Lori Den Hartog

Lori Den Hartog: Idaho Republican Incumbent for Senate District 22

Lori Den Hartog is a Republican member of the Idaho State Senate and the Senate Majority Leader, seeking a seventh term in District 22, which covers portions of Meridian and Kuna in Ada County. Den Hartog lives in Meridian and has represented the district continuously since December 2014. She is running unopposed in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary, as confirmed on Ballotpedia. No general election challenger had been identified at the time of publication.

Background

Den Hartog was born in Escondido, California, and was raised in rural Ada County. She graduated from Nampa Christian High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a minor in Public Administration from Dordt University, as noted on Wikipedia. Her professional background includes work in land use and transportation planning and grant administration, as described on Ballotpedia. She is listed as a homemaker on her Idaho Legislature member page. She and her husband Scott have three children. Her father, Rep. John Vander Woude, also serves in the Idaho Legislature as a Republican representative for District 22, as noted on Wikipedia.

Political Career

Den Hartog was first elected to the Idaho Senate in 2014, defeating Charles Pratt Porter in the Republican primary before running unopposed in the general election, as documented on Ballotpedia. She has won re-election in every cycle since. She served as vice chair of the Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2020 and chaired the Senate Transportation Committee in the 2021-2022 session, as noted on Wikipedia. She was subsequently elevated to Senate Majority Leader, a position she holds in her current term, per the Idaho Legislature Senate leadership page. She currently sits on the Local Government and Taxation and State Affairs committees, per her Idaho Legislature member page.

Her most prominent legislative work has centered on school choice. She co-sponsored a private school tax credit bill in 2024 alongside Rep. Wendy Horman, as reported by Idaho Education News, following years of failed efforts to pass voucher or education savings account legislation. She has also served on the Public School Funding Formula Committee, the Occupational Licensing and Certification Laws Committee, and the Purchasing and Procurement Interim Committee.

Policy Positions

Den Hartog’s publicly stated priorities include school choice, education funding reform, transportation infrastructure, fiscal conservatism, and parental rights in education. On education funding, she has long advocated for a model where money follows the student, stating in an early campaign interview that she hoped Idaho would move closer to “a model where the money follows the child” to empower parents to find schools that fit their children’s needs. On school choice, her co-sponsorship of the 2024 private school tax credit bill represented the culmination of years of legislative work on the issue, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.

Political Alignment

Den Hartog is a Traditional Conservative Republican. As Senate Majority Leader, she occupies the institutional leadership of the Idaho Senate. Her school choice advocacy is consistent with the mainstream of Idaho’s Republican legislative agenda rather than its activist or far-right factions.

Campaign and Endorsements

Den Hartog is running unopposed in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary. Her documented endorsements include the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry and the Idaho Farm Bureau. No general election challenger had been identified at the time of publication. The general election is November 3, 2026.

FAQ

Who is Lori Den Hartog, Idaho? Lori Den Hartog is a Republican state senator from Meridian currently serving her sixth consecutive term in Idaho Senate District 22. She is the Senate Majority Leader and has represented the district since 2014.

What district does Lori Den Hartog represent? Den Hartog represents Senate District 22, which covers portions of Meridian and Kuna in Ada County.

Is Lori Den Hartog an incumbent? Yes. Den Hartog was first elected in 2014 and is seeking a seventh term. She is running unopposed in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary.

What committees does Lori Den Hartog serve on? Den Hartog serves on the Local Government and Taxation and State Affairs committees and serves as Senate Majority Leader, per her Idaho Legislature member page.

What are Lori Den Hartog’s main policy positions? Den Hartog’s stated priorities include school choice, education funding reform, transportation infrastructure, fiscal conservatism, and parental rights in education.

2024 Primary Election Results Den Hartog — Unopposed

2024 General Election Results Den Hartog defeated Pierce (D)

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