Former Pocatello legislator wants old seat back

POCATELLO — A former state legislator hopes to take back his old seat in the Idaho House of Representatives.

Republican Dustin Manwaring served one term from 2016 to 2018 in District 29A in Pocatello and was defeated by Democrat Chris Abernathy, who had 51 percent of the vote. Manwaring is running unopposed in the primary election and will face Abernathy again in the general election.

“There are some things that I think I can accomplish (in Boise), relying on the first two years I put in and following through on some things,” Manwaring said.

He said he did not take the decision to run again lightly, but he believes his previous experience would benefit the Legislature.

“In Pocatello, we’re what I call ‘purple district.’ We have a lot of Republicans and a lot of Democrats. Someone that can provide level-headedness to both sides is something I think is good for Boise,” Manwaring said.

Manwaring’s main areas of focus are tax policy, state funding and tax distribution, health care reforms, and finding new ways to fund transportation and infrastructure.

“I think there are things that we can do to address the rising costs of health care, to address the rising costs of housing and taxes — property taxes in particular,” he said.

Medical billing practices is another area of interest for Manwaring. He said the Idaho Patient Act, a bill reigning in medical debt collection, was a good step forward.

“I think we can move that ball even further in the next few years on ways to bring more transparency to medical billing on the consumer side of health care,” he said.

He wants the people in his district to know that he will put the wishes of the district before his own.

“I’m going to vote with my district,” Manwaring said. “I truly want to be representative of the majority opinion here.”

Manwaring has both a Facebook page and a campaign website where people can go to learn more about him and his policies.

A primary will be held May 19. The general election is Nov. 3.