District 33 & 34: Who is funding legislative candidates in Idaho Falls and Rexburg?
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IDAHO FALLS – As the primary races come to a close on Tuesday, many voters are still wondering who they will support on the ballot. To help, we’ve researched the PACs, companies, and notable individuals funding the contested Idaho primary campaigns this year for Districts 33 and 34.
District 33 covers most of Idaho Falls, and District 34 covers Madison County.
The race is still ongoing, meaning the funding numbers for each candidate could change by election day. There are no contested Senate races in Districts 33 and 34.
All of our information is coming from the Sunshine, Idaho’s Campaign Finance System on VoteIdaho.gov.
District 33 – Representative Seat A
Republican Barbara Ehardt, incumbent
Ehardt is currently in her fifth term in this seat. She is currently the chair of the House Local Government committee, and sits on the Education and Judiciary, Rules & Administration committees.
Additionally, she formerly served as president of the Bonneville County Republican Women and was elected to the Idaho Falls City Council in 2013.
According to the Idaho Sunshine Report, as of May 18, Ehardt has received $3,025.50 in in-state contributions and $3,500 in out-of-state contributions.
Of her 88 donations, 11 have come from PACs, mainly agricultural, such as the Agriculture and Natural Resource Industry PAC and the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation Political Action Committee, as well as others, such as the Idaho Chooses Life PAC and the Keeping Idaho Idaho PAC.
One interesting takeaway is that the Professional Firefighters of Idaho Political Action Committee donated to Ehardt’s campaign, even though her opponent, Connor Cook, has been a firefighter in Idaho Falls for the last 10 years.
Like other incumbents running to keep their seats, such as Rod Furniss and Stephanie Mickelsen, the Coeur D’Alene Tribe also donated to Ehardt’s campaign.
Many eastern Idaho-based companies also contributed, including Reed’s Dairy, Lighthouse Electric LLC, Renaissance Assisted Living, A&B Ventures LLC, and Murdock Farms, Inc.
The majority of Ehardt’s contributions have come from in-state, with the exception of four individual donors, two from North Carolina and two from Delaware, and two companies, one in Connecticut and one in Washington D.C.,
Notable donors
Multiple eastern Idaho medical professionals, local small business owners, local developers, Steve and Kathy Vucovich, the original owners of Club Apple, where Ehardt works as the manager, current candidate for Ada County Coroner Tim Flaherty, and CEO of Money Metals Exchange, Stefan Gleason.
Who is spending money to support/oppose?
Ehardt’s independent expenditures show that the 36-18-1 Inc. Political Action Committee, the Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC, the Idaho Summit PAC, and Ben Baker have all spent a total of $63,663.49 in advertising to support her campaign.
Those that oppose her, including the PAC for Public Lands, Defend and Protect Idaho, Idaho First, and Snake River Strategies, have paid a total of $50,590.44 on advertising against Ehardt’s campaign.
Connor Cook
Cook is a firefighter-paramedic who has spent the last ten years in Idaho Falls. Over the course of the campaign, Cook has received $25,111.52 of in-state contributions and $1,025 of out-of-state contributions.
Of his 65 donations, eight are from PACs, mainly firefighter-related, including the Pocatello Firefighters PAC, the Boise Firefighters Local 149 PAC, the Meridian Firefighters PAC, and the Idaho Falls Firefighters PAC.
The Idaho Dairy Industry PAC and the Idaho Hospital Association also donated to Cook’s campaign. Only four companies donated, with three of them in-state, including the Bonneville County Fire Fighters, HFI Management LLC, and Master J LLC and one out-of-state, the International Association of Firefighters in Washington, D.C., also donated.
Notable donors
All but one of Cook’s individual donors are local, with a $25 donation from Florida.
Cortney Liddiard, the former CEO of Ball Ventures, Casey Jackman, the CEO of Idaho Falls Community Hospital, Karen Lansing, a former judge on the Idaho Court of Appeals, former Ammon mayor Sean Coletti, many Idaho Falls School District 91 staff and faculty members, many local firefighters, local medical professionals, Steve Bailey, the Director of the Idaho Department of Administration, and the former Idaho Falls Mayor Linda Milam all donated to his campaign.
Who is spending money to support/oppose?
The Idaho Dairy Industry PAC, Defend and Protect Idaho, the Bonneville County Firefighters Local 5396, and Hometown Heroes have spent $17,799.06 in advertising to support Cook’s campaign. No one has spent money to oppose Cook’s campaign.
District 33 – Representative Seat B
Marco Erickson, incumbent
Erickson is in his second term in this seat. He is currently the vice chair of the House Health & Welfare committee, and also sits on the Judiciary, Rules & Administration, and Local Government committees.
His campaign has received $16,632 of in-state contributions and $5,000 in out-of-state contributions.
Of his 22 donations, eight are from PACs, all local and mainly medical and healthcare-related, such as the Idaho Hospital Association PAC, the Professional Firefighters of Idaho Political Action Committee, and the Idaho Health Care Association PAC.
