Shepherd likes his reelection odds

Charlie Shepherd, of Riggins, isn’t running unopposed, but his challenger for the Idaho Legislative District 7B seat has not campaigned nor does he have a campaign website.

That leaves the two-term conservative Republican who represents the largely conservative district with a likely easy path to reelection.

“I wouldn’t say I’m over-confident but I have trust in the majority of the population supporting me,” Shepherd said. “I hope they do their homework and look at my voting record for the past four years and can come to the conclusion I have represented the district fairly well.”

He counts the Legislature’s move to address rising property tax rates as an accomplishment. But he thinks those taxes can be lowered further without harming public school funding by asking more of the state’s large corporations.

Shepherd coached the Salmon River High School football and basketball teams to multiple state championships and now works as the maintenance supervisor for the Salmon River School District that has struggled to approve supplemental levies.

“I think everyone should have to help public education, not just property tax payers. I will press at the state level to get more state funding for public education versus having to run levies at the local level.”

Shepherd has a nuanced take on public funding of private education. He doesn’t like vouchers because he said it is too difficult to track how that money is spent. However, he is in favor of making tax credits available for parents who send their kids to private school, but only when there is a budget surplus.

“I’m on record of supporting school choice through a tax credit,” he said.

Shepherd is opposed to Proposition 1 that would open the state’s primary elections and usher in ranked choice voting in general elections. Some members of the legislature have signaled they will seek to overturn the initiative if it passes. But Shepherd said he would follow the will of the voters.

“If the majority of voters in District 7 vote in favor of it, it’s going to be pretty tough for me to vote against it,” he said.

The Tribune was unable to contact Dustin Hardisty, a Lewiston Democrat who ran unopposed for the District 7B seat in the May primary election. Shepherd said he doesn’t know much about his opponent.

“I think he is fairly hard working because he doesn’t show up to any of the campaign functions, probably because he is working too hard and has too many irons in the fire and I totally understand that.”

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273.