Marco Erickson

Marco Erickson: Idaho Republican Incumbent for House District 33B

Marco Erickson is a Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives seeking a fourth term in District 33B, which covers a portion of Idaho Falls in Bonneville County. Erickson lives in Idaho Falls and has represented the district since December 2020. He faces Republican challenger Jilene Burger in the May 19, 2026 primary, a rematch of their 2024 contest. Democrat Todd DeVries is running in the general election.

Background

Erickson was born in Montana and raised in Boise, Idaho. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Montana State University and a master's degree in psychology from Walden University, as noted on his Idaho Legislature member page. He spent 14 years providing direct mental health services to families in eastern Idaho, then transitioned to state government and nonprofit work managing departments focused on education, public health, and behavioral health, with projects spanning anti-bullying, suicide prevention, homelessness, drug and alcohol treatment, Medicaid, maternal and child health, and drug prevention. He currently works as a coalition program director and serves on the Board of Directors for Community Suicide Prevention and the Region 7 Juvenile Justice Council, as noted on Ballotpedia. He has been married for 24 years and has five children.

Political Career

Erickson won his House seat in 2020 by defeating incumbent Bryan Zollinger in the Republican primary, with backing from U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson and Melaleuca CEO Frank VanderSloot, as reported by the Post Register. He has won re-election in 2022 and 2024, defeating Jilene Burger in the 2024 Republican primary 56% to 44%, as reported by East Idaho News. In late 2023, the Legislative District 33 Republican Committee, then chaired by Burger, placed Erickson under investigation alongside five other Idaho Falls-area legislators, citing alleged breaches of the state party platform. Erickson received a 55-page packet containing 14 allegations and declined to participate in the proceedings, stating he had secured his seat without the committee's endorsement and prioritized pragmatic governance, as reported by the Idaho Press. He currently serves as vice chair of the House Health and Welfare Committee and also sits on the Judiciary, Rules and Administration and Local Government committees, per his Idaho Legislature member page. His legislative work has focused on behavioral health, youth treatment home oversight, and public health policy, including sponsoring legislation to increase regulation and oversight of youth treatment homes, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.

Policy Positions

Erickson's publicly stated priorities, drawn from his Idaho Republican Party candidate profile and legislative record, center on behavioral and public health, youth services, pragmatic fiscal governance, and community-focused policy. He has described his approach as prioritizing effective public service over ideological conformity or party scoring metrics, and has cited his professional background in mental health as directly informing his committee work. On fiscal matters, he has supported tax relief measures and investments in schools, healthcare, and infrastructure while opposing rigid adherence to ideological benchmarks, as described in candidate interviews with East Idaho News.

Political Alignment

Erickson is a Traditional Conservative Republican. His 2020 primary campaign drew backing from U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson and Melaleuca CEO Frank VanderSloot, reflecting support from the institutional conservative wing of eastern Idaho Republican politics. His pragmatic approach to governance, rooted in his mental health and public health professional background, has placed him in tension with the district's more ideologically driven Republican faction, as evidenced by the 2023 party investigation proceeding initiated by the same challenger he now faces for the third time.

Campaign and Endorsements

Erickson faces Jilene Burger in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary. Democrat Todd DeVries is running in the general election. No formal organizational endorsements for his 2026 campaign had been publicly reported at the time of publication. The general election is November 3, 2026.