Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson, a longtime Sandpoint resident and former school principal, is running as an independent for the Idaho State Senate District 1 seat in 2026. An educator, farmer, rancher, and small-scale logger, he earned both bachelor's and graduate degrees from the University of Idaho. Johnson champions "lunch bucket" issues, aiming to improve the lives of Idaho families in tangible ways by addressing cost of living and affordable housing, and has proposed a state program for first-time homebuyers. With education as his main focus, he states, "Education is an investment, not an expense." His background includes being fired as a principal in 1993 for speaking out against district policies, leading to a successful lawsuit for legal costs. He currently teaches at Lake Pend Oreille High School.