Washington, D.C. – Club for Growth Foundation released its 2025 Idaho State Economic Scorecard, ranking every legislator on their votes for economic growth and limited government policies.
The Scorecard analyzes policies and votes to assign an Economic Growth Score from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the highest support for pro-growth policies. In 2025, the Foundation’s study examined over 850 floor votes and, in the end, included 20 Idaho House votes and 17 Idaho Senate votes.
“Idaho legislators slashed income and corporate tax rates to 5.3% and reformed welfare programs,” said Club for Growth Foundation President David McIntosh. “But they blew $204 million on appropriations and expanded Medicaid by $5.25 billion. State spending is out of control. “Idaho needs legislators who will champion growth for the economy instead of growth for government programs.”
Click here to view the full 2025 Idaho State Economic Scorecard from the Club for Growth Foundation.
Key Highlights from the 2025 Idaho Scorecard
Idaho House:
- Average Republican Score: 69%
- Average Democratic Score: 10%
- Highest Rated Republican(s): Rep. Chris Bruce (HD-23A), Rep. Brent Crane (HD-13A), Rep. Kyle Harris (HD-7A), Rep. Dale Hawkins (HD-2B), Rep. Elaine Price (HD-4B), Rep. Heather Scott (HD-2A), Rep. Tony Wisniewski (HD-5B): 100%
- Highest Rated Democrats(s): Rep. Sonia Galaviz (HD-16A): 19%
- Lowest Rated Republican(s): Rep. Josh Wheeler (HD-35B): 24%
- Lowest Rated Democrats(s): Rep. Steve Berch (HD-15A): 0%
Idaho Senate:
- Average Republican Score: 69%
- Average Democrat Score: 12%
- Highest Rated Republican(s): Sen. Cindy Carlson (SD-7), Sen. Josh Kohl (SD-25), Sen. Christy Zito (SD-23): 100%
- Highest Rated Democrat(s): Sen. James Ruchti (SD-29), Sen. Carrie Semmelroth (SD-17), Sen. Ron Taylor (SD-26), Sen. Janie Ward-Engleking (SD-18): 13%
- Lowest Rated Republican(s): Sen. Jim Guthrie (SD-28): 23%
- Lowest Rated Democrat(s): Sen. Alison Rabe (SD-16), Sen. Melissa Wintrow (SD-19): 10%
Notable Pro-growth Bills
H.40 – INCOME TAX CUT
- Lowers the individual and corporate income tax rate from 5.7 percent to 5.3 percent
- Eliminates capital gains taxes on precious metals and monetized bullion from the calculation of state income taxes
- Provides an estimated $250 million in relief for hardworking families and entrepreneurs in FY2026 alone, and $300 million in reduced tax burdens in future years
H.135 – WELFARE PROHIBITION FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
- Prohibits government programs for food assistance, prenatal care, and postpartum services for individuals living in Idaho who are unlawfully present in the United States
H. 138 – REPEALING MEDICAID EXPANSION
- Imposes work requirements for the state’s Medicaid program, ensuring that recipients without disabilities and between the ages of 19 and 64 work, train, or volunteer at least 20 hours per week
- Implements a 50,000-person enrollment cap for healthy adults in the state’s Medicaid program and requires the Department to maintain an improper payment rate of 5 percent or lower
- Conditions healthy, able-bodied adults to no more than three years enrolled in Medicaid during an individual’s lifetime
- If all of these conditions are not met, then the state’s Medicaid expansion under Obamacare is effectively repealed
- Savings estimated between $110 and 165 million in state spending each year, and more than $1 billion in total annual spending
Notable Anti-growth Bills
H. 171 – MUNICIPAL DEBT BOMB
- Authorizes municipal commerce authorities to acquire, operate, develop, maintain, and regulate utility services such as sewer and water facilities
- Excludes electrical and broadband utilities, but it does empower municipal authorities to borrow money, take on debt, and issue new bonds for these facilities
- Only a single notice is required to be issued ahead of a proposed revenue bond, with a 30-day window for citizens to file suit over their concerns about a municipal authority’s proposed actions
- Courts are prohibited from inquiring into the legality of such bonds once the 30-day window has expired
S. 1172 – CONTINUED COMMERCE SPENDING BINGE
- Appropriates $204 million for department operations
- Maintains increased Department of Commerce spending at existing levels; however, appropriations remain 98 percent higher than baseline spending from just three years ago.
S. 1201 – HISTORIC MEDICAID SPENDING BINGE
- Appropriates $5.25 billion in state and federal money for Medicaid, including a 123 percent increase in employee compensation appropriations over FY2025, and $674 million in additional FY2026 “budget enhancements” that have grown the program by more than 35 percent over the past four years
- Increases state Medicaid spending in the General Fund by 8 percent from the original FY2025 base funding levels
Note: This Scorecard is based on selected votes and does not reflect a legislator’s entire voting record. The Club for Growth Foundation does not endorse or oppose any legislator for public office.