Idaho General Election · November 3, 2026Find polling place
Democrat

Letishia Silva

Letishia Silva

Idaho Senate, District 13

Campaign website:Campaign Website
Email:letishiaforidaho@gmail.com
City:Nampa

Letishia Silva: Democratic nominee for Idaho Senate District 13

Letishia Silva is the Democratic nominee for Idaho Senate District 13 on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. Her opponent is Republican incumbent Brian Lenney. Both candidates won their May 19 primaries unopposed: Silva with 722 votes, Lenney with 3,557.

Background

Silva describes herself in her own words as a working-class mother of four and a proud wife, married to a union worker. On her campaign site she writes that she was born and raised in Idaho, "in a rural area," and that her parents were "an educator and a carpenter." She credits them with teaching her "the value of education, hard work, and integrity." Her rural upbringing shaped her passion for public education, she writes, and she says she understands the challenges teachers face because of it.

Politics was not her first plan. "I ran in District 10 for the first time in 2024, never thinking I would ever venture into the wild world of politics," she writes. She describes her return to campaigning in 2026 with a line from her own site: she is "cannonballing right into the deep end yet again."

Path to this race

This is Silva's second run for the Idaho Senate. In 2024 she sought the District 10 seat. She won her Democratic primary unopposed with 666 votes, then lost the general election to Republican Tammy Nichols by a wide margin: 6,342 votes (19.3 percent) to Nichols' 26,443 (80.7 percent), per the Idaho Secretary of State's candidate database.

For 2026 she switched districts and moved quickly. When candidate filing opened on the morning of Monday, February 23, Silva was first in line. According to Idaho Education News reporter Sean Dolan, she was the first of 272 legislative candidates to file that week, submitting at 8:02 a.m., just seconds ahead of Republican candidate Colton Bennett. The Idaho Education News filing-week story also lists her race as a challenge to Sen. Brian Lenney in District 13.

Where she stands

Silva's stated priorities come from her campaign site, Letishia Silva of Idaho. They include healthcare access, with an emphasis on rural areas, education and teacher pay, and fair wages for union and trade workers, whom she notes often earn below the national average. She also lists support for LGBTQ+ youth, domestic-abuse prevention, and programs for at-risk youth.

Her campaign framing leans on accountability to voters rather than to a party. "My loyalty will never be to a party," she writes. "My loyalty lies with hard-working Idahoans." She criticizes what she calls national issues being pushed into Idaho communities, and argues that lawmakers answer to the people, in her words: "we don't work for the state legislators; THEY WORK FOR US!" Her tagline is "Together, we will move Idaho forward."

She did not respond to the 2026 idahonews.com candidate survey for Senate District 13 by its deadline.

Campaign finance

Per Idaho's Sunshine campaign finance portal, Silva's committee shows $200.00 in total contributions and $0 in loans for the 2026 cycle. Reported expenditures total $369.97, leaving an ending cash balance of $204.10 and $0 in outstanding debt.

Silva frames her approach to money in politics herself. "Doing what's right shouldn't cost money or be done for profit," she writes on her campaign site. "I will always choose people over profit, every single time."

Sources

Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated September 26, 2026. This profile will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Frequently asked questions

What office is Letishia Silva running for?
She is the Democratic nominee for Idaho Senate District 13, a legislative seat covering Canyon County, on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
Who is her opponent?
Republican incumbent Brian Lenney, the seated state senator for District 13, who won his May 19, 2026 primary unopposed with 3,557 votes.
How did Silva win her primary?
She ran unopposed in the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary and received 722 votes, or 100 percent, per official Idaho Secretary of State results.
Has she run for office before?
Yes. In 2024 she ran for Idaho Senate District 10, winning her Democratic primary unopposed with 666 votes, then losing the general election to Republican Tammy Nichols 6,342 votes (19.3 percent) to 26,443 (80.7 percent).
What are her main campaign issues?
Per her campaign site, her priorities include healthcare access with an emphasis on rural areas, education and teacher pay, fair wages for union and trade workers, support for LGBTQ+ youth, domestic-abuse prevention, and programs for at-risk youth.
Did she answer the local newspaper's candidate survey?
No. The 2026 idahonews.com candidate survey for Senate District 13 lists her as not having responded by its deadline.
How much money has her campaign raised?
Her 2026 Sunshine filing shows $200.00 in total contributions, $0 in loans, $369.97 in reported expenditures, an ending cash balance of $204.10, and $0 in outstanding debt for the 2026 cycle.

Also on the ballot in District 13

Every candidate for the State Senate and both House seats in this district. See the full District 13 page.

More on the November 3 ballot