Erickson is also supported by the Idahos Future PAC, the Idaho House Republican Caucus, and the PAC for Public Lands.
Most of the companies contributing to Erickson are local, such as the Amalgamated Sugar Company PAC, Mountain View Hospital LLC, Regence, and St. Luke’s Health Plan Inc, but quite a few are out of state.
The biggest out-of-state donations have come from DBA VIP Gatekeeper in Virginia, the International Association of Fire Fighters in Washington, D.C., and the Bayer US LLC Employee PAC in St. Louis, Missouri.
Notable donors
Interestingly, only one individual has donated to Erickson’s campaign, donating $1,000 from Pennsylvania. It is not clear who this person is.
Who is spending money to support/oppose?
Under independent expenditures, the Idaho Dairy Industry PAC and Hometown Heroes have spent $2,549.74 in advertising to support Erickson’s campaign. But the Idaho Accountability PAC, Make Liberty Win, the Idaho Freedom PAC, and Snake River Strategies have spent $15,436.84 in advertising to oppose his campaign.
Jilene Burger
Burger ran against Erickson in the last primary, losing by 461 votes.
RELATED | Marco Erickson beats out his opponent in race for District 33 representative Seat B
This time, over the course of the race, Burger had received $10,690 of in-state contributions and $100 in out-of-state contributions.
Of her 39 donations, none have come from PACs, and 35 have come from individuals. Only one of those individuals was from out of state and is in California.
The remaining donations are from companies in Idaho Falls, including Inform Idaho Inc., Advanced Agronomics Inc., The Small World, and Smith, Driscoll & Associates, run by Bryan Smith, a board member with the Idaho Freedom Foundation.
Notable donors
Maria Nate, the Idaho director for the State Freedom Caucus Network, and wife of Idaho Freedom Foundation President Ron Nate, Beverly Kingsford, president of the Bonneville County Republican Women, Idaho Freedom Foundation board member Doyle Beck, and Nicholas Contos, the former Bonneville County Republican Central Committee Chairman, all donated to Burger’s campaign.
Who is spending money to support/oppose?
The 36-18-1 Inc. Political Action Committee has spent 1,417.20 on advertising to support Burger’s campaign. No one has spent any money to oppose her candidacy.
Representative – District 34 Seat B
Britt Raybould, incumbent
Raybould is currently in her second term in this seat. She serves on the House Environment, Energy & Technology, Resources & Conservation, and Revenue & Taxation committees.
Raybould is also the CFO of Raybould Brothers Farms and the founder of Write Bold, a consulting firm.
During her campaign, she has received $18,900 of in-state contributions and $3,500 of out-of-state contributions.
Of her 40 donations, eight are from PACs, mostly agriculturally related, except for the Professional Firefighters of Idaho Political Action Committee, the Simison Leadership PAC, Idaho Chooses Life, and the Idaho AGC State Political Action Committee.
Ten of the 24 companies that donated to Raybould’s campaign are based out of state, but most have operations in Idaho, such as Rocky Mountain Power in Oregon, Anheuser-Busch in Missouri, Maverik in Salt Lake City, and Stimson Lumber Company in Oregon.
Some of the in-state companies that donated to Raybould’s include Mountain View Hospital LLC, St. Luke’s Health Plan, Inc., the Idaho House Republican Caucus, United Heritage, Simplot, the Amalgamated Sugar Company, and the Coeur D’Alene Tribe.
Notable donors
Only eight individuals, all in-state, have donated to Raybould’s campaign.
Most notably, Richard and Peggy Larsen, prominent Idaho farmers and owners of Larsen Hay in Dubois, former Idaho Rep. Scott Syme, Meridian City Council member Brian Whitlock, and Tommy Alquist, CEO of Alquist, an Idaho commercial real estate company.
Who is spending money to support/oppose?
The Idaho Dairy Industry PAC, the PAC for Public Lands, and Hometown Heroes have spent $5,230.83 on advertising to support Raybould’s campaign. Snake River Strategies is the only group to spend money on advertising to oppose Raybould’s campaign, totaling $13.35.
Larry Golden
Golden’s website states that he served in the US Navy and as a police officer in Washington State.
During the 2024 primary, Raybould beat Golden for the seat by 1,263 votes.
RELATED | Raybould defeats opponent for nominee as District 34 Seat B representative
During his campaign, he has received $2,645.79 of in-state contributions and $675 of out-of-state contributions. Of his 28 donations, none are from PACs or companies; they are all from individuals.
Notable donors
Elaine King, another former opponent of Raybould’s, and Ed Yeager, the chair of the Teton County Republican Committee, both donated to Golden’s campaign.
While most donors were in-state, a few were from other states, including California, Utah, Georgia, Washington, and Texas.
Who is spending money to support/oppose?
Snake River Strategies is the only group to spend money on advertising to oppose or support Burger’s campaign, totaling $13.35 to oppose his candidacy.