Loren Petty

Loren Petty: Idaho House District 22, Seat A

Two years ago, Loren Petty got 9,989 votes in the general election for Idaho House District 22, Seat A — about a third of the vote, and a loss. This fall he's back, running for the same open seat against a different Republican, on the same issues he heard about door to door in 2024: housing costs, property tax relief, and public school funding.

The matchup

District 22 touches Boise, Meridian, and Nampa, according to the Idaho Statesman. The seat has been held by Rep. John Vander Woude, who did not file for reelection this year and is retiring at the end of his term, leaving the seat open. Republicans Greg Ferch and Kelly Walton ran off for the nomination in the May 19 primary; Walton won, 3,120 votes to 3,005, and faces Petty on November 3, per certified Idaho Secretary of State results.

Election history

This is Petty's second consecutive run for the seat. In May 2024 he won the Democratic primary unopposed with 1,067 votes, per the Idaho Secretary of State's candidate record. In the November 2024 general, he lost to Vander Woude, 9,989 votes (34.1 percent) to 19,310 (65.9 percent), according to the Secretary of State's contest results.

For 2026, Petty again ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on May 19, receiving 1,583 votes, or 100 percent, per certified Secretary of State results. He advanced automatically to the general election.

Background

Petty describes himself on his campaign site as an Idaho native with a Boise hometown. He graduated from Boise's Capital High School in 1976, then served in the Marine Corps as an infantryman from 1977 to 1981, and later served in the Marine Corps Reserve.

After the military, he went to work at Jack Petty Roofing, his family's roofing business, where he spent 40 years as an employee and manager, from 1981 to 2021. He's now retired from it. Along the way he earned a bachelor's degree in communication and journalism from Boise State University in 2001, and he published a newsprint periodical, Boise Times, from 1992 through 1997. In a 2026 candidate survey reposted on his site, he lists 67 years in Idaho as of September 27, 2026.

He frames his candidacy in blue-collar terms. "I am running to represent District 22 as a blue collar every day Idahoan who will stand up for the working people, not the wealthy interests who take advantage of them," he writes on his site. He adds that he is "tired of hearing the most outrageous extremist ideas described as 'the Idaho way.'"

Where he stands

Petty lists seven goals on his campaign site: quality public education, equal rights for all, affordable housing and living wages, reproductive rights, protecting public lands and hunting and fishing access, expanding access to medical care, and standing up for working Idahoans.

Affordability gets the most detail. In his survey response, he writes that District 22 residents worry about groceries, fuel, health care, and housing, and that longtime residents see their children leave the state for cheaper housing and better wages elsewhere. He singles out seniors on fixed incomes who, as home values rise, no longer qualify for Idaho's property tax relief program, the circuit breaker. He also argues that public schools are being underfunded by the state while, in his words, "precious education money is diverted to provide private school tuition relief for mostly wealthy recipients."

On taxes, he writes that "no millionaire should pay at a lower tax rate than nurses, teachers, police officers, or firefighters." On process, he says he supports public testimony on every bill, and he has made a specific pledge about ballot initiatives, the form of direct democracy Idaho voters use to enact laws: "I pledge to never vote to weaken the voice of the people of Idaho by overturning a decision made by ballot initiative."

Campaign finance

Petty is running a small operation. His campaign finance profile on the state's Sunshine portal shows $2,882 in contributions for the 2026 cycle to date, $1,409.70 in expenditures, $1,589.60 in ending cash, and no debt.

Most of that money is his own: Petty has contributed $1,962 to his campaign, about two-thirds of the total. The rest comes from small-dollar donors, including $250 from Robert Boatright of Cascade, $200 from Laurie Morehead of Hammett, $100 from Bob Roberts of New Meadows, and smaller amounts from several Boise-area contributors. Nearly all of it, $2,822, comes from inside Idaho. "I am not planning on running an extravagant campaign," he writes on his site, where he suggests $5 is plenty.

The rematch

Petty lost by 31.8 percentage points in 2024, and this year's race looks structurally similar on paper: a Democrat from Boise running in a district that backed Vander Woude by a wide margin. The difference this time is the opponent and the open seat — Walton enters the general without an incumbent's name recognition, and Petty has now spent two cycles introducing himself to the same voters.

Sources

• Loren Petty for Idaho, campaign website
• Loren Petty candidate record, Idaho Secretary of State
• 2024 General Election, State Representative A, District 22, Idaho Secretary of State
• Loren Dale Petty candidate profile, Idaho Sunshine campaign finance portal
• Who's running in Idaho Legislature's District 22 primary?, Idaho Statesman