Josh Kohl

Josh Kohl: Idaho Republican Incumbent for Senate District 25

Josh Kohl is a Republican member of the Idaho State Senate representing District 25, which covers the Twin Falls area in south-central Idaho. As reported on his Ballotpedia candidate profile, Kohl assumed office on December 1, 2024, and is running for re-election in the May 19, 2026, Republican primary. He is an incumbent facing a primary opponent, Casey Swensen, on that ballot.

Background

According to his Wikipedia biography, Kohl was born in Idaho and attended the University of Idaho, earning his bachelor’s degree in 2019. The Gem State Chronicle legislator profile notes that he studied mechanical engineering with a specialization in robotics and is currently employed in the dairy processing industry. Before his engineering career, as described on his campaign website, Kohl worked as a wildland firefighter, traveling throughout Idaho and other western states. As a teenager, he participated in search and rescue with his family. Kohl lives in Twin Falls with his wife, Kenney. Prior to running for office, as documented in his Ballotpedia candidate survey, he served as an elected member of the Twin Falls Republican Central Committee and as a board member of the Magic Valley Liberty Alliance.

Political Career

Kohl entered electoral politics in 2024, challenging incumbent Sen. Linda Wright Hartgen, whom he characterized in an interview with the Magic Valley Liberty Alliance as one of the most liberal Republicans in the Idaho Senate. He defeated Hartgen in the May 2024 Republican primary and, as documented on his Wikipedia page, ran unopposed in the general election, succeeding her and assuming office in December 2024.

In the Idaho Senate, Kohl serves on the Agricultural Affairs, Resources and Environment, and Transportation committees, as listed on his Idaho Legislature member page. During the 2025 legislative session, his first in office, Kohl voted in favor of Senate Bill 1023 and Senate Bill 1210, both versions of what supporters called the Medical Freedom Act. As reported by the Idaho Capital Sun, SB 1210 bars Idaho businesses, government entities, schools, and colleges from restricting employment, entry, or services based on requirements for medical interventions, including vaccines and other treatments. His campaign website claims credit for helping pass what it describes as “the best health freedom legislation in the world” and for stopping digital ID legislation during the session.

Kohl also sponsored House Bill 928, an anti-DEI bill applied to Medicaid-funded health care providers. As reported by News From the States, Kohl said the bill would ensure Medicaid-funded facilities make decisions based on merit and argued that it “does not authorize discrimination” while reaffirming that “public funds should support systems built on competition, quality and individual achievement.” The bill drew opposition from Idaho physicians, including testimony that implicit bias and cultural sensitivity training improves patient outcomes.

During the 2026 session, Kohl has continued his alignment with the Gang of Eight’s legislative agenda. As reported by Idaho Education News, he debated in favor of an effort to force a vote on a bill targeting teachers’ unions, an effort the full Senate rejected 25 to 9. He also supported House Bill 752, a bill that makes it a misdemeanor or felony for transgender individuals to use public accommodations that align with their gender identity rather than their sex assigned at birth. As reported by the Lewiston Tribune, Kohl stated that the bill aimed to protect “Idaho’s cultural decency” and keep the state from becoming “California or New York.” That bill passed the Senate 28 to 7 and went to Gov. Brad Little.

Policy Positions

Kohl’s publicly stated positions focus heavily on immigration restriction, opposition to gender-affirming care for minors, fiscal restraint, medical freedom, and limiting the size of state government. In his Magic Valley Liberty Alliance interview, he stated that he opposes amnesty in any form, opposes driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, and has framed illegal immigration as a vector for cartel activity in Idaho communities.

On fiscal policy, Kohl has consistently opposed appropriations bills he views as expanding government. As reported by the Idaho Freedom Foundation, at the start of the 2025 session he was among a group of eight incoming legislators who announced plans to reject a proposed legislative pay increase, arguing that lawmakers should prioritize grocery tax repeal and the needs of Idaho families over their own compensation.

On elections, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun, Kohl opposed a 2026 bill consolidating the presidential primary with other races in May, saying he was concerned it was “unnecessarily shortening campaign season” for non-presidential candidates.

