Idaho General Election · November 3, 2026Find polling place
Democrat

Terri Pickens

Terri Pickens

Governor

Terri Pickens, Democratic nominee for Governor of Idaho

Terri Pickens is the Democratic nominee for Governor of Idaho in the November 3, 2026 general election. She filed on February 23, 2026, and the Idaho Secretary of State lists the filing as approved. In the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary, she received 30,326 votes (61.42%), according to the Idaho Secretary of State's certified results. Jill C. Kirkham received 8,375 (16.96%), Maxine Durand 7,177 (14.54%) and Chanelle Torrez 3,499 (7.09%).

Background

Her campaign website says she is a fourth-generation Idahoan, born and raised in Pocatello. It says she earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Southern California in 1994 and a J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law in 1998.

The site says she served as a public defender for Nez Perce County in Lewiston, moved to Boise in 1999 to be a trial attorney, and founded Pickens Law, P.A. in 2008.

Earlier campaign

Pickens was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022, appearing on the ballot as Terri Pickens Manweiler. According to the Idaho Secretary of State's election database, she received 178,147 votes (30.5%). Republican Scott Bedke won with 376,269 votes (64.4%), and Pro-Life, the Constitution Party candidate, received 29,989 (5.1%).

The Idaho Capital Sun reported in November 2022 that she had served on the board for Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky for more than five years.

In a March 6, 2025 post on her campaign blog, she wrote: "I used to be a Republican and didn't understand them!"

Positions, in her words

On the abortion rights initiative on the November ballot, she told the Idaho Capital Sun on July 15, 2026: "I absolutely 100% support the ballot initiative."

On taxes, she wrote in the CBS2/FOX9 candidate survey published August 24, 2026: "I will stop the irrational tax cuts for billionaires and work to claw back much of the $400 million billionaire tax cut from last year." She also wrote: "I want to repeal the tax on food."

On the Parental Choice Tax Credit, her campaign blog said on May 7, 2026: "I will end the $50 million private school voucher program."

On the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, she told the Idaho Capital Sun, in a story published August 13, 2026: "I will withdraw that memorandum of understanding; it's not legally binding." She added: "I will take Idaho off the table as a consideration for the innovation campuses."

On the 2026 law on restrooms, she told East Idaho News at an April 2026 forum: "There should be absolutely no prosecutions for someone needing to use a facility."

Her statements about opponents

Her campaign's statement announcing her candidacy, published by the Sandpoint Reader on November 13, 2025, said: "An autocratic virus in the extreme wing of the Republican Party has become a full-blown fascist movement." It also described "a lawless billionaire class that has captured our government and is plundering our state and national coffers."

A post on her campaign blog dated October 6, 2025, said: "They established concentration camps in the U.S. and abroad."

What critics say

Sen. David Lent and Rep. Ted Hill, both Republicans, criticized her stance on the nuclear campus in a Post Register opinion piece published September 3, 2026. They wrote that Pickens and others were "stoking fear about used nuclear fuel sitting safely at INL" and described the debate as "campaign-season scare tactics."

She replied in a September 21, 2026 post on her campaign blog, which reprinted an op-ed she wrote: "So, no, I am not fearmongering. That's their game."

Endorsements

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund listed her among its statewide endorsements, announced on September 14, 2026.

Campaign finance

The Idaho Secretary of State's Sunshine campaign finance system showed contributions of $217,520.83 and expenditures of $138,692.25 for the 2026 cycle on October 2, 2026. Its top-contributor list showed Pickens Law, P.A. at $10,000, and A.J. Balukoff, Susie Balukoff, Douglas Carnahan and Bill Carter at $5,000 each.

Sunshine showed $78,828.58 in cash on hand.

Sources

Profile published by IdahoVoters.com. Last updated October 2, 2026. This profile will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Frequently asked questions

What office is Terri Pickens running for?
She is the Democratic nominee for Governor of Idaho in the November 3, 2026 general election. The Idaho Secretary of State lists her February 23, 2026 filing as approved.
How did Terri Pickens do in the 2026 Democratic primary?
She won the May 19, 2026 primary with 30,326 votes (61.42%), ahead of Jill C. Kirkham, Maxine Durand and Chanelle Torrez, according to the certified results.
Has Terri Pickens run for office before?
Yes. She was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022, appearing on the ballot as Terri Pickens Manweiler, and received 178,147 votes (30.5%) to Scott Bedke's 376,269 (64.4%).
What is Terri Pickens's professional background?
Her campaign website says she is an attorney who served as a Nez Perce County public defender, moved to Boise in 1999 as a trial attorney and founded Pickens Law, P.A. in 2008.
What does Terri Pickens say about the abortion rights initiative?
She told the Idaho Capital Sun on July 15, 2026: "I absolutely 100% support the ballot initiative."
What does Terri Pickens say about taxes?
In the CBS2/FOX9 survey she wrote that she would stop what she called irrational tax cuts for billionaires and claw back much of the $400 million tax cut, and that she wants to repeal the tax on food.
Who has endorsed Terri Pickens?
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund listed her among its statewide endorsements announced on September 14, 2026.
How much money has Terri Pickens raised?
Idaho Sunshine showed $217,520.83 in contributions for the 2026 cycle on October 2, 2026, with $138,692.25 spent and $78,828.58 in cash on hand.