Incumbent running against newcomer for District 35 Senate seat

IDAHO FALLS — Incumbent Mark Harris is being challenged successful nan upcoming superior predetermination for nan District 35 State Senator seat.

Running against Harris is Doug Toomer.

To study much astir Harris, click here.

To study much astir Toomer, click here.

EastIdahoNews.com sent nan aforesaid 8 questions to each region candidate. Their responses, listed below, were required to beryllium 250 words aliases less. EastIdahoNews.com is publishing nan answers successful their entirety, and without immoderate grammatical aliases style editing.

The superior predetermination is May 21.

Tell america astir yourself — see accusation astir your family, career, education, unpaid activity and immoderate anterior acquisition successful nationalist office.

Harris: My woman and I, on pinch our 4 boys, unrecorded connected a cattle ranch southbound of Soda Springs successful Bear Lake County. My brothers and I are partners successful nan ranch on pinch a workplace successful Malta. We raise beef cattle and alfalfa. I had nan opportunity to service a 2 twelvemonth ngo for my religion successful Argentina. I attended Utah State University wherever I graduated pinch a B.A. successful Political Science. I person served connected various authorities and section boards. I presently person nan grant to service successful nan Idaho State Senate and americium serving arsenic nan Majority Caucus Chair.

Toomer: I was calved and raised connected a workplace successful Rigby and americium a 5th procreation Idahoan. I person been joined to my awesome tolerant wife, Cindy, for complete 44 years and person 2 astonishing children, Jason and Kellie, and 1 typical daughter-in-law, Alison.

I had a successful 40-year profession astatine nan Idaho National Laboratory (INL) chiefly arsenic a project/program manager. I’m an master successful spent atomic substance and typical atomic worldly management, and americium an master connected nan 1995 Idaho Settlement Agreement arsenic it relates to spent atomic fuel. I helped discuss nan 2011 statement betwixt Idaho and nan Department of Energy that enables investigation quantities of commercialized spent atomic substance to beryllium brought into and retained astatine INL.

As a consequence of nan 2011 agreement, I became head of Industry Programs, responsible for reaching retired to nan commercialized atomic manufacture to bring their investigation work, which had antecedently been done overseas, to INL. One institution I brought successful is TerraPower (owned by Bill Gates) and I was nan sole ‘Relationship’ head betwixt them and INL. Unfortunately, I caught TerraPower attempting to patent a atomic substance creation that INL researchers had developed and I called ‘timeout’ connected TerraPower’s activities, which angered TerraPower/Bill Gates and INL Executive management. As a result, my responsibilities pinch TerraPower were terminated and I was forced to retire. I person lawsuits ongoing against TerraPower and INL.

I founded nan statement Stand Up For Idaho (www.standupforidaho.org) successful 2021 and I unsuccessfully ran for State Senate successful 2022.

Why are you seeking governmental office? Briefly explicate your governmental platform.

Harris: I americium moving for re-election to nan Idaho State Senate. I emotion nan State of Idaho and each nan opportunities it provides. I americium moving to thief support Idaho nan awesome spot it is to person a family and raise kids. We unrecorded successful a highly productive area of nan state. We lead nan federation successful galore cultivation products specified arsenic barley, potatoes and different crops. We besides unrecorded successful an area that produces nan world’s highest value of phosphate and person nan bully luck of being location to Idaho National Laboratory. I want to do each I tin to protect these industries, nan jobs they produce, and astir importantly nan families they support.

Toomer: Throughout astir of my life I ne'er really paid overmuch attraction to ‘politics’. I watched nan news from various media sources and assumed what I heard was meticulous and nan ‘whole story’. I focused connected making a surviving and taking attraction of my family. Like many, I was oblivious to what was really happening.

January 6, 2021 made maine salary attention. I’m a patient believer successful transparency of our elections. On January 6th, Mike Simpson voted ‘NO’ connected delaying certification of nan electoral assemblage for a mates of weeks to look into accusations of predetermination irregularities. I thought to myself, “if location is thing to hide, what would it wounded to look into nan accusations”? The evident reply to maine was, location IS thing to hide.

