Lupita Connor

Lupita Connor: Democratic nominee for Idaho House District 9, Seat B

Lupita Connor is the Democratic nominee for Idaho House District 9, Seat B, on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. She won the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary unopposed, receiving 632 votes, 100 percent of ballots cast in the certified results. Her opponent is Republican incumbent Judy Boyle, who won her own primary with 5,270 votes, 65.93 percent, over Gregg Diacogiannis's 2,723 votes, 34.07 percent, also certified.

Background

Connor lives in Notus, a small city in Canyon County. She describes herself in her 2026 candidate survey response as "an educator, a local elected official, a native Idahoan, and a lifelong community advocate." This is her first run for the Idaho Legislature.

Notus City Council

Connor is a sitting member of the Notus City Council, having filed for a four-year term in September 2023. In the November 4, 2025 municipal election, she ran for Notus mayor and lost to David Porterfield, 60.7 percent to 39.3 percent, according to Idaho Press election results.

In early 2026, Connor was cited under a Notus city ordinance for missing a December 1, 2025 council meeting. Mayor David Porterfield testified that only two of the four council members were present for the scheduled meeting, short of the three required for a quorum, and it was adjourned shortly after it began. At a trial hearing at the Canyon County Courthouse, a judge dismissed the case, ruling the state had failed to prove the charge. Idaho News 6 reported that Connor had previously filed grievances against city leadership, which the mayor acknowledged in court, involving allegations of harassment and impartiality that began in late 2025. Connor said at the hearing, "I'm the first and only city council member to have ever been cited since that ordinance was ever initiated." She added, "I really feel it's based on submitting concerns, and I feel it was retaliatory."

Where she stands

In her survey response, Connor named her three highest priorities: making housing and everyday life more affordable, protecting Idaho's water and agricultural economy, and strengthening public education. On housing, she wrote that District 9 families need "attainable housing, property-tax relief, and wage growth aligned with living costs." She called affordable housing the biggest issue the Legislature has not addressed, citing a finding that housing affordability was Idahoans' leading budget priority for the third consecutive year, selected by 39 percent statewide. On water, she wrote that rural communities need "reliable irrigation and investment in water systems."

Connor will hold "regular town halls and rotating office hours throughout District 9, including its smaller communities." She says she will offer several ways to participate, including by telephone, email, online meetings, written surveys, and in-person conversations, and will communicate "in both English and Spanish when helpful." She also says she will publish how she voted and explain her reasoning. She opposes Flock automated license plate cameras, writing that they continuously record the movements of innocent people and place sensitive data in a privately controlled system. On budget shortfalls, she favors what she calls "conservative and transparent revenue forecasting," protecting essential services including K-12 education, Medicaid, water, and critical transportation, and reviewing tax credits to see whether they deliver the promised benefit.

Connor closes her survey response this way: "I am not running to serve a political organization or special interest. I am running to serve the people of District 9 with courage, transparency, and respect."

Sources

• Idaho Secretary of State, certified May 19, 2026 primary election results
• idahonews.com, 2026 general election candidate survey, State Representative District 9B, published August 24, 2026
• Idaho News 6 (KIVI-TV), "'I feel it was retaliatory': judge dismisses city-issued citation against Notus councilwoman," May 1, 2026
• Idaho Press, November 4, 2025 election results