Joe Palmer

Joe A. Palmer: Idaho House District 20, Seat A

Joe A. Palmer is the Republican incumbent state representative for Idaho House District 20, Seat A, and is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot against Democratic nominee Jennifer Stephens. Palmer, a Meridian Republican in his ninth legislative term, ran unopposed in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary and received 4,221 votes, or 100 percent of ballots cast, per certified results.

Palmer did not respond to a 2026 general election survey sent to every candidate in the race by CBS2/FOX9, which noted that any candidate without responses did not participate. His opponent did respond, and her answers appear on the outlet's candidate survey page.

Background

Palmer's official legislative bio describes him as a fourth-generation Idahoan born and raised in the Treasure Valley. He graduated from Meridian High School, attended Ricks College, and served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Montana before graduating from Boise State University. He is a former member of the Idaho National Guard and is self-employed.

He and his wife, Leslie, have been married 37 years according to his official bio. They have one daughter and three sons and eight grandchildren. His bio lists backcountry flying among his pastimes.

In 2019, Palmer ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Meridian, losing to Robert Simison.

Legislative record

Palmer is in his ninth term representing the Meridian area in Ada County. For 2026, his official bio lists him as chair of the House Transportation and Defense Committee, with additional seats on Business and State Affairs.

In February 2024, amid an unusual mid-session fight over House Republican leadership, Palmer made the floor motion to retain Mike Moyle as House Speaker, which succeeded. The same day, in a separate closed-door caucus vote, House Republicans removed Majority Leader Megan Blanksma from her post, as Idaho Reports reported. It was the first time party leadership changed during a session in recent memory, and Speaker Moyle described the caucus afterward as "like a dysfunctional family right now."

Stated priorities and outside scorecard

On his Idaho Republican Party candidate page, Palmer lists his top three issues for 2026 as property tax relief, fighting federal intrusion on Idaho state sovereignty, and supporting law enforcement and all first responders. He submitted the party's "Integrity in Affiliation" pledge, which states he supports the Idaho Republican Platform as the standard by which his performance as a candidate and officeholder should be evaluated.

The Idaho Freedom Foundation, a conservative advocacy group that scores legislators on its own indexes, gives Palmer's voting record a Freedom Index score of 58.2 percent and a Spending Index score of 36.0 percent, both graded F on the group's leaderboard. The Freedom Index reflects the advocacy group's own methodology and ratings of legislation, not an official or neutral measure.

Campaign finance

Palmer's campaign finance filings on Idaho's Sunshine portal show $25,150.00 in total contributions for the 2026 election cycle, $14,236.58 in total expenditures, $41,043.20 in ending cash balance, and $1,068.54 in outstanding debt as of his last filed report.

The contributor breakdown leans heavily toward institutional money. Per the portal, $20,200.00 came from companies and $3,450.00 from political committees, against $1,500.00 from individual donors. Of the total, $18,500.00 came from in-state sources and $6,650.00 from out of state.

His top contributors include United Heritage of Meridian at $2,000, followed by $1,000 each from Google's corporate headquarters, the Idaho AGC State Political Action Committee, the Idaho Automobile Dealers Association, Altria Client Services, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, Mark Elder of Meridian, Syringa Networks, the Amalgamated Sugar Company PAC, and Ahlquist LLC.

Sources

• Rep. Joe Palmer, official Idaho Legislature bio
• Joe Palmer, Idaho Republican Party candidate page
• House ousts Blanksma as majority leader, retains Moyle as speaker, Idaho Reports
• Joe Palmer financial disclosure, Idaho Sunshine portal
• May 2026 primary official results, Idaho Secretary of State
• Lawmaker Leaderboard, Idaho Freedom Foundation
• 2026 general election survey: State Representative District 20A, CBS2/FOX9