Two Democrats will face each other in the May primary election race for Idaho’s 1st Congressional District.
Kenneth Brungardt and Kaylee Peterson are running for the U.S. House of Representatives position that covers all of North Idaho and the western part of the state. Republican U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher currently serves in this seat, which has a two-year term.
The Democratic winner will face the winner of the Republican primary contest as well as Constitution Party candidate Brendan Gomez and independent Sarah Zabel in the November general election.
Brungardt, 71, is a retired painter for Ada County from Meridian and a first-time candidate, according to the Idaho Secretary of State elections database. Peterson, 36, is a political strategist from Eagle who previously ran for the same congressional seat in 2022 and 2024.
Peterson told the Idaho Capital Sun for the 2026 Primary Election Voter Guide her top priority is restoring government accountability and trust through policies such as banning congressional stock trades, term limits, and campaign finance reforms. She said she’d also focus on “building a labor-first economy,” and protecting public lands.
Brungardt said his top priorities were affordability, including in health care, as well as farmers and public lands.
Candidates say they’d try to legislate protection of public lands
As nearly two-thirds of Idaho’s landmass is federally owned public land, policies regarding those lands are a top issue for many Idaho voters.
“Idahoans love outdoor recreation,” Brungardt said. “Hunting, Fishing, Hiking, Biking and just enjoying Nature. Selling our Public Lands is just wrong. I will present Bills to save open spaces for future Idahoans.”
Peterson also said she opposes the sale of public lands, and that she thinks they could be used to generate more revenue.
“Idaho sits on an extraordinary asset and we should be far more creative and strategic about how we use it,” Peterson said. “That means strengthening the federal agencies and local stakeholders who manage our lands and oversee private leases, ensuring they generate real revenue for Idaho communities. It means thoughtfully building out the infrastructure around logging, mining, and energy leases in ways that create lasting economic value without sacrificing conservation.”
Peterson and Brungardt oppose Medicaid cuts, present differing healthcare solutions
Congress approved major reductions in Medicaid spending in the “Big Beautiful” law in July, and Idaho officials last summer cut Medicaid provider pay rates by 4% to address a projected budget shortfall.
Peterson said she opposed the cuts, but thinks there are changes needed to the system, especially investigating fraud in Medicaid and Medicare “to ensure taxpayer dollars actually reach the patients they are intended for.”
Regarding healthcare overall, she said she supported changes to prevent insurance companies from determining levels of care patients receive and eliminating monopolies in the insurance industry.
“We must continue to negotiate prescription drug prices,” she said. “We must protect Medicare funding. We must fully fund our VA; it is an abomination to have the highest defense budget in the world and yet fail to take care of our service men and women.”
Brungardt criticized congressional Republicans, who narrowly control both the U.S. House and Senate, regarding healthcare actions.
“Republicans have no answers for healthcare,” he said. “They have gutted Medicaid … Healthcare is valued by all people. Universal Healthcare (at this time) has no real chance but a tiered system can work, based on income and other circumstances (marital status, children, ect).”
Candidates say they want immigration reform to improve legal pathways
Brungardt and Peterson both condemned the highly visible mass detention and deportation efforts being pursued by Immigration and Customs Enforce, ICE, under the Trump administration.
Brungardt said he “was glad they got the border under control but the policy Trump has endorsed is not Law & Order.”
“I believe in the rule of law and if there’s a reason those who don’t belong here, there’s a legal system and courts to decide these issues quickly,” he said. “Congress should find a path through the legal system for immigration to be fair for all who want citizenship. We are all better off with diversity.”
Peterson said the actions by ICE are “unacceptable.” She said she supported changes proposed in a 2024 bill negotiated by a bipartisan trio of lawmakers, which later lost support and failed on a procedural vote, the States Newsroom reported. Peterson said she supported accelerated screening times for migrants, more funding to immigration agencies and expanding legal pathways.
“Idaho agriculture depends on foreign-born workers, and I will seek ways to grant work visas to those hard-working individuals,” she said.
She added she supported protections and college access for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, for undocumented residents who arrived in the U.S as children.
Campaign finance filings show Peterson ahead in fundraising
Since the beginning of 2025, Peterson has raised more than $130,800 for her campaign, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. Individual donors contributed around $116,400 of that total, and other political action committees provided another $11,000. The total includes a $3,000 loan from herself.
Brungardt has garnered nearly $22,000 for his campaign, with around $15,000 coming from individual contributions, according to FEC data. He hasn’t received any reported funds from other political action committees. Brungardt took out a total of $12,500 in loans from himself.
Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: info@idahocapitalsun.com.