Kent A. Marmon

Kent Marmon: Idaho Republican Incumbent for House District 11A

Kent Marmon is a Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives serving District 11A, which covers portions of Caldwell in Canyon County. Marmon assumed office on December 1, 2024, after defeating incumbent Julie Yamamoto in the Republican primary. He is seeking re-election in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary against challenger Carlos Hernandez. Nicole Hyland is running in the November 3, 2026 general election.

Background

Kent Marmon was born and raised in Caldwell, a second-generation Caldwellite of pioneer great-grandparents, according to his Idaho Legislature member profile. He graduated from Caldwell High School, attended the College of Idaho, and earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration with honors from Northwest Nazarene University in 2004. He and his wife Sylvia have been married more than 36 years and have three adult children and ten grandchildren. The Idaho Press reported in April 2026 that the couple’s Caldwell home, where they had lived for four decades, was extensively damaged by a fire and rendered uninhabitable.

Marmon owned and operated a family printing business for 12 years until 1999, held various management positions at Albertsons, built two Ace Hardware stores for an Ace franchisee, and served as Training Development Manager at MotivePower in Boise before retiring at age 54, as noted in his Idaho Legislature biography. He is an Eagle Scout, a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, and served as governor of the Utah-Idaho District of Kiwanis International.

Political Career

Marmon ran unsuccessfully for Idaho legislative seats multiple times before winning in 2024. He lost Republican primaries for House District 10B in 2010, the Senate District 10 race in 2012, and a House District 12A primary in 2014, according to Ballotpedia. He also served on the Caldwell City Council in the mid-1980s and as a Caldwell School District board member.

In May 2024, Marmon defeated incumbent Rep. Julie Yamamoto in the Republican primary for House District 11A, receiving 1,912 votes to Yamamoto’s 1,455, as reported by Idaho Education News. Yamamoto had served as chair of the House Education Committee and had repeatedly opposed school choice legislation. Marmon’s victory was part of a broader 2024 pattern in which IFF-backed challengers displaced committee chairs who had blocked the school choice agenda, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun. Marmon then won the November 2024 general election over Democrat Anthony Porto, 10,987 to 5,682.

As of the 2026 legislative session, Marmon serves on the House Business, Education, and Local Government committees, per his Idaho Legislature member profile. He voted in favor of HB 93, the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit, which created a $50 million annual refundable tax credit program for private and homeschool families and was signed into law in February 2025. Marmon is a member of the Idaho Gang of Eight, a group of House conservatives who have signed a joint budget pledge committing to vote only for budgets that limit spending growth and reject new budget enhancements, as documented in publications by the Pocatello Chubbuck Observer and the Gang of Eight’s own Substack. The group has also called for repeal of Medicaid expansion and elimination of programs including Idaho Launch as part of its 2026 budget platform.

Policy Positions

Marmon’s publicly stated positions center on limited government, fiscal restraint, parental rights in education, and opposition to government mandates. He supports eliminating the state sales tax on groceries and has called for reforming or repealing property taxes, characterizing ongoing property taxes as requiring homeowners to perpetually pay the government for property they own, as stated in his candidate questionnaire responses. He opposes government mandates restricting marketplace activity, including prohibitions on vehicles, tools, or equipment using fossil fuels, and opposes state investment of tax dollars in firms applying environmental, social, and governance criteria. He holds that life begins at conception and extends to natural or accidental death.

On fiscal policy, Marmon has positioned himself as an active voice for government spending reduction in the legislature. The Gang of Eight’s 2026 budget pledge, which Marmon signed, calls for reducing overall state spending to approximately $13.37 billion in FY2027 by holding budgets flat and making targeted cuts, and supports recommendations to repeal Medicaid expansion, as published in the Gang of Eight’s Substack.

Political Alignment

Marmon is a Far-Right Extremist. His 2024 primary campaign was backed by Idaho Freedom PAC, the campaign arm of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, as reported by Idaho Education News, along with Stop Idaho RINOs PAC and Think Liberty Idaho PAC. He also received an endorsement from former Idaho State Treasurer Ron Crane, as documented in earlier IVG campaign records. His membership in the Gang of Eight places him among the legislature’s most ideologically positioned fiscal conservatives, whose budget pledge calls for cutting Medicaid expansion and rejecting all spending enhancements. His IFF PAC backing, his convergent alignment with the Gang of Eight’s no-enhancements platform, and his role in the 2024 wave that displaced long-serving committee chairs from the legislature’s center-right together place Marmon at the far-right edge of Idaho Republican politics.

Public Controversies

In November 2024, Marmon was among eight incoming Republican legislators who signed a joint statement pledging to reject a proposed legislative pay raise on the first day of the 2025 session, calling instead for action on grocery tax repeal. The Citizens’ Committee on Legislative Compensation had approved a raise from roughly $17,000 to $25,000 in base salary. When House Republican leadership introduced a compromise resolution allowing legislators to donate any unwanted raise to the Tax Relief Fund, Marmon criticized the approach publicly. “You’re still increasing spending by over half a million dollars with this. And half a million here, half a million there, pretty soon you’re talking about real money,” Marmon told Boise State Public Radio, as reported in a January 2025 story. The pay raise ultimately took effect at a reduced rate. Marmon and the other signatories of the original statement were the same eight legislators who became known as the Gang of Eight, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.

In February 2025, Idaho lawmakers reported receiving emails purportedly from their own constituents urging grocery tax repeal, which turned out to have been sent by American Action Fund, a political action committee affiliated with the Texas-based Young Americans for Liberty. Multiple legislators confirmed the emails were fabrications, with Rep. Rod Furniss noting one appeared to be from himself. The episode was reported by Idaho Reports. Marmon, who had himself called for grocery tax repeal, was not among the legislators publicly commenting on the fake emails, but the episode drew renewed attention to YAL’s involvement in Idaho legislative politics and the relationship between the new class of conservative freshmen and the out-of-state group.

Campaign and Endorsements

Marmon was backed in 2024 by Idaho Freedom PAC, Stop Idaho RINOs PAC, and Think Liberty Idaho PAC, along with former Idaho State Treasurer Ron Crane. He faces Republican primary challenger Carlos Hernandez in the May 19, 2026 primary. Nicole Hyland is running in the November 3, 2026 general election.

FAQ

Who is Kent Marmon, Idaho? Kent Marmon is a Republican state representative from Caldwell serving his first term in the Idaho House of Representatives for District 11A. A second-generation Caldwellite, Eagle Scout, and retired businessman, he defeated incumbent Julie Yamamoto in the 2024 Republican primary and is a member of the Idaho Gang of Eight.

What district does Kent Marmon represent? Marmon represents House District 11A, which covers portions of Caldwell in Canyon County.

Is Kent Marmon an incumbent? Yes. Marmon was first elected in 2024 and is seeking a second term in the May 2026 Republican primary.

What committees does Kent Marmon serve on? Marmon serves on the House Business, Education, and Local Government committees, per his Idaho Legislature member profile.

What is the Idaho Gang of Eight? The Gang of Eight is a group of eight Idaho House members who have signed a joint budget pledge committing to vote only for budgets that hold or reduce overall state spending. Marmon is a member of the group, as documented by the Pocatello Chubbuck Observer.

2024 Primary Election Results Marmon 1,912 / Yamamoto 1,455

2024 General Election Results Marmon 10,987 / Porto 5,682

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