Judy Boyle

Judy Boyle: Idaho Republican Incumbent for House District 9B

Judy Boyle is a Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives seeking re-election in District 9B, which covers Washington and Payette counties in western Idaho. Boyle lives in Midvale and is running in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary. First elected in 2008, she is currently serving her ninth term and is one of the longer-tenured members of the Idaho House.

2024 Primary Election Results Boyle 7,172 votes / Unopposed

2024 General Election Results Boyle 20,001 votes / Keeler 4,576 votes

Background

Judy Boyle was born and raised in Midvale, Idaho. She attended Lassen Community College, Boise State University, and the University of Idaho, though she did not complete a degree program according to her official Idaho Legislature biography. Boyle works as a rancher and freelance writer on her farm outside Midvale.

Before entering the legislature, Boyle served as the Natural Resources Director for U.S. Representative Helen Chenoweth-Hage, a conservative congresswoman from Idaho known for her opposition to federal land management policies. Boyle later worked as a legislative lobbyist for the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, a role that gave her direct experience with the agricultural and water policy issues central to her legislative career. She has also been involved in community service, including work with 4-H, the Ronald McDonald House, and the March of Dimes, as noted on her campaign website.

Political Career

Boyle won her first election to House District 9B in November 2008, defeating Democrat Jennifer Morgan with 66.8 percent of the vote. She has won every subsequent election, running unopposed in several cycles. In 2022, she defeated fellow incumbent Scott Syme in a Republican primary after redistricting placed both representatives in the same district, winning that contest before going on to win the general election.

In November 2020, Boyle announced she would challenge Rep. Mike Moyle for House Majority Leader, telling Idaho Reports that she believed it was time for new leadership and that she thought she would have a better working relationship with the Senate. She was unsuccessful in that bid.

Boyle previously served as chair of the House Agricultural Affairs Committee and has also served on the Resources and Conservation, Education, Health and Welfare, and Revenue and Taxation committees over the course of her tenure. As of the 2025 legislative session, her current committee assignments are Resources and Conservation and Transportation and Defense. She also serves as chair of the Western Legislative Forestry Task Force, a multistate legislative body she has led since 2019.

In the 2024 session, Boyle sponsored HB 612, which would allow the Wolf Depredation Control Board to use existing funds for livestock loss compensation, and co-sponsored legislation to prohibit foreign governments and state-controlled enterprises from owning forest lands in Idaho. She also introduced a bill to criminalize out-of-state cannabis advertisingdirected at Idaho residents. In the 2025 session, Boyle presented HB 389 to the House Resources and Conservation Committee, which would authorize the state of Idaho to deploy firefighting resources on federal lands and seek reimbursement through litigation.

Policy Positions

Boyle’s legislative record centers on natural resources, agriculture, Second Amendment rights, and opposition to federal land management authority. She has sponsored or co-sponsored most of the statutory framework governing wolf predation management in Idaho, including work on the 2002 Wolf Management Plan during her time as a substitute state senator. She also authored Idaho’s constitutional amendment establishing a right to hunt, fish, and trap, as described in her Idaho Republican Party candidate profile.

On federal lands policy, Boyle has consistently argued that state management produces better outcomes than federal oversight, particularly on wildfire. In a March 2025 hearing on HB 389, she told Idaho Reports that the Idaho Department of Lands suppresses fires at an average of under ten acres, compared to federal agencies that she said allow fires to reach hundreds of thousands of acres. She argued that if a fire affects the lives and property of Idaho citizens, the state has the authority to act.

On the Second Amendment, Boyle’s campaign website states that she views it as “the enabling language for all our Bill of Rights and the Constitution” and that she has written and sponsored many of Idaho’s Second Amendment protection statutes. In a 2014 candidate questionnaire with the Idaho Press, she argued that the Second Amendment “must be strongly and continually defended” and is not merely about hunting.

On education, Boyle has stated her opposition to Common Core standards, arguing in that same 2014 questionnaire that Idaho should control its own education standards entirely. She has also expressed support for eliminating the state grocery tax, opposing Obamacare and the state health insurance exchange, and transferring federal public lands to state control.

Political Alignment

Boyle appears aligned with the conservative activist wing of the Idaho Republican Party, though her record reflects some complexity. Her campaign website describes her as “an unapologetic conservative whose principles are based on the Bible and the Constitution.” She seconded the nomination of Dorothy Moon as Idaho GOP chair in 2022, as reported by Idaho Reports. On the Idaho Republican Party candidate page, she states she has read the Idaho GOP platform and accepts it as the standard by which her performance should be evaluated, a statement that carries evidentiary weight as a self-authored, independent declaration rather than a routine submission.

Her Idaho Freedom Foundation scores have placed her among the higher-ranked House members in prior sessions. A 2013 IFF ranking listed her among the ten most supportive House members, and a 2022 analysis by Idaho Education News placed her in the IFF’s top tier on education votes, with a score in the 75 percent range, though she was not in the top group. The IFF’s current scoring page lists her as a former legislator with insufficient votes to generate a current score, suggesting data gaps in recent sessions.

Boyle’s association with Ammon Bundy is documented: Idaho Reports reported that she visited the 2016 Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation, testified as a defense witness at Bundy’s trespassing trial, and visited his family while he was in jail. This association places her at the further right edge of Idaho Republican politics. Taken together with her explicit platform endorsement, her Bible-and-Constitution framing, and her IFF alignment, Boyle is best characterized as a Conservative Activist, with positioning that in some respects approaches far-right signaling within Idaho’s political context.

Endorsements and Campaign

Boyle has received endorsements from Idaho Chooses Life, Right to Life Idaho, and the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, and has been given a 100 percent rating by the American Conservative Union, as documented on her Idaho Republican Party candidate profile. She has been named an honorary member of the Idaho FFA and has received multiple awards from agricultural organizations. The Idaho Farm Bureau endorsement is consistent with traditional rural conservative positioning, while the Idaho Chooses Life and American Conservative Union ratings reflect a more activist orientation. Ballotpedia did not identify additional endorsements for her 2024 race.

Public Controversies

In February 2023, Boyle co-sponsored HB 154 with state Senator Tammy Nichols, a bill that would have made it a criminal misdemeanor to administer any mRNA-based vaccine to a person or animal in Idaho. The proposal drew national criticism from medical professionals and public health experts. Reckon News and Fox News both covered the bill extensively. The American Council on Science and Health described it as among the worst-drafted legislative proposals of the year, noting it would have also preemptively banned future mRNA vaccines for cancer, RSV, and influenza then in development. The bill did not advance out of committee.

FAQ

Who is Judy Boyle, Idaho? Judy Boyle is a Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives from Midvale, Idaho, representing District 9B in Washington and Payette counties. She was first elected in 2008 and is currently serving her ninth term.

What district does Judy Boyle represent? Boyle represents House District 9B, which covers Washington and Payette counties in western Idaho.

Is Judy Boyle an incumbent? Yes. Boyle has held the District 9B seat since 2009 and is seeking re-election in the May 2026 Republican primary.

What committees does Judy Boyle serve on? As of the 2025 legislative session, Boyle serves on the Resources and Conservation Committee and the Transportation and Defense Committee. She also chairs the Western Legislative Forestry Task Force, a multistate body.

What are Judy Boyle’s main legislative priorities? Boyle’s documented legislative priorities include wolf predation management and livestock protection, opposition to federal land management authority, wildfire policy, Second Amendment legislation, protection of agricultural land from foreign ownership, and opposition to mRNA vaccine mandates.

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