Two city councilmen announce runs for Idaho House of Representatives
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AMMON — A city councilman from Ammon and a city councilman from Soda Springs hope to be elected to the Idaho House of Representatives.
With the newly redistricted maps, Republicans Jon Goode from Soda Springs and Josh Wheeler from Ammon are running for House seats 35A and 35B respectively. Both Goode and Wheeler announced their campaigns Monday.
Wheeler is challenging incumbent Rep. Chad Christensen in the upcoming primary election. Wheeler was elected to the Ammon City Council in 2019 and said he felt an urgency to put his name in the race.
“I felt that I needed to offer the people of eastern Idaho a different choice for the Idaho House of Representatives,” Wheeler said in his news release. “… I will be a statesman that fights for our conservative, local government.”
Wheeler said he wants to fund education, deregulation to allow flexibility for small businesses and support planning of infrastructure. He has experience in small business co-owning Wheeler Electric in Idaho Falls.
“I believe in the rule of law, responsible fiscal policy, small government and leading with integrity and decency,” Wheeler said. “I am running because I want to make sure the Idaho values that worked for me will continue to work for my children, grandchildren and families of eastern Idaho.”
Goode decided to run for the House after Rep. Marc Gibbs announced his retirement from the legislature. Gibbs endorsed Goode, saying the man’s experience in mining, manufacturing and agriculture will be an asset to Idahoans, according to a news release.
“I’ve always been a strong believer in civic involvement,” Goode said in a statement. “As citizens of this great state and country, we have an obligation to do whatever we can to improve where we live.”
In his years of public service, Goode has served as a school board trustee, on the county hospital board of directors, and the city planning and zoning commission. Goode just completed his eight-year on the Soda Springs City Council.
“All these experiences gave me the chance to participate in fixing processes that were broken or enhancing those that weren’t,” Goode said. “As a licensed CPA with 40 years of broad business experience in mining, manufacturing, and agriculture, I have the knowledge and skillset to bring value to the Idaho legislature as it navigates the challenges that lie ahead.”
Christensen is a two-term Republican legislator who recently relaunched his campaign website and posted on his Facebook where people can donate ahead of the May primary election.
District 35 covers Bear Lake, Caribou, Teton and portions of Bonneville and Bannock counties. Before last year’s redistricting, the area was covered by legislative district 32.
The 2022 primary election will be May 17. You can view the latest eastern Idaho election coverage here.