On education and social issues, Kohl has stated opposition to what he characterizes as gender ideology in schools and libraries and has supported legislation restricting transgender participation in public life. The Gang of Eight, of which Kohl is a member, published a December 2025 policy framework calling for stronger Idaho sovereignty against federal overreach, stricter election integrity measures, and opposition to ESG mandates and federal funding with strings attached.

Political Alignment

Josh Kohl appears aligned with the far-right extremist wing of the Idaho Republican Party, supported by documented organizational affiliations and voting behavior. According to the Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC 2024 election results page, Kohl was endorsed and supported in his 2024 primary by the Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC, which spent heavily on his race and credited itself with defeating incumbent Sen. Linda Wright Hartgen on his behalf. In 2025, as documented by the Gem State Chronicle, Kohl received an Idaho Freedom Foundation Freedom Index score of 96.5 percent and a Spending Index score of 100 percent, placing him among the highest-scoring legislators on IFF metrics. He also signed the Citizens Alliance of Idaho pledge, as documented by the Gem State Chronicle.

Kohl, along with fellow Gang of Eight members Glenneda Zuiderveld, Clint Hostetler, and David Leavitt, attended the 2024 Young Americans for Liberty conference, as detailed in the Political Potatoes Substack. YAL’s legislative bulletin later listed Kohl among the sponsors of Senate Bill 1001, an anti-SLAPP free speech measure, as reported in the YAL Substack, crediting the bill as a victory for its Idaho legislative coalition.

Kohl is a publicly identified member of the Idaho Gang of Eight, a legislative bloc that includes Sens. Christy Zito and Glenneda Zuiderveld and five House members, and which has formally affiliated with the State Freedom Caucus Network, as documented in the Zito for Idaho Substack. Political observers and critics have described the Gang of Eight as operating in close alignment with the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s legislative agenda, coordinated in part through IFF’s network of allied organizations and donors, as analyzed in the Political Potatoes Substack. In September 2025, as reported in the Zito for Idaho Substack, the Gang of Eight attended the State Freedom Caucus Network’s annual summit in Dallas, where they were publicly praised by former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for their opposition to what the group described as bloated budgets and federal strings.

Taken together, the combination of endorsement by the Idaho Freedom PAC and the Citizens Alliance of Idaho, a near-perfect IFF Freedom Index score, formal membership in the Gang of Eight, documented affiliation with the YAL legislative network, and consistent voting against mainstream Republican appropriations positions places Kohl at the far-right end of Idaho’s political spectrum. This profile classifies him as a Far-Right Extremist within the Idaho political context, consistent with the criteria applicable to legislators whose organizational affiliations and voting record place them at the outermost edge of Idaho Republican politics.

Campaign and Endorsements

For the 2026 cycle, as noted on his Ballotpedia profile, Kohl is running in the Republican primary on May 19, 2026, against challenger Casey Swensen, while Democrat W. Lane Startin is running on the Democratic side. His campaign website highlights his 2025 session work on medical freedom legislation, opposition to digital ID, immigration enforcement, and opposition to gender-affirming care for minors. No major organizational endorsements for the 2026 race had been publicly reported as of the time of this profile.

FAQ

Who is Josh Kohl, Idaho? Josh Kohl is a Republican state senator from Twin Falls, Idaho, currently serving his first term representing Senate District 25. He was elected in 2024 after defeating incumbent Linda Wright Hartgen in the Republican primary.

What district does Josh Kohl represent? Kohl represents Idaho Senate District 25, which covers the Twin Falls area in south-central Idaho.

Is Josh Kohl an incumbent or challenger in 2026? Kohl is an incumbent senator seeking re-election. He faces a Republican primary challenger, Casey Swensen, on May 19, 2026.

What are Josh Kohl’s political positions? Kohl has publicly stated positions opposing immigration amnesty and driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, opposing gender-affirming care for minors, supporting medical freedom legislation that restricts vaccine and treatment mandates, and opposing what he frames as excessive state government spending. He supports grocery tax repeal and has opposed most state appropriations bills.

What committees does Josh Kohl serve on in the Idaho Senate? As listed on his Idaho Legislature member page, Kohl serves on the Agricultural Affairs, Resources and Environment, and Transportation committees.

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

2024 Primary Election Results
Kohl 3,008 votes / Hartgen 1,761 votes

2024 General Election Results
Kohl 13,885