Todd Lakey

Todd Lakey: Idaho Senate District 23

Sen. Todd Lakey sponsored Senate Bill 1385, the 2020 law that made abortion a felony in Idaho. The bill was written to take effect only if the U.S. Supreme Court returned authority over abortion to the states, which happened in 2022. Beyond that bill, Lakey's record includes seven Senate terms, the chairmanship of the Senate's judiciary committee, and a legal career that began in a Canyon County prosecutor's office more than three decades ago.

Background and career

Lakey is an attorney and owner of Borton-Lakey Law Office in Nampa, according to his official legislative biography. He holds a bachelor's degree in international business from Brigham Young University and a law degree from Lewis and Clark Northwestern School of Law. He worked as a Canyon County deputy prosecutor from 1993 to 1999, then served two terms as a Canyon County commissioner from 1999 to 2004. He is a past president of the Idaho Association of Commissioners and Clerks and a previous chairman of the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho.

He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and has since retired. He and his wife, Jan, have five children and five grandchildren, per his official legislative biography.

Senate Bill 1385

Lakey sponsored and carried Senate Bill 1385 on the Senate floor in 2020. The bill created the offense of criminal abortion in Idaho, making it a felony punishable by two to five years in prison, with exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the mother's life, and no penalties for the woman. Under the bill's text, it would take effect only when the U.S. Supreme Court or the U.S. Constitution restored to the states their authority to prohibit abortion. Eight other states had similar "trigger" laws on the books at the time, according to the Post Register.

The Senate passed the bill 27-7-1 on March 12, 2020, with Lakey as floor sponsor. The House passed it 49-18-3 on March 18, and Gov. Brad Little signed it on March 24, 2020, making it Chapter 284 of that year's session laws.

During floor debate, Lakey said he hoped the Supreme Court would soon overturn Roe v. Wade. "It may happen in the nine months when we're not in session. ... If this bill can save the life of one unborn child, it's worth it," he said, per the Post Register. Democratic Sen. Maryanne Jordan of Boise argued during the same debate that the bill's rape and incest exceptions, which apply only if the assault was reported to police or child protective services, would not cover cases such as a woman abused over years by a relative who was too frightened to report it.

The law waited more than two years before taking effect. On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, returning abortion regulation to the states. Idaho's trigger law took effect 30 days later, on August 25, 2022, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.

Lakey has described his role in the bill in his own words: "I carried the current trigger law that came into effect when the Supreme Court returned authority to the states," he says on his Idaho Republican Party candidate page. That page also lists lower taxes, support for law enforcement, and Second Amendment rights among his general stated priorities, though the page itself dates to an earlier cycle and its committee and term references do not reflect his current roles.

Committees and current role

Lakey is in his seventh Senate term representing District 23, which covers part of Canyon County including Nampa. He chairs the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee, which handles the state's courts, criminal law, and civil procedure legislation. He also sits on the Agricultural Affairs Committee and the Commerce and Human Resources Committee, per his legislative member page.

Electoral history

Lakey first won his Senate seat in 2012, representing what was then District 12. After 2022 redistricting, his home fell into District 23, which he has represented since that year's election.

His first statewide race came earlier: in 2002, he ran in the Republican primary for Idaho attorney general and finished third of four candidates, with 29,154 votes (23.5 percent), behind winner Lawrence Wasden (39,917) and Michael Bogert (37,862), and ahead of Myron Dan Gabbert (17,071).

In May 2026, Lakey ran unopposed in the Republican primary. He faces Democrat Paul Morgan on November 3, 2026.

Campaign finance

Through his most recently filed report, an August 2026 monthly report filed September 9, Lakey's campaign has raised $29,600.00 this cycle and spent $13,622.28, leaving an ending cash balance of $54,039.51 after a beginning balance of $51,541.51, according to the Idaho Sunshine campaign finance portal. His top donors, giving $1,000 to $2,000 each, include UHFG Insurance PAC, Airbnb, the Idaho AGC PAC, Idaho Power Company, Big D Construction Corp., Specialty Construction Supply, Concrete Placing Co., McAlvain Companies, Mark and Lisa Elder, and Staker Parson Companies.

Lakey does not have a live 2026 campaign website; his previous site, lakeyforsenate.com, has expired.

Sources

• Sen. Todd Lakey, Idaho State Legislature member page
• Senate Bill 1385 (2020), official bill history, Idaho Legislature
• Post Register, "'Trigger law' to ban abortion passes Senate"
• Idaho Capital Sun, on the trigger law's effective date
• 2002 Republican primary for Attorney General, Idaho Secretary of State
• Todd Lakey candidate profile, Idaho Sunshine campaign finance portal