Kathy Dawes

Kathy Dawes: Idaho Democratic Candidate for House District 6B

Kathy Dawes is a Democrat from Moscow running for the Idaho House of Representatives in District 6B, which covers part of Latah County including Moscow. A retired science educator and civic leader, Dawes is seeking to unseat Republican incumbent Brandon Mitchell, whom she also opposed in the 2024 general election. She faces Democrat Kenneth Williams in the May 19, 2026, primary, per Ballotpedia and Pullman Radio. Mitchell is running unopposed in the Republican primary.

Background

Dawes grew up in the Midwest and earned a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota in 1970. She and her husband Dana moved to Moscow in 1973 to attend the University of Idaho, where she received a master’s degree in Zoology in 1976, per her Ballotpedia profile. Following graduate school, she worked as a laboratory technician and operated her own scientific illustration business. She later taught eighth-grade science in the Moscow School District for many years. Dawes and her husband own a home in Moscow and manage forest land in Viola with the goal of maintaining forest health and reducing wildfire risk. They also conduct science outreach programs for rural libraries in District 6.

Her community involvement in Latah County spans more than five decades. She is a founding member of the Moscow Arts Commission, Moscow Community Theatre, Friends of Phillips Farm, Inc., and the Palouse Discovery Science Center, as described on her campaign website. As an AmeriCorps volunteer at the Science Center, she developed hands-on science programs for rural schools in northern Idaho and eastern Washington. She served on the Latah County Parks Board for 13 years and has been active in the Palouse Chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby, the League of Women Voters of Idaho, and Braver Angels, a national organization working to reduce political polarization. In 2024, the Latah County Human Rights Task Force recognized her with the Rosa Parks Human Rights Achievement Award.

Political Career

Dawes has not previously held elected office. Her 2024 campaign for Idaho House District 6B was her first bid for the legislature. She won the Democratic primary unopposed and lost the November general election to incumbent Brandon Mitchell by a margin of 16,157 to 11,649, per Ballotpedia. She filed again for the May 2026 primary alongside Democratic challenger Kenneth Williams.

Policy Positions

In the Idaho Capital Sun’s 2024 voter guide, Dawes listed her three top budget priorities as increasing public education funding including facilities, lowering property taxes by increasing the homeowner’s exemption, and eliminating the sales tax on food. She told the University of Idaho Argonaut in October 2024 that public school buildings are “in desperate condition,” school districts are moving to four-day weeks, and excellent teachers are leaving the state.

On the use of public funds for private education, she told the Capital Sun she opposes any such method, citing Idaho’s constitutional prohibition on public funds for religious education under Article IX, Section 5.

On healthcare and reproductive rights, Dawes opposes Idaho’s current abortion restrictions and has stated she favors allowing individuals to make their own healthcare decisions free from government interference. She has also raised concern about potential future restrictions on contraception and IVF, per her Ballotpedia candidate survey.

On voting rights, Dawes has opposed her opponent’s sponsorship of House Bill 124, the 2023 law that eliminated student IDs as valid voting identification at polling places, as reported by the Idaho Press. She also opposes legislation that would raise the signature threshold for citizen-led ballot initiatives. On Proposition 1 in 2024, she told the Capital Sun she fully supported ranked choice voting and open primaries as a way to give power back to voters and increase accountability.

On climate and public lands, Dawes supports state-level action to address climate-related impacts on agriculture, water resources, and wildfire, and opposes the transfer or sale of Idaho’s public lands. She is active in the Citizens Climate Lobby, which promotes bipartisan approaches to climate policy.

Political Alignment

Dawes is classified as a Liberal Democrat. Her positions on reproductive healthcare access, opposition to school vouchers, support for voting rights, public land retention, and climate engagement place her within the liberal wing of the Idaho Democratic Party. She has emphasized individual liberty framing and cross-partisan depolarization work through Braver Angels, and her three top budget priorities focus on education, property tax relief, and food affordability. No endorsements from progressive activist organizations were identified during research.

Campaign and Endorsements

Dawes raised $64,984 during her 2024 campaign, with $55,231 coming from individuals and $500 from organizational donors, according to the Idaho Press. No formal organizational endorsements for either the 2024 or 2026 campaigns were identified as of April 2026. Her campaign slogan is “Bringing Idahoans Together.”

Public Controversies or Criticism

In September 2024, Dawes reported a polling firm to the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, alleging that a push poll conducted by JMC Analytics and Polling of Louisiana violated Idaho’s Sunshine Law by failing to identify its funder. The poll contained leading questions characterizing Dawes as supporting “dangerous open border policies and raising taxes on Idahoans,” both of which she publicly denied, as reported by the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Former Idaho Attorney General Jim Jones described the poll as a “clearcut effort to smear Dawes” in a column for the Idaho Press, and identified a link between JMC Analytics and a school-choice advocacy group. The campaign manager for Brandon Mitchell stated that Mitchell did not authorize or have prior knowledge of the poll.

FAQ

Who is Kathy Dawes? Kathy Dawes is a retired science educator and civic leader from Moscow running as a Democrat for the Idaho House of Representatives in District 6B. She holds a master’s degree in Zoology from the University of Idaho and taught eighth-grade science in the Moscow School District for many years.

What district is Kathy Dawes running in? Dawes is running in Idaho House District 6B, which covers part of Latah County including Moscow.

Is Kathy Dawes an incumbent or challenger? She is a challenger. Dawes has not held elected office and is running against Republican incumbent Brandon Mitchell for the second consecutive election cycle.

What are Kathy Dawes’s political positions? Dawes supports fully funding public schools and opposing school vouchers, amending Idaho’s abortion restrictions, protecting access to reproductive healthcare, eliminating the sales tax on groceries, lowering property taxes, preserving public lands, and protecting voting rights and citizen initiative rights.

Did Kathy Dawes run before? Yes. Dawes ran in the 2024 general election for the same seat, winning the Democratic primary unopposed before losing to incumbent Brandon Mitchell in November 2024.

2024 Primary Election Results Dawes 1,091 / Unopposed

2024 General Election Results Mitchell 16,157 / Dawes 11,649

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