Who is running for Legislative District 20? Look at the candidates and what they say

Voters in Legislative District 20 will weigh two contested seats in the upcoming general election, with one additional seat remaining uncontested.

The Idaho Statesman has compiled a voter guide for each candidate using survey responses about their top priorities and their approaches to effecting change in the Legislature.

District 20 includes portions of West Boise and North Meridian and is north of Interstate 84.

Senate: Keyser vs. Arriaga

In the Senate race, Republican Josh Keyser, who upset Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder in the May primary, faces Democrat Andy Arriaga.

Keyser edged out Winder with 52.3% of the vote in one of several upsets in the primary that favored right-wing candidates over moderates, the Statesman previously reported. Winder served in the Senate for 16 years. Keyser was endorsed by the Idaho Freedom PAC.

Keyser is a former Marine and briefly served with the Boise Police Department. In the Statesman’s Voter Guide for the May primary, Keyser described himself as a certified public accountant. He did not respond to the Statesman’s general election poll.

Arriaga, who works as a construction analyst for the City of Boise and sits on the City of Meridian’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee, ran unopposed in the May primary election.

House A: Palmer vs. Navarro

The race for House A’s seat includes longtime incumbent Joe Palmer, a Republican who has held the office since 2008, and 23-year-old Isaiah Navarro, a Democrat who graduated from the College of Idaho in 2023 with a degree in psychology Both candidates ran unopposed in the May primary election.

Palmer ran for mayor of Meridian in 2019 and came in second to Mayor Robert Simison. He is seeking his eighth term as House A representative.

Neither Palmer nor Navarro responded to the Statesman’s poll.

Incumbent James Holtzclaw is running unopposed for Seat B in the House of Representatives. Holtzclaw, a U.S. Air Force veteran, is seeking his seventh term. All terms in the legislature last two years.

Candidates’ responses to the survey are presented below, unedited, except for limiting responses to 100 words.

Learn more about these races and other local elections at IdahoStatesman.com/Election. For more questions and answers about Treasure Valley candidates like this, check out the Statesman’s Voter Guide.