal matters, Guthrie has distinguished between principled budget discipline and what he characterized in March 2026 as politically driven across-the-board cuts, saying the Legislature was “not tightening our belts at all” while asking Idaho citizens to do so. In March 2026 he also cast the lone Republican vote against House Bill 752, a bill criminalizing transgender people’s use of public bathrooms matching their gender identity, telling senators that transgender people “are human beings just like us, and what are they supposed to do?”

Political Alignment

Guthrie is best classified as a Traditional Conservative Republican. His record reflects rural, property-rights-oriented conservatism focused on agriculture, water, fiscal stability, and local control, and he has no documented ties to the Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho Freedom Caucus, or Citizens Alliance of Idaho. His 2025 vote against the private school tax credit, his 2026 lone-Republican vote against the bathroom bill, his committee votes to hold immigration mandate bills, and his March 2026 floor speech against across-the-board health and human services cuts consistently place him to the left of the IFF-aligned wing of the Idaho Republican Party.

Campaign and Endorsements

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador endorsed primary challenger David Worley on April 8, 2026, per Idaho Education News. Conservative activist Ryan Spoon, former chair of the Idaho Freedom Political Action Committee, also endorsed Worley following Guthrie’s health and human services budget vote, according to Prism News.

Idaho Education News reported in February 2026 that Guthrie had raised $24,825 for the 2026 cycle compared to Worley’s $3,000. Readers can review current figures through Idaho Sunshine. Ballotpedia has not identified formal endorsements for Guthrie in the 2026 race.

FAQ

Who is Jim Guthrie, Idaho? Jim Guthrie is a Republican state senator from McCammon, Idaho. He has represented Senate District 28 since December 2012 and currently chairs the Senate State Affairs Committee.

What district does Jim Guthrie represent? Guthrie represents Idaho Senate District 28, which covers Bannock, Franklin, and Power counties in southeastern Idaho.

Is Jim Guthrie an incumbent? Yes. Guthrie has served in the Idaho Senate since December 2012 and previously served one term in the Idaho House of Representatives from 2010 to 2012.

What committees does Jim Guthrie serve on? Guthrie chairs the Senate State Affairs Committee and also sits on Commerce and Human Resources and Resources and Environment.

What has Jim Guthrie sponsored or accomplished in the Idaho Legislature? During the 2026 session, Guthrie sponsored a resolution to limit legislators’ bill drafting requests and a bill to reinstate Idaho’s May presidential primary election. He is best known in the 2026 session for a floor speech that led the Senate to kill an across-the-board health and human services budget.

2024 General Election Results (Senate 28) Guthrie 19,027 / Matter 5,139 (Saville ran as independent write-in)

2024 Primary Election Results Guthrie unopposed

2022 General Election Results Guthrie 11,441 / Saville 3,614

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