I felt I needed to do thing truthful I started digging. It soon became evident things were not arsenic I was led to believe. There was truthful overmuch misinformation, disinformation, half-truths, out-right lies, etc. being disseminated it was difficult to find what really was nan truth and what really was happening.

Long communicative short, I ended up starting nan statement Stand Up For Idaho. Since starting Stand Up For Idaho, I person recovered retired that our awesome authorities is not what I thought it was, and I consciousness called by my Creator to do everything I tin to hole it.

I’m a Republican and I support its platform. I judge successful God, Family, Country, and our Constitutions. I judge America and Idaho are exceptional.

What are nan top challenges facing group and communities successful your district? What is your scheme to meet those challenges?

Harris: Idaho is successful awesome style financially. We are fiscally responsible and person a balanced fund each year. As a consequence of our prosperity and bully governance we are 1 of nan fastest increasing states successful nan country. However, pinch this maturation comes challenges. One of our biggest issues is keeping up pinch nan maturation successful our schools and our infrastructure, which includes roads, bridges, and broadband access. We person begun to return steps to woody pinch this maturation during nan past legislative convention successful accrued investments successful some acquisition and proscription funding. However, much needs to beryllium done.

Toomer: The top challenges/threats are what is happening astatine nan national level. Corruption, reckless spending, inflation, taxes, unfastened borders/illegal immigration, gangs, fentanyl, etc., etc. Idaho isn’t immune from immoderate of this and our agrarian communities are astir vulnerable.

Idaho itself is spending much and much each year, from $9.5Billion successful 2020 to $13.9Billion successful 2024, a 47% increase!! And 40% of Idaho’s backing is from nan national government! We are almost a use authorities ourselves!

Our nationalist acquisition strategy is successful dire straits. We can’t moreover meet our proficiency targets successful English and Math, which are successful nan 60% range. That 60% “target” intends we are okay pinch 4 retired of 10 kids that can’t publication aliases do math. We don’t moreover person a ‘Science’ proficiency target. It’s nary wonderment group are wanting alternatives to nationalist schools!

Fentanyl, gangs, etc. are affecting East Idaho. Bonneville County Sheriff Sam Hulse came to a Stand Up For Idaho Town Hall and was very candid astir what is happening, correct present successful East Idaho, and it is very concerning.

To meet nan challenges, we request to first attraction connected stopping nan acceleration of our spending, ‘take nan ft of nan state pedal’. Then measure wherever fund cuts tin beryllium made without causing a horrendous clang and statesman making those cuts.

We must genuinely look astatine our nationalist acquisition strategy to find why it is not performing and commencement making nan basal corrective actions.

Fentanyl, gangs, etc. request addressed besides but I’m complete my connection limit.

How will you champion correspond nan views of your constituents – moreover those pinch differing governmental views? How will you pass straight pinch constituents?

Harris: I will correspond my constituents by listening to their concerns and ideas. We each unrecorded together successful this awesome state, and we request to get on successful bid to beryllium nan astir productive and businesslike pinch our resources possible. I consciousness that successful bid to beryllium capable to perceive I request to do my champion to pass them done newsletters, newspaper articles, societal media, and answering their questions.

Toomer: I judge successful our constitutions. The acerb trial for maine connected immoderate rumor is ‘Does it infringe connected nan U.S. Constitution aliases nan Constitution of nan State of Idaho, and who does it really benefit?’ The US Constitution starts pinch “We nan People”, not We nan Elite, We nan Government, nor We Big Business. I americium for individuals and mini business alternatively that authorities and large corporations. With that arsenic my rule, I will willingly speak regular pinch constituents from varying governmental backgrounds and I americium eager to look astatine issues and concerns. I will ever effort to make nan decisions that are champion for nan group of Idaho.

What parts of nan authorities fund could usage much funding? Where are places successful nan fund that cuts could beryllium made?

Harris: Transportation is an area wrong our authorities that could usage much funding. Due to nan summation accent and postulation connected our roads and bridges we are seeing galore places pinch a batch of deterioration and tear. Many of our bridges are adjacent to 60-70 years aged and request to beryllium replaced. Places successful our fund wherever cuts could perchance beryllium made is Medicaid. We person seen a awesome summation successful nan Medicaid fund wrong nan past fewer years, much that what was anticipated. However, awesome attraction needs to beryllium taken that we don’t inadvertently limit those that request this resource.

