School Choice Spending Fuels District 23 Rematch Between Incumbent Bruce and Former Legislator Durrant
Why It Matters
A high-spending rematch in Idaho’s District 23 is drawing fresh attention to the influence of out-of-state school choice money in Idaho legislative races. The May 19 Republican primary for House Seat A — covering portions of Owyhee, Ada, and Canyon counties — will again pit first-term incumbent Rep. Chris Bruce against Melissa Durrant, the same candidate he narrowly defeated in 2024.
With education funding and parental rights in schools among the most contested issues in Idaho politics, the outcome of this race could influence the direction of future school choice legislation at the state level.
What Happened
Bruce, a Kuna mortgage loan officer and member of the state’s budget-writing committee, defeated Durrant in 2024 by just 83 votes. Durrant, who had served as a legislator before losing that race, is now seeking to reclaim her seat.
The rematch has already attracted renewed outside spending. The AFC Victory Fund, connected to the national school choice organization American Federation for Children, has directed more than $38,000 toward opposing Durrant ahead of the May 19 primary. That group poured over $80,000 into Idaho two years ago targeting her after she voted against a private school tax credit bill during her previous legislative term.
Durrant described the volume of opposition mailers as jarring — including for her own family. “Their high school friends would sometimes get mailers before we did,” she said, recalling the 2024 experience.
Despite the outside groups spending heavily against his opponent, Bruce has said he’d like to see out-of-state political money reined in. “Money comes from everywhere,” he said. “We see it in all elections and all cycles — good, bad or ugly, it’s there.”
By the Numbers
- 83 votes — margin of Bruce’s 2024 primary victory over Durrant
- $80,655 — out-of-state PAC money spent to oppose Durrant during the 2024 race
- $38,318 — AFC Victory Fund spending against Durrant so far in the 2026 cycle
- $2,731 — total 2024 campaign spending by Bruce, with no PAC support or opposition
- $160,106 — total 2024 spending across Durrant’s race when PAC activity is included
The Candidates
Bruce, who also serves on the Kuna City Council, argued that education funding should be flexible enough to follow individual students rather than flow exclusively to traditional public schools. While he personally sends his children to public school, he said some families are better served by private, charter, virtual, or home school settings. “If the state’s going to put money towards public education, then it should follow the kid,” he said.
Durrant, for her part, cited encouragement from constituents as the reason she decided to run again. “When it came down to it, my kids, my husband were like, ‘Let’s do this, Mom,'” she said.
The contrast in campaign spending between the two candidates remains stark. In 2024, Bruce ran a lean operation with minimal outside help, while Durrant’s race became a financial battlefield driven largely by PAC activity on both sides. Whether that dynamic repeats itself in 2026 remains to be seen, though early outside spending suggests it may.
Zoom Out
The District 23 contest reflects a broader national pattern in which school choice advocacy groups — funded largely by donors outside the states where they operate — have become significant players in local legislative primaries. Idaho has been a recurring target, with ongoing debates over education funding and parental rights that featured prominently in the 2026 legislative session. Similar dynamics have played out across the Mountain West as school choice legislation advances in Republican-led states.
Idaho’s broader education funding landscape is also in flux, with federal rural healthcare and education dollars potentially reshaping how money flows to Idaho communities in the years ahead.
What’s Next
The Republican primary for District 23 House Seat A is scheduled for May 19. Because the district leans heavily Republican, the primary winner is widely expected to be the general election favorite in November.
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