Julianne Young

Julianne Young: Republican Candidate for Idaho House District 30B

Julianne Young is a Republican candidate running for the Idaho House of Representatives in District 30B, which covers Bingham and Butte counties and includes the Fort Hall Reservation in eastern Idaho. Young lives in the Groveland area near Blackfoot in Bingham County and is seeking to reclaim the seat she held from 2022 to 2024, having previously represented the adjacent District 31B from 2018 to 2022. She is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Ben Fuhriman in the May 19, 2026 primary, as documented by the Idaho Capital Sun. The winner of that contest will face Democrat Breane Buckingham in the November general election.

Background

Young grew up in Moreland, Idaho, a suburb of Blackfoot. According to her Idaho Legislature member profile, she is a graduate of Snake River High School, holds an associate degree from Ricks College, and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Idaho State University. She and her husband Kevin have 10 children and make their home in the Groveland area, where they operate a small hobby farm.

Young has served as a volunteer chapter leader in Blackfoot for the Freedom First Society, according to her Ballotpedia profile. The Post Register’s editorial board described the organization in 2019 as essentially a splinter group from the John Birch Society. She founded Idaho Family Strong, a nonprofit she describes as helping Idahoans engage in the legislative process on family-related policy; her January 2026 candidacy announcement notes that leadership of that organization transferred to former legislator Gayann DeMordaunt when she entered the race.

Political Career

Young first won election to the Idaho House in 2018, defeating incumbent Republican Julie VanOrden in the District 31B primary and running unopposed in the general election. She was reelected in 2020 and, following redistricting, ran successfully in District 30B in 2022. In the 2024 Republican primary, Fuhriman defeated Young in an exceptionally close contest; after full recounts in both Bingham and Butte counties, the final margin of victory was four votes, as documented by the Idaho State Journal.

During her final term representing District 30B, Young served as vice chair of the State Affairs Committee and also sat on the Environment, Energy and Technology Committee, the Ethics and House Policy Committee, and the Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee, according to her official Idaho Legislature member profile.

Young’s legislative record across three terms is concentrated in social policy, election integrity, and fiscal conservatism. Her 2026 campaign cites among her accomplishments the establishment of Idaho’s post-election paper ballot audit and legislation aimed at keeping schools and businesses open during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, she co-sponsored HB 498, which required adult websites to use age verification methods to prevent minors from accessing explicit material. In 2024, she also sponsored HB 381, which proposed replacing the statutory term “fetus” with “preborn child.” Earlier in her tenure, Young sponsored HB 509 in 2020 to prohibit Idahoans from changing the sex designation on their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity. A federal court subsequently barred enforcement of the law as a violation of its 2018 injunction.

Policy Positions

Young’s publicly documented positions focus primarily on social and family policy, election integrity, fiscal restraint, and opposition to government overreach.

In an interview with Idaho Education News ahead of the 2026 primary, she stated that “government shapes culture, and culture shapes government,” and expressed the view that the state cannot afford to ignore issues that affect people’s personal lives. She has emphasized protecting children from what she describes as harmful material in libraries and online, and has framed gender and sex policy in terms of protecting women’s private spaces.

On fiscal matters, her 2026 candidacy calls for efficiency, low taxes, and reduced regulation. She has also pointed to water policy as a priority, citing her role in building support for legislation protecting Idaho’s agricultural water supply. Her campaign website states that she views civic engagement and constitutional literacy as personal obligations of citizens in a self-governing nation. On school choice, she told Idaho Education News that the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit was a “strong, accountable” way to offer school choice in Idaho.

Political Alignment

Young is a Far-Right Extremist. She was supported in 2024 by the House Freedom Caucus, as reported by Idaho Reports, and her documented affiliations include the Idaho Freedom Caucus PAC, the Idaho Freedom Foundation, and the Citizens Alliance of Idaho. In a 2020 Post Register rebuttal written in her own words, Young identified the Family Policy Alliance and the Alliance Defending Freedom as among her legislative coalition organizations. Both are partnered with the Idaho Family Policy Center, which describes its mission as advancing the lordship of Christ in the public square.

Young has also served as a chapter leader for the Freedom First Society in Blackfoot, an organization the Post Register editorial board described as essentially a splinter group from the John Birch Society. Her platform uses explicitly religious framing, her legislative record is among the most concentrated in social conservative activism of any eastern Idaho legislator, and the combination of Idaho Freedom Caucus, IFF, and Citizens Alliance of Idaho backing represents convergent far-right organizational alignment in Idaho politics.

Campaign and Endorsements

Young formally announced her 2026 candidacy in February 2026. Her campaign centers on themes of constitutional fidelity, family protection, election integrity, and fiscal restraint. As of the time of publication, no major organizational endorsements for the 2026 race had been publicly reported. The general election is November 3, 2026.

Public Controversies

Young’s sponsorship of HB 509 in 2020 generated sustained legal and political controversy. A federal court blocked enforcement of the law, and the state was subsequently ordered to pay more than $321,000 in legal fees to the plaintiffs, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun. In the 2024 primary, a political action committee called Mountain Liberty Warriors sent mailers attacking Young for her voting record on library materials, a characterization that House Speaker Mike Moyle publicly called false, as reported by KTVB. Her 2026 primary opponent, incumbent Rep. Ben Fuhriman, has drawn a policy contrast with Young on the role of the state in social issues; Idaho Education News reporting from March 2026 reported that Fuhriman said his constituents in the large, rural district are more focused on practical economic concerns than the social legislation Young has prioritized.

FAQ

Who is Julianne Young, Idaho? Julianne Young is a Republican politician from Blackfoot, Idaho. She served three terms in the Idaho House of Representatives, representing District 31B from 2018 to 2022 and District 30B from 2022 to 2024. She is running to reclaim her seat in the May 2026 Republican primary.

What district is Julianne Young running in? Young is running in Idaho House of Representatives District 30B, which covers Bingham and Butte counties and includes the Fort Hall Reservation in eastern Idaho.

Is Julianne Young an incumbent or a challenger in 2026? Young is a challenger in 2026. She lost her District 30B seat to Ben Fuhriman in the 2024 Republican primary by a margin of four votes after a full recount in both counties.

What are Julianne Young’s political positions? Young has focused her legislative career on social and family policy, including restrictions on gender marker changes on birth certificates, age verification requirements for adult websites, opposition to critical race theory in schools, election integrity measures, and fiscal conservatism. She has publicly endorsed the Idaho Republican Party platform as a standard for her conduct in office.

What committees did Julianne Young serve on in the Idaho House? During her final term in District 30B, Young served as vice chair of the State Affairs Committee and was also a member of the Environment, Energy and Technology Committee, the Ethics and House Policy Committee, and the Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee.

2024 Primary Election Results Fuhriman 3,764 / Young 3,760

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