Idaho Falls senator seeking reelection to Idaho legislature
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IDAHO FALLS — A local two-term senator has announced he will seek reelection in District 33 this spring.
Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, made his campaign announcement in a news release Monday. Lent said his priorities remain managing the unprecedented growth in eastern Idaho, education and taxes.
“Unprecedented growth in our area is stressing everyone from our local builders to citizens on a fixed income,” Lent said. “To support this growth and our local economy, we need to expand a systematic approach to a qualified workforce.”
Lent said he is working with local businesses to coordinate the alignment of knowledge and skills for regional employment. He is also working to bring a regional technical high school to Idaho Falls, focusing on students at risk of not graduating and giving them ties to local job opportunities.
As a senator, Lent currently serves as vice-chair on the Senate Education Committee and as a member of the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee. He was elected to serve on the Idaho State Legislative Council this year. Gov. Little has appointed Lent to serve on two national-level education organizations. Lent also acts as a commissioner for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and as a Hunt Institute Fellow.
Lent is a graduate of Eastern Idaho Technical College (now College of Eastern Idaho) and Idaho State University. He has served on the Idaho Falls School District 91 Board of Trustees and participated on a committee that recommended the creation of CEI. He has also made a career working at the Idaho National Laboratory.
Lent will run for the Republican nomination during the primary election on May 17. The general election will be on Nov. 8.