Vito Barbieri

Vito Barbieri, Republican incumbent for Idaho House District 3, Seat A

Vito Barbieri is the Republican incumbent for Idaho House District 3, Seat A, on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. He won the May 19, 2026 primary with 7,175 votes, about 72%, over Eric Seeley, who received 2,790 votes, about 28%. His opponent in November is Democrat Melissa Mateer. Barbieri is serving his 8th term in the Idaho House, according to his official legislature profile.

Background

Barbieri is a retired attorney from Dalton Gardens, with a law degree from Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, California. He and his wife, Joy, have three grown children, James, Paul, and Tina, and three grandchildren, per his official legislature profile.

He chairs the House Environment, Energy and Technology Committee. He also serves on the Business Committee, the Ethics and House Policy Committee, and Revenue and Taxation. He has served roughly 15 years on the House Ethics Committee, according to reporting republished by Idahoans for Openness in Government.

His campaign site runs under the slogan "Keeping Idaho Free." It lists three priorities: "Defending the Constitution," "Limited Government & Fiscal Responsibility," and "Faith and Family First."

Positions

Barbieri's positions, in his own words from his campaign site: On abortion: "Abortion is NOT a form of birth control and, like any other murder, should be a crime." On immigration: "The moment an illegal immigrant hits the system, be it the hospital, a traffic stop, or a schoolhouse, that person should be deported." He adds that Idaho must act without federal assistance because the federal government cannot be trusted to protect citizens' rights. On guns: "Our gun rights are not negotiable. Idahoans must defend our right to keep and bear arms."

On taxes, his site states: "I oppose ANY increase in taxation at every level," extending that to fee increases for regulatory agencies and increases in fines. It endorses what it calls the idea to "starve the beast," calling it a natural response to expanding government bureaucracies.

On education, he supports parents' choice among home school, private school, and public school, and a tax credit scholarship program. His site also states: "Public schools have chosen to excluded the Bible, Prayer, and even the Ten Commandments. This, by definition, has created a godless institution by which our culture suffers."

The 2026 ethics rules proposal

Barbieri, a longtime member of the House Ethics Committee, sponsored House Resolution 27 in the 2026 session. Under current House Rule 45, ethics complaints become public once four-fifths of the House Ethics and House Policy Committee finds probable cause that misconduct occurred, followed by a public hearing. Barbieri's resolution would make information related to the ethics committee's work secret unless the committee votes unanimously to release it, and would bar attorneys from representing accused lawmakers in hearings.

"Everything is so damaging to a reputation before you even have the facts," Barbieri said. He argued that by the time a case reaches a public hearing, the committee has already held its "private trial" to determine probable cause, and a House floor vote would provide sufficient public disclosure: "it's all public. Now the press can go wild." In a March 2026 committee hearing he said ethics hearings should stay secret "until there's a reason to make it public," explaining: "The idea here is to look at this and protect the individual that is being accused until the time that the committee makes the determination that there should be some disciplinary action." He added: "If the House doesn't keep its house clean, then shame on us. Remember, the committee is elected by the body, by each caucus. So if the caucus doesn't trust them to make an ethical, reasonable, appropriate decision, we shouldn't have elected them."

Opponents raised the 2021 case of former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger, who was accused of raping a legislative intern. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel said the public ethics hearing in that case led directly to his prosecution: "Frankly, I think that's the reason that criminal charges were ultimately brought. Before that, there was no interest on the part of prosecutors." She said the current process already balances the rights of the accused against the public's right to know: "I thought there was secrecy in the early stages when we needed it, and then transparency once it had ripened to a point where transparency was appropriate. And I think if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Rep. John Gannon, who has served on the Ethics Committee for 10 years, said the House floor vote Barbieri points to is not a full hearing, since no witnesses or experts are called at that stage. Rep. Chris Mathias said: "The Idaho public is going to look at us and say: 'Why are they trying to protect themselves so much?'"

Rep. John Shirts, a Weiser Republican and an attorney, objected to barring counsel from ethics hearings: "I cannot, in good conscience, subject our members, you all, my friends, to potential perjury, without representation of counsel." Ken Burgess, a lobbyist for a statewide association of Idaho journalists, also testified against the measure, saying the public currently gets the same facts as the committee through witness testimony, and warning that closed proceedings would deepen public distrust of government institutions.

The House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee advanced the resolution on an 8-7 vote on March 18, 2026, with three Democrats and four Republicans opposed. It was returned to that committee on March 23, 2026, with no further action recorded since.

The 2022 von Ehlinger letter

Barbieri's ethics record drew attention in 2022, when Boise State Public Radio reported that he and Rep. Mike Kingsley had written letters supporting von Ehlinger ahead of his sentencing. Barbieri sent his letter to Judge Michael Reardon on July 5, 2022, on official legislative letterhead: "Aaron has shown himself an upstanding person, genuine in character and straight forward in thought. I believe that this demeanor is genuine as he has always acted in accord with his spoken ideals." Von Ehlinger resigned after the Ethics Committee recommended sanctions, was later convicted by a jury of rape, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Sources

• Idaho State Legislature, official member page for Rep. Vito Barbieri
• Vito Barbieri campaign site, The Issues page
• Vito Barbieri campaign site, homepage
• Idaho State Legislature, House Resolution 27 bill history
• Idaho Capital Sun, March 17, 2026 report on the House Judiciary Committee hearing
• Idahoans for Openness in Government, March 13, 2026, republishing reporting on the ethics rules proposal
• Boise State Public Radio, September 16, 2022 report on the von Ehlinger sentencing letters