Idaho Chief Deputy Secretary withdraws from Secretary of State primary

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – Following about six months of campaigning, current Idaho Chief Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck has decided he will no longer pursue the state’s Republican nomination for Secretary of State in the upcoming 2022 primary.

Houck cites his family as the key reason for the decision. 

“I have two children at key times in their lives, finishing high school and headed to college in the next 18 months," Houck said. "I’m not willing to miss what time I have left by being on the campaign trail,” he stated.

Houck still plans to stay focused on improving the security, transparency, and integrity of elections.

“Though I won’t likely be staying long-term at the capitol, this doesn’t mean I’ll be leaving the elections space,” Houck said. “Under the leadership of Secretary Denney, we secured the funding from state and federal sources to dramatically improve our cybersecurity posture, fully modernize the office in both our corporate and elections missions over the past six years and build an incredible team – but there are still things that need to be done, tools to be developed, that I can’t do from inside the statehouse.” 

Houck says by stepping away from direct government service, he believes he can help make improvements happen faster while reaching beyond Idaho as well.

Houck was appointed Chief Deputy Secretary by Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, whose current term extends to the end of 2022.