Idaho’s northernmost state legislative district, District 1, has a strong conservative challenging the incumbent to represent that district in the Idaho Senate. Scott Herndon, a homebuilder in Bonner County, is challenging 1st-term Senator Jim Woodward.
Herndon says it’s time for liberty-minded patriots to take their country back on both the state and local levels. “Our Founding Fathers had a vision for this country – free, sovereign states that govern themselves with minimal Federal intrusion,” Herndon said in a statement. “The swamp in DC is too far gone. It will take assertive State Legislators to band together and remind DC of Federalism’s meaning – by robust legislation, litigation, and words backed up with action.”
In contrast, Woodward’s voting record closely aligns with Senate Democrats and a big-government agenda. So much so that a resolution by the Bonner County Central Committee this past spring called on Woodward to resign. Cited reasons included his failure to vote in accordance with the standards established in the Republican Party Platform. Woodward ignored the wishes of the Central Committee and stayed in office.
Woodward was also part of the “Flip Flop Five,” a group of five State Senators who originally voted to require any Idaho governor to adhere to the state and federal Constitutions (SB 1136), but then reversed his vote, along with four other senators. Their flip flop led to the senate failing to override Brad Little’s veto of the legislation.
“The Idaho House of Representatives is genuinely conservative,” Herndon said in a press release, but “many good bills get killed in the Idaho Senate. “The Idaho Senate needs more small-government, conservative representation. Help is on the way.”

Herndon has a strong pro-life and pro-2nd amendment record. In 2020, Herndon authored a change to the Idaho Republican Party platform to outlaw all abortion in Idaho, without exceptions. He matched that by authoring House Bill 56, which was introduced in the Idaho legislature in 2021. HB 56 would criminalize all abortion in Idaho.
Herndon is also working with the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance and the Second Amendment Foundation to challenge the Idaho Supreme Court regarding the ban on firearms at the Festival at Sandpoint.
In 2020, when Governor Little banned all religious expression in Idaho in response to Covid, Herndon led a legal challenge that resulted in the governor immediately rescinding that order. A federal judge later issued a decision in the case suggesting the governor’s actions were unconstitutional.
Herndon is no stranger to creating legislation that protects Idahoans and produces more transparency in government. In 2020, as a private citizen, Herndon’s single handedly wrote HB 438, which was sponsored by Rep. Priscilla Giddings (R. Dist-7). That bill strengthened and protected parental rights and was signed into law in March of 2020. In 2021, Herndon wrote HB 104, which expanded campaign finance disclosures and increased transparency. HB 104 passed both houses unanimously and was signed into law in April.
Herndon lives in Sandpoint with his wife of 25 years, Arlene, and 7 of their children. More information about his campaign can be found at herndonforIdaho.com.
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