Shaila Tate

Shaila Tate: Independent Nominee for Idaho Senate District 26

Shaila Joanne Tate, a 21-year-old from Jerome, is the Independent nominee for Idaho Senate District 26 on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. She was the only Independent to file for the seat, so she advanced straight to the general with no primary contest. She faces two opponents: incumbent Democratic Sen. Ron Taylor of Hailey, who is running for a third term, and Republican Bryan Hyde, a first-time candidate.

Background

Tate's own account comes from a 2026 candidate survey published by Idaho News (CBS2/FOX9) in August. She wrote: "I have been immersed in Idaho politics, local and state, for the last four years. I have interned in the State Legislature at the Capitol since I was 18, I am currently 21 years old." She listed internships during the 2023, 2024, and 2025 legislative sessions, "working alongside our conservative Legislators." She also wrote that she is "an elected member of a Charter School Board in our district" and holds "a degree in Christian Leadership and Political Science."

The Idaho Mountain Express, in its coverage of the District 26 race, reported that Tate lives in Carey, has been a legislative intern for four years, works at the Carey airport, and is a member of a local charter school board. In her own survey answer, she also wrote that she volunteered on "my mom and grandma's run for House and Senate in 2024" and has "knocked thousands of doors in our district."

Stated positions

Tate's survey responses state her platform in her own words. On abortion, she wrote: "In District 26 we need to eradicate the idea that abortion is healthcare. One thing matters, and that thing is LIFE."

On immigration, she wrote that District 26 has "an illegal immigration crisis" and argued: "We must close all Federal and State borders and ship back all illegals to wherever they came from as soon as possible." Her claims linking immigration to local crime rates appear in the same response and are her own assertions, not independently documented statistics.

On the budget, she wrote that "40% of our budget in the last year came from our federal government" and called for the state to "STOP OVERSPENDING money stolen from the hard-working middle class." She pledged: "I will vote against any and every budget increase and all federal funding."

Her survey answer closed with this: "I am one young voice, it is going to take multitudes and miracles to get Idaho and this Nation back on solid ground, rooted in God, which will always fruit freedom." She signed off with her campaign tagline: "VOTE TATE FOR STATE."

Campaign finance

Filing data on Idaho's Sunshine financial disclosure portal shows a small campaign. Through her last filed report, Tate raised $484.53 in contributions, entirely from individuals, and received $200 in loans. She has spent $567.83, with expenditures going entirely to literature and printing, and had $116.70 cash on hand with $200 in outstanding debt.

Her top contributors are Mindy Collins of Sunnyvale, Texas ($222), Kala Tate of Carey ($112.53), Kobe Collins of Sunnyvale, Texas ($100), and Deeann Scott of Jerome ($50). Of the $484.53 she raised, $322 came from out of state.

That is a much smaller operation than either opponent is running this cycle. Taylor has raised over $40,000 and Hyde over $20,000, so Tate enters the final weeks of the race with the least money of the three candidates by a wide margin.

The incumbent she is running against

Taylor is serving his second term representing District 26, which covers Blaine, Lincoln, and Jerome counties. According to his official legislative biography, he is a Hailey resident who spent 27 years as a firefighter and paramedic with Wood River Fire & Rescue and the Ketchum Fire Department, retiring at the rank of captain. He serves on the Senate's Agricultural Affairs, Local Government & Taxation, and Resources & Environment committees, and received the President's Volunteer Service Award in 2022.

In his own survey response, Taylor named public education funding, protecting public lands, and water resources as his top district priorities. He is seeking reelection to a third term, so District 26 voters will choose among three candidates in November rather than filling an open seat.

Sources

• 2026 general election survey: State Senate District 26, Idaho News (CBS2/FOX9), August 24, 2026
• Idaho Mountain Express, "Idaho District 26 election takes shape"
• Idaho Secretary of State Sunshine portal, Shaila Joanne Tate candidate profile
• Idaho State Legislature, Sen. Ron Taylor member page