Candidate filing season started Monday, and Sen. Edgar Malepeai (D-Pocatello) is among the many lawmakers who have decided it’s time to retire. The five-term senator’s announcement news release today noted he was especially disappointed by the Legislature’s 2011 passage of harmful education laws “which represented an unwarranted attack on Idaho's dedicated teachers but, more importantly, because they were crafted with no input from the very people who had the most at stake: educators, parents and students.” Last Friday, Sen. Nicole LeFavour (D-Boise) also cited the new laws among her reasons for deciding not to seek re-election.
The filing period runs through next Friday, March 9. See the full list of candidate filings, updated daily at noon and 5 p.m. Mountain.