Wendy Norman

Wendy Norman: Democratic Nominee for Idaho House District 31 Seat B

Wendy Norman won the May 19, 2026 Democratic primary for Idaho House District 31 Seat B without opposition, receiving 439 votes, or 100 percent, according to certified Idaho Secretary of State results. She faces Republican incumbent Rep. Rod Furniss in the November 3, 2026 general election.

Background

Norman was born in Idaho Falls and raised in Ucon, attending Ucon Elementary, Bonneville Junior High, and Bonneville High School. Her grandparents emigrated from Germany to Idaho Falls in 1949. "My grandparents emigrated from Germany to Idaho Falls in 1949, after surviving cold and near-starvation during the Second World War," she wrote in a 2022 campaign biography. "My grandfather resorted to cutting down trees in local parks to use for heat, even though it could have sent him to a concentration camp." She described how they arrived "with practically nothing, and lived for a time in a remodeled chicken coop... Eventually, they built on five acres and raised most of their own food."

She attended Ricks College for two years before transferring to Utah State University, graduating in 1994, and later earned a master's degree in education from Idaho State University. "I am a first grade teacher in Rigby, Idaho," she told East Idaho News in October 2022. "I started teaching in 1994 when I graduated from Utah State University. I started teaching high school, and then I went to middle school, and now I'm in first grade." She also holds an associate degree in journalism.

Norman raised four children largely as a single mother before marrying Matthew Norman, who brought two children to the marriage; they had one child together. Matthew helps manage an electrical and plumbing supply company in Rexburg.

Party History

Norman was previously unaffiliated and briefly registered Republican before running for office as a Democrat. "To run for this office, I did have to declare as a Democrat. Up until then, I wasn't. I was unaffiliated... I declared as a Republican a couple of years ago. For this, I'm now officially a Democrat," she told East Idaho News. "I come from a family of very, very conservative people." She said she wanted to see more political balance in the state: "A one-party state isn't healthy. We really need to have a balanced state where the compromise doesn't come between the far right and the right, but we actually have a reasonable Democrat presence as well to help start pulling the policies of things more toward the center."

2022 Congressional Run

Norman's 2026 legislative bid follows an earlier campaign for Congress. She ran unopposed in the 2022 Democratic primary for Idaho's 2nd Congressional District, then lost the general election to Republican incumbent Mike Simpson, 172,450 votes (63.6 percent) to her 98,736 votes (36.4 percent), according to Idaho Secretary of State canvass records.

Stated Positions

In her 2022 East Idaho News interview, Norman discussed healthcare affordability, describing a family tragedy as a motivating factor: "We had a family tragedy a few years ago where my sister died on Christmas Day and my mom had tried to talk to her to go to the doctor. She wouldn't because she couldn't afford it... no American should be dying because they can't afford health care."

On abortion, she said: "Abortion should never be up until the day a healthy baby is born it can be aborted. But there are times when abortion is needed... If a woman needs an abortion because of her health, she needs that abortion. If a woman is raped, if a little kid was raped."

On firearms, she described a middle position: "I will never be an 'A' rating from the NRA... I was a teacher when Columbine happened. I was teaching first graders when Sandy Hook happened." She added, "We don't need to take everyone's guns away. I would never do that. I enjoy shooting." In a related interview with the Idaho Capital Sun, she said she supports limiting the sale of high-capacity magazines to young people and favors gradual firearms licensure so that 15- or 16-year-olds are not immediately given assault rifles or high-capacity magazines. She connected these views to the 2021 shooting at Rigby Middle School, which her daughter attended: "To this day, when she hears a balloon pop it terrifies her because she was in math, which is where that occurred."

Campaign Finance

Norman's 2026 campaign finance filings with the Idaho Secretary of State's Sunshine portal show no contributions raised. She reported a $30.00 loan and $30.00 in expenditures, leaving an ending cash balance of $0.00 and $30.00 in outstanding debt. She filed seven monthly disclosure reports from February through August 2026, on or near their due dates.

Sources

• Idaho Secretary of State, certified results for the May 19, 2026 primary election
• Idaho Secretary of State, election canvass database
• Wendy Norman for Idaho (2022 campaign website, archived), biography
• East Idaho News, "Meet Wendy Norman, the first grade teacher running against Congressman Mike Simpson," October 21, 2022
• Idaho Capital Sun, "In race against Mike Simpson, challenger Wendy Norman pushes for affordable health care," November 7, 2022
• Idaho Secretary of State Sunshine portal, 2026 campaign finance filings for Wendy Norman