District 31 incumbents dominate election, secure another term in Idaho Legislature
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IDAHO FALLS — The Republican incumbents for District 31 will retain their seats in the Idaho Legislature after winning Tuesday’s general election.
District 31 encompasses Clark, Fremont, Jefferson and Lemhi counties.
Sen. Van Burtenshaw of Terreton defeated his Democratic opponent, Kevin Gerrard, with 80% of the vote, or a total of 16,285 votes. Gerrard had 19% of the vote, for a total of 3,902 votes.
Burtenshaw tells EastIdahoNews.com he’s grateful for the chance to continue serving voters in his district.
“I’d like to thank all the people who voted for me, and we’ll try to go to work for another two years and make a positive difference,” Burtenshaw says.
Burtenshaw has held public office for the last 12 years. He was first elected in 2014 to what was then District 35. Following redistricting in 2022, voters retained him in office.
RELATED | Rigby Democrat challenging four-term Republican incumbent in District 31 Senate race
The district’s two representatives, Jerald Raymond of Menan and Rod Furniss of Rigby, will also retain their seats.
Raymond defeated his Democratic challenger, Kindsey Smith, for House Seat A. Raymond earned 80% of the vote, or 16,116 votes, against Smith’s 3,963 votes.
Raymond was first elected in 2018 to the Idaho House of Representatives. He was defeated in 2020 by Karey Hanks but was elected again in 2022.
Furniss will continue to occupy House Seat B after beating his Democratic challenger, Wendy Norman. Furniss had 79% of the vote, or 15,864 total votes. Norman’s 21% of the vote earned 4,234 total votes.
Furniss was first elected in 2018.
RELATED | Incumbent Republican faces Democratic opponent in race for District 31 House Seat A
Earlier this month, Raymond and Furniss responded to questionnaires from EastIdahoNews.com. Both said they were opposed to Proposition 1. While Furniss said he opposes HJR 4, Raymond said he supports it.
RELATED | Rigby Democrat challenging four-term incumbent in race for District 31 House seat B
Burtenshaw did not respond to the questionnaire.
All three candidates will be sworn in for a fifth term in December ahead of the 2027 legislative session.