State Rep. Christy Perry of Nampa enters already crowded 1st CD race
Idaho state Rep. Christy Perry, R-Nampa, announced today that she’ll run for Congress in the 1st Congressional District race that already has drawn a slew of candidates; it’s an open seat, as current Rep. Raul Labrador is leaving it to run for governor. Republicans who already have entered the race include former state Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian; current state Rep. Luke Malek, R-Coeur d’Alene; and former Idaho attorney general and Lt. Gov. David Leroy. Nick Henderson of Post Falls and Michael Snyder of Bonners Ferry also have filed to run as Republicans. Democratic hopefuls who have filed to run for the seat include James Vandermaas of Eagle; Michael Smith of Post Falls; and Donald Roy Miller of Meridian.
“I just looked at the field and decided that there may be some good candidates, but there’s probably a better candidate, and I decided to jump in,” Perry said.
Perry, a fourth-term state lawmaker and longtime gun store owner, said she brings a common-sense conservatism to the race. “I don’t believe in the no-no-no type of government – I think that gets our nation and our states nowhere,” she said.
Perry currently chairs the House Local Government Committee and has co-chaired interim committees on foster care and public defense reform. “I love my legislative seat, I love what I do,” she said. “I think that this allows me to just serve a broader base of constituents.” Plus, she said as a state legislator, she often butted up against federal restrictions when trying to make changes for constituents. “It didn’t take long to realize that if you could work at a different level, you might be able to loosen some of those regulations and strings that I think really hold Idaho back and tie Idaho’s hands from really being as prosperous as it could be,” she said.
The Republican primary is next May.
