Pete Gertonson

Pete Gertonson: Idaho Democratic Candidate for House District 7B

Pete Gertonson is a Democratic candidate for the Idaho House of Representatives District 7B, a geographically expansive central Idaho district that includes Lewiston-area Nez Perce County communities and rural areas through the Salmon River drainage. Gertonson lives in Waha, Idaho, and is running unopposed in the May 19, 2026, Democratic primary, per the Idaho County Free Press. He will face the winner of the Republican primary between incumbent Charlie Shepherd and challenger Maureen Anderson in the November 3, 2026, general election.

Background

Gertonson was born in Ely, Nevada, and has lived in the Lewiston area since 1957, per the Lewiston Tribune. He graduated from Lewiston High School in 1971. He worked for the United States Postal Service and served as an executive board member of the Washington State Association of Letter Carriers for seven years, per VoteSmart. He earned a Bachelor of Science in general science with a minor in Geographic Information Systems from Lewis-Clark State College in 2010. He has served as chairperson of the Waha Water District for approximately 30 years, per the Lewiston Tribune. He is 74 years old, married to Jerene, and they are celebrating their 53rd anniversary in 2026. He has two daughters, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, per his candidate statement in the Idaho County Free Press.

Political Career

Gertonson has not held elected office. His civic and party career spans decades of Democratic Party organizing in Nez Perce County. He served as Nez Perce County Democratic Party chair from 2006 to 2010 and as an executive board member and county chairs chair of the Idaho State Democratic Party from 2009 to 2010, per VoteSmart. He served as a National Committeeman to the Democratic National Convention from 2011 to 2016 and was a publicly committed superdelegate supporting Bernie Sanders at the 2016 convention, per Ballotpedia. Gertonson has run for legislative office three times previously. He ran for Idaho House District 6A in 2012, losing to Republican Thyra Stevenson in the general election. He ran for Idaho State Senate District 6 in 2014, losing to Republican incumbent Dan Johnson. In 2024, he ran for Nez Perce County Commissioner District 3, losing to Joe Gish in the general election, per the Lewiston Tribune. His 2026 House District 7B race is his fourth campaign for public office.

Policy Positions

Gertonson's documented priorities draw from his candidate statement published by the Idaho County Free Press and his campaign website. On infrastructure, Gertonson has identified Idaho's road conditions and underfunded water and wastewater systems as his top priority. He told the Idaho County Free Press: "Idaho's roads score a 'C' and funding for needed water and waste water projects averages around 10% with 750-plus-million going unfunded." He has argued that addressing this deficit requires sustained state investment. On education, he supports increased K-12 funding, arguing that Idaho's public school funding levels are among the lowest in the nation. He also supports expanding apprenticeship, mentorship, and career and technical education programs. On taxes, he supports repealing the state grocery tax and reforming the homeowners exemption to reduce property tax burdens on residents who are not selling their homes. On public lands, he supports protecting federal public lands from transfer or privatization. On governance, Gertonson told the Lewiston Tribune in 2024 that his approach to public office is consensus-based: "The way I like to do things is get a consensus from people. I don't walk into any situation thinking I have all the answers."

Political Alignment

Gertonson is a Mainstream Democrat. His policy priorities center on infrastructure investment, public school funding, grocery tax repeal, and public lands protection, which are consistent with that classification in rural Idaho. His decades of Democratic Party organizing, his prior support for Bernie Sanders as a 2016 superdelegate, and his labor union background through the Letter Carriers reflect a working-class Democratic tradition rooted in Nez Perce County's union households. No organizational endorsements or progressive activist affiliations have been documented in connection with his 2026 campaign.

Campaign and Endorsements

Gertonson's campaign website is votepete.com. No formal organizational endorsements have been publicly reported as of April 2026. Campaign finance records are available through the Idaho Secretary of State's Sunshine database.