Toomer: We really request to beryllium looking astatine what needs to beryllium done to guarantee EVERY portion of Idaho authorities is NECESSARY and EFFICIENT. I don’t judge this information is genuinely presently happening. Therefore, to opportunity that this portion of authorities needs much backing and that portion of authorities needs to beryllium cutback, is irresponsible.

Some of nan top challenges facing Idahoans are authorities overreach and growth, successful each areas – local, state, and federal. One consequence of this is taxes and nan burdens connected Idahoans are measurement excessively high. Without mobility we request to supply for ‘essential’ authorities functions but I judge galore authorities agencies person go bureaucratic, self-serving, and consciousness nan request to ‘grow’. This ‘growth’ not only costs more, thereby creating nan request to summation taxes, but besides creates much authorities regularisation and control. Government regularisation and power is mostly not to nan use of nan taxpayer. We request to extremity ‘non-essential’ authorities maturation and reevaluate really to money ‘essential’ authorities functions. By reducing nan magnitude of ‘nonessential’ authorities functions we will beryllium capable to trim nan wide taxation load connected Idahoans.

Are you presently moving connected immoderate authorities aliases person ideas for bills that you consciousness are captious to nan early of Idaho? Please supply details.

Harris: I americium continuously moving connected EMS, emergency services, legislation. This is simply a captious work to our communities. As they are not presently considered an basal work successful nan authorities of Idaho. They play a very important domiciled successful our communities and their work has a nonstop effect connected our lives and our loved ones.

Toomer: I do person immoderate ideas for authorities that reside authorities spending and growth, really to thief nan nationalist acquisition system, and different issues. However, they are not fresh for premier clip and this isn’t really nan forum to coming them.

Have you seen immoderate mistakes made by nan Idaho Legislature successful caller years? How would you activity to correct these errors?

Harris: Yes, we do make mistakes and sometimes bills are not written correctly. They walk owed to governmental pressure. The intent of nan measure whitethorn beryllium good, but past we find location are unintended consequences. When we find retired astir these issues, we do our champion to hole them. This whitethorn beryllium elemental corrections wrong nan bills themselves aliases trailer bills whitethorn request to beryllium passed.

Toomer: Yes, I person seen ‘mistakes’. However, to quote President Franklin D. Roosevelt “In politics, thing happens by accident. If it happens, you tin stake it was planned that way”. So, nan mobility is, were they really mistakes aliases were they planned that way? I judge location is simply a batch of existing authorities that is flawed aliases not really successful nan champion liking of Idahoans (the people). Flawed authorities aliases authorities that is not successful nan champion liking of Idahoans (the people) needs to beryllium repealed.

What is nan astir important rumor facing Idahoans? What is simply a legislator’s domiciled successful gathering aliases addressing that issue?

Harris: The astir important rumor that we are facing is nan unprecedented maturation that we are facing. This maturation is affecting our infrastructure, our schools, and placing a accent connected our earthy resources, specified arsenic water. The domiciled of nan legislature is to reside these problems and make judge that location is capable backing to for these challenges. I consciousness we person taken important steps to do conscionable this, by opening to reside schoolhouse installation funding, backing to support Idaho kids successful Idaho higher education, proscription funding, and keeping taxes debased to not stifle individual and business growth.

Toomer: The astir important rumor is that Idaho is changing. Idaho is seen arsenic a bastion for state and liberty, a practice of what our nation’s founders envisioned and fought for. A authorities whose group judge successful difficult activity and individual responsibility. People that judge successful God, Family, Country, and nan Constitution. People from each crossed nan state (notably California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington) are moving to Idaho because of this. However, forces are moving difficult to alteration Idaho into thing else. Many of nan group that person moved present are amazed to find retired that Idaho really isn’t what they thought it was. They spot Idaho going done nan stages that destroyed nan authorities they moved distant from, and they are very concerned for Idaho’s future.

A legislator’s domiciled is to uphold our Constitutions and take sides Idaho and her citizens.