Who’s running for Canyon County’s Legislative District 10? Hear from the candidates

Republican voters in Middleton, Star and Nampa this month will decide whether to send powerful conservative legislators, including the House speaker, back to the Idaho Capitol.

Legislative District 10 covers Middleton, Star and northeast Nampa, cities in the western Treasure Valley. Two incumbents up for reelection — including House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star — face challengers in the May 21 Republican primary.

Moyle, an 11-term incumbent, faces Nampa challenger Rachel Hazelip for the District 10 position A House seat. The contest will be a rematch of the 2022 primary election. Democratic candidate Nancy Parker is running unopposed for the same seat on the Democratic ticket and will face the Republican primary winner in the November general election. Legislative terms are for two years.

Moyle is the longest-serving lawmaker and has worked his way up the Republican ranks. He served eight terms as majority leader before his caucus chose him as House speaker in 2022. His influence in the party has emphasized cutting property taxes for homeowners, and he has advocated for several years to send taxpayer money to private or religious schools as part of school choice initiatives, which have so far failed to pass.

In the Senate, incumbent Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, faces Lori Bishop, also of Middleton. Nichols is one of the furthest-right Republicans in the Senate. She has previously introduced bills to make it a crime to administer mRNA vaccines and has attended protests led by anti-government activist Ammon Bundy.

Letishia Silva, of Nampa, is running unopposed for Nichols’ seat on the Democratic ticket.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, who was first elected in 2020, is running unopposed on the Republican ticket for the position B House seat. Skaug was one of the more active lawmakers during this year’s session, having introduced bills to impose mandatory fines for first-time marijuana possession arrests, allow the death penalty for the crime of lewd conduct with a child, and give the attorney general authority to investigate city officials.

Shana Tremaine, of Nampa, is running unopposed for Skaug’s seat in the Democratic primary.

Voters can only vote in one party’s primary per election cycle, and individual parties can choose to close off their primary elections to unaffiliated voters. The Republican Party has a closed primary, which means only registered Republicans can cast a vote. The Democratic primary is open to registered Democrats, independents or Republicans.

The Idaho Statesman sent questionnaires to each candidate in a contested race. Their responses are below. Hazelip did not respond to the Statesman’s requests. She did not respond to the same requests in 2022, either, according to previous Statesman reporting.

Voters can still register to vote at the polls and vote early weekdays through May 17 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Caldwell Elks Lodge or the Hispanic Cultural Center. Ada County residents can vote early at the Ada County Elections office, Boise City Hall, Meridian City Hall and the Eagle Public Library.

Learn more about this race and other local elections in the Statesman’s Voter Guide. (Find the legislative district you live in here, and find your polling place here.)

Read all of the candidates’ responses below. Use the horizontal scroll bar underneath each candidate to read the full Q&A. You also can click on the chart and drag horizontally.