Maureen Anderson

Maureen Anderson: Idaho Republican Candidate for House District 7B

Maureen Anderson is a Republican candidate challenging incumbent Charlie Shepherd for the Idaho House of Representatives seat in District 7B, which covers portions of Idaho, Adams, and Nez Perce counties. Anderson is a Lewiston resident and an employee of Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Idaho. She has never held elected office but has been active in Lewiston civic and political organizing for several years. Her 2026 primary challenge against Shepherd marks her first run for state legislative office.

Background

Anderson grew up in Eastern Oregon, graduating from Baker High School in 1988. She attended the University of Oregon briefly before returning to Baker City to help family. After living in several states and traveling abroad, she moved to Lewiston in 2015, where she and her husband Rockey settled with their family. The couple has nine children and 19 grandchildren. Anderson works as an employee of Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Idaho and has served on the city of Lewiston Planning and Zoning Commission since February 2023. She is president of the Lewiston Clarkston Sunrise Rotary and formerly served as secretary of the Nez Perce County Republican Women’s Club.

In 2021, Anderson co-founded Lewiston SMART, a political action committee that campaigned to convert Lewiston from a council-manager to a strong-mayor form of city government. The group gathered more than 900 validated signatures in under a month to place the measure on the November 2021 ballot, where voters approved it. Anderson also founded the Nez Perce County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a national organization that advocates for parental rights in education and has campaigned against LGBTQ-inclusive and diversity-related content in K-12 schools. Moms for Liberty has been described by AP and PBS NewsHour as a conservative activist group whose chapters have sought book removals in school libraries across the country.

Political Career

Anderson has not held elected office. In November 2023, she ran for one of three open seats on the Lewiston City Council and finished fourth in a field of eight candidates, failing to win a seat. Her candidacy carried the formal endorsement of the Nez Perce County Republican Central Committee and received a $1,000 contribution from then-Idaho state Rep. Mike Kingsley, according to the Lewiston Tribune. The Republican Central Committee’s involvement in the nonpartisan race became a prominent issue in the contest, and the Tribune’s editorial board noted that Anderson, despite leading in fundraising, ran a distant fourth.

Policy Positions

Anderson’s publicly stated positions draw from her campaign website and prior civic activity.

On property taxes, Anderson has called for putting Idaho on a path toward property tax elimination, describing homeowners who pay property taxes as being “forced to permanently rent their property from the government.” She has proposed achieving that goal through a rising homestead exemption combined with budgeting constraints.

On education, Anderson opposes Common Core, critical race theory, and what she describes as federal Department of Education priorities, stating those do not belong in the classroom and that parents should be central to education decisions. She led a 2023 effort to restrict student access to certain books in Lewiston school libraries, appearing at a Lewiston School District board meeting to read passages she described as age-inappropriate. She frames her position as one of parental oversight rather than censorship.

On abortion, Anderson’s campaign website states she believes life begins at conception and that it is “the duty of a moral society to protect the unborn as well as women and children.”

On healthcare, she supports medical freedom and patient autonomy, including the right of physicians to exercise clinical judgment without government interference and informed consent requirements.

On fiscal policy, she describes fiscal conservatism as “a way of life” and states she will actively fight for a balanced budget and cut government spending.

On the Second Amendment, Anderson states she will “fiercely defend” the right to bear arms and that it “shall NOT be infringed.”

Political Alignment

Anderson is associated with the Christian Nationalist Activist wing of the Idaho Republican Party. Her campaign website states explicitly that “Our Country was founded on Christian values, and it is my duty to defend the Constitution according to those values” – language that frames civil governance in terms of Christian identity and obligation. She founded the Nez Perce County chapter of Moms for Liberty and led a book-restriction campaign in Lewiston school libraries; her 2023 school board reading was shared on Facebook by Idaho Freedom Caucus co-chair Sen. Tammy Nichols.

Her campaign has also received endorsements from the Idaho Freedom PAC, Stop Idaho RINOs, and the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance. Her 2023 city council candidacy was formally endorsed by the Nez Perce County Republican Central Committee, which the Lewiston Tribune editorial board described as having demonstrated extremism through its censure of Rep. Lori McCann. The convergence of her own governing-framework rhetoric, activist organizational affiliations, and endorsements from the far-right wing of the Idaho GOP supports a Christian Nationalist Activist classification.

Campaign and Endorsements

Anderson’s 2026 campaign has received endorsements from former Idaho state Rep. Mike Kingsley, the Idaho Freedom PAC, Stop Idaho RINOs, Honor Idaho Pro-Life, and the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, which awarded her a 100% score on its candidate survey, according to her campaign website. Her primary opponent, incumbent Charlie Shepherd, has represented District 7B since 2020. The winner of the May 19, 2026, Republican primary will face Democrat Pete Gertonson of Lewiston in the November 3, 2026, general election.

FAQ

Who is Maureen Anderson, Idaho? Maureen Anderson is a Republican candidate for Idaho House of Representatives District 7B in the 2026 election. She is a Lewiston resident, Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance employee, and co-founder of both Lewiston SMART and the Nez Perce County chapter of Moms for Liberty.

What district is Maureen Anderson running in? Anderson is running in Idaho House District 7B, which covers portions of Idaho, Adams, and Nez Perce counties including the city of Lewiston.

Is Maureen Anderson an incumbent or challenger? Anderson is a challenger. She has never held elected office. She ran unsuccessfully for Lewiston City Council in 2023.

What are Maureen Anderson’s political positions? Anderson has advocated for pro-growth economic policy, efficient government spending, airport investment as an economic driver, and parental oversight of school library materials. She founded the Nez Perce County chapter of Moms for Liberty, which campaigns for parental rights in education.

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