Larry Nostrant

Larry Nostrant: Democratic nominee for Idaho House District 7, Seat A

Larry Nostrant, a Democrat from Lewiston, is the nominee for Idaho House District 7, Seat A, on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. He will face Republican incumbent Kyle Harris, who has held the seat since 2024. Nostrant won the May 19, 2026 primary unopposed with 1,284 votes, 100 percent of ballots cast, a certified result. Harris won a contested Republican primary over Michael G. Collins, 4,841 votes (57.03 percent) to 3,647 (42.97 percent), per Idaho Secretary of State results.

Background

Nostrant has lived in the region since 1987 and in Lewiston since 2018. He holds a BA in public finance and economics and completed postgraduate studies in construction management. In his candidate statement to the Idaho County Free Press, he describes himself as a decorated veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard.

After military service, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a hydrology technician. He then entered bank management training through the Veterans Education and Placement program at the end of the Vietnam War. He spent twelve years as a lending officer at four large commercial banks and earned his degree during that period. In 1986 he returned to the construction industry, where he had apprenticed before entering the service. His campaign site lists his roles there as journeyman carpenter, job foreman, and project manager. He retired in 2012.

After retiring, he acquired an Idaho Outfitter and Guides license and ran guided fishing trips in several western states, Costa Rica, and Panama. He writes that the trips were tailored to working-class sportsmen. He is married to Vickie Whitinger Nostrant, who serves as his campaign treasurer, per his campaign website.

Why he's running

In his candidate statement, Nostrant writes that since returning to Lewiston he has followed legislative policy out of Boise and seen "a continued decline in services provided to taxpayers" and "a never-ending increase in the taxes levied against Idaho's non-corporate taxpayers." He writes that the 2026 legislative session cut appropriations generally by 5 percent, and he singles out three line items he says sit at zero: the SEAP tuition program for National Guard members, fire prevention and suppression at the Department of Lands, and National Guard disaster response. He also criticizes litigation costs from lawsuits filed by the state Attorney General.

Property taxes and cost of living

His first stated campaign goal is to "restore affordability to homeowners through market adjustment of the Homeowners Exemption for primary residences." He asks why properties are taxed on "ever inflating sales values" when the owners are not selling. He also calls for repealing the sales tax on food, arguing that grocery inflation has added about $300 per month to a typical family of four's bill.

Education and workforce

On K-12 funding, he wants to end what he calls the "homeschooling cash gift." He frames it as a fairness question: "Why should the State be willing to give 10 TIMES the money to homeschooled child that they grudgingly provide to traditional schools for that same child?"

His workforce goals are narrower and more specific. They include promoting "apprenticeship, mentorship and technical trades programs" and reducing some restrictions while increasing incentives for part-time jobs for high school students, which he writes "will instill a work ethic, teamship, and provide a sense of worth" in students willing to put the effort forth.

He ties the apprenticeship goals to his own career, writing that trades programs paired with well-prepared high school students "can provide a growing workforce to replace the old farts like me."

Public lands

Public lands protection is his final stated campaign goal. He writes: "Protect and preserve our Federal Public Lands." He argues that outdoor recreation is "the foundation of the Idaho Experience" and says that foundation will "crumble if these lands are fenced in and locked up by greedy outsiders, turned into private playlands by a wealthy few," and opened to natural resource extraction companies. His closing line on the issue: "Frank Church had it right!"

Sources

• Larry Nostrant for Idaho, campaign website
• Idaho County Free Press, "Nostrant to face Republican winner on Nov. 3"
• Nez Perce County Democratic Party, "Larry Nostrant is Running for Idaho House District 7A"
• Idaho Secretary of State, certified May 19, 2026 primary results