Jim Guthrie

Jim Guthrie: The Senate State Affairs Chairman Who Won His Primary and Now Faces Mandy Peace in November

Jim Guthrie held off a primary challenge on May 19, 2026, winning the Republican nomination for Idaho Senate District 28 with 3,905 votes (53.28 percent) to challenger David Worley's 3,424 votes (46.72 percent), according to certified Idaho Secretary of State results. He faces Democrat Mandy Peace, who ran unopposed in her own primary, in the November 3, 2026 general election.

Background

Guthrie, 70, was born in Pocatello and graduated from Marsh Valley High School, according to his official legislative biography. He is a rancher and business owner in McCammon. His public service started locally: he served on the Marsh Valley School District Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2001, then as a Bannock County Commissioner from 2001 to 2007.

He won his first legislative race in 2010, serving one term in the Idaho House from 2010 to 2012 before moving to the Senate, where he is now in his seventh term. His campaign site notes he previously chaired the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee. Today he chairs the Senate State Affairs Committee and sits on Commerce & Human Resources and Resources & Environment. District 28 covers Power and Franklin counties and part of Bannock County.

The Primary and the General Election

The May 19 primary was contested. Worley, a 40-year-old small business owner and veteran, had run unsuccessfully for Pocatello mayor and had sued the Idaho National Guard alleging religious discrimination — a federal judge dismissed the suit, according to Idaho Capital Sun. Guthrie is now set to face Peace, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, on November 3.

Breaking From His Caucus

Guthrie has taken several votes that put him apart from most Senate Republicans. In the 2026 session, he was the only Republican senator to vote against a bill criminalizing transgender people using bathrooms that align with their gender identity, calling such legislation "harmful" in floor debate.

"They go in the bathroom they're supposed to, they upset people. If they go in the one that they now look like, they're breaking the law, which could include pretty severe penalties," he told senators, according to the Idaho Capital Sun. He added: "We seem to be really focused on this space and ignoring the fact that there are people that are just like us, human beings, just like us. What are they supposed to do?"

He also voted against Idaho's $50 million private-school tax credit program in the 2025 session and told the Capital Sun he would prefer the Legislature repeal it. "It was sold as promoting school choice which we already have so the entire sales pitch was not entirely accurate," he said.

The 2026 Budget Fight

During the 2026 session's budget debates, a bill funding state employee raises and benefits failed on the Senate floor, 10-25, with 18 Republican senators joining Guthrie in opposition, according to a guest column by former Idaho Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice Jim Jones published by Idaho Education News. The column attributes the underlying budget problem to $450 million in tax cuts the previous year, plus additional cuts, against an unused $1.7 billion rainy-day fund. Guthrie was quoted in the piece: "We're not taking a pay cut; we're not compromising our benefits."

Guthrie called the situation "a defining moment" in his own floor remarks, per the Idaho Capital Sun: "I've been here for 16 years, and every so often we experience a defining moment as we serve in the Legislature, moments that signal the path we choose for the state as we pass legislation, and that define us as legislators."

Policy Positions

Guthrie told the Capital Sun he plans to introduce a bill in the 2027 session to reinstate the presidential primary election in May, alongside other Idaho primaries. "The caucus system results in poor voter turnout and doesn't provide an opportunity for active military to vote or those out of state for education and missions. It makes it difficult for the elderly who are not as mobile also," he said. "Plus it will save the state 2.5 million dollars over holding the Presidential primary separate."

He also wants to change the Legislature's budget process. "In my opinion, we should have put a hold on the state income tax cuts until revenue recovered or used some of the 1.7 billion dollars we hold of tax payer money in rainy day accounts," he told the Capital Sun. "In the 2025 session, a revenue number was set after the money was spent — something you would never do in your family budget."

On immigration enforcement, Guthrie opposes requiring local law enforcement to contract with federal immigration authorities. "We all know changes occur at the federal level and I am not comfortable ceding our local control to the federal government, especially when local law enforcement who I highly respect is against the mandate," he said.

His campaign site lists four priorities: agriculture, local control, schools, and water rights. On agriculture, it says he supports policies that reduce regulatory burdens on farmers and ranchers. On local control, it states that local governments know their communities best and should decide on land use, taxation, and public services without state or federal interference. On schools, it calls for restored and increased education budgets, competitive teacher salaries, and vocational programs. On water, it emphasizes defending senior water rights and sustainable management of aquifers such as the Eastern Snake Plain.

Endorsements and Campaign Finance

Five of Idaho's constitutional officers endorsed Guthrie on May 6, 2026, about a month after Attorney General Raúl Labrador endorsed Worley, according to Idaho Education News. Gov. Brad Little, Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke, Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield, Secretary of State Phil McGrane, and Controller Brandon Woolf all backed the incumbent.

"This election is an opportunity to keep strong, dependable leadership in the Idaho Senate, and that means supporting Sen. Jim Guthrie," Little said. Critchfield said: "Jim understands a fundamental truth: public education is the fuel for Idaho's economy. By investing in our students today, he is building the skilled workforce our businesses need for tomorrow."

Guthrie's 2026 campaign finance reports, filed with the Idaho Secretary of State's Sunshine portal, show $133,101.29 in total contributions, $153,399.08 in expenditures, $36,717.04 cash on hand, and no debt. Top contributors include the IBWDA PAC, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation PAC, Senate Republican PAC of Idaho, Altria Client Services, Idaho Power, the Joint Council of Teamsters, J.R. Simplot Company, Idaho Land Fund, Micron Technologies, and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

Legislative Action in 2026

Senate Bill 1326, a property rights bill, was introduced in the 2026 session by the Senate State Affairs Committee, which Guthrie chairs, according to the bill's official legislative history. Sen. Mark Harris carried the bill on the floor. The Senate passed it 30-5-0 on March 9, with Guthrie among the ayes; the House later passed it 65-3-2, and Governor Little signed it into law.

Sources

• Idaho Secretary of State, certified May 19, 2026 primary results
• Idaho State Legislature, official member page for Sen. Jim Guthrie
• Idaho Capital Sun, "In East Idaho, a challenger is trying to unseat a powerful legislative committee chairman"
• Idaho Education News, guest column by former Idaho Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice Jim Jones
• Idaho Education News, "Five of Idaho's constitutional officers endorse Sen. Guthrie"
• Jim Guthrie for Idaho, campaign website
• Idaho State Legislature, Senate Bill 1326 legislative history
• Idaho Secretary of State Sunshine portal, campaign finance filings