Voter Guide: Chance Marshall (D)
Party:
Democrat
- Website: https://chanceforidaho.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chanceforidaho
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Q: Tell us about your background, including your education, career experience, public service, and any previous political involvement. What experiences have best prepared you to serve in the Legislature?
As former president of the Bonneville Young Democrats and a resident of Idaho Falls, I have a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our community today. I also understands the effects the right-wing pipeline can have on young adults, as at one point I was a registered Republican. After spending time campaigning for Republicans, I began to understand that many candidates are more interested in their wealthy donors and less interested in investing in their communities. Today, my values align better with the Democratic Party in Idaho, and I hope to change the face of local and state politics. Through my work as a project manager, I understand the various aspects of tackling big
undertakings from start to finish, including planning and presenting budgets, staying within them, and communicating with stakeholders. I know how important it is for legislators to have consistent communication and meetings with constituents.
Q: If elected, what would be your highest legislative priority, and what specific policies or actions would you pursue to address it?
If elected, my highest priority will be our public schools, followed closely by protecting Medicaid. I believe these two issues affect more working families in Idaho than anything else the Legislature deals with. Idaho is last in the nation in what we spend per student, and that is not something we should accept. Our teachers are the backbone of our schools, yet a teacher in Idaho earns about 73 cents for every dollar someone with a similar education earns in another field, and our starting teacher pay has fallen from 24th to 33rd in the country in just one year. When we underpay our teachers, we lose them to neighboring states, and our kids are the ones who pay for it. I will fight for real pay increases for teachers and the support staff who keep our schools running, so that we can attract good teachers and keep the ones we have. I also believe it is time to undo the private school voucher program the Legislature passed in 2025. That program sends $50 million a year to private education while our public schools are still short around $100 million every year just to cover the cost of special education. The Idaho Supreme Court said the program is constitutional, but that does not make it good policy, and the only way to undo it is through the Legislature. That money should go back into the public schools that a vast majority of Idaho kids attend, especially in rural communities where there is no private school to choose from. Protecting our schools also means making sure they are not left scrambling every year. I would support closing the special education funding gap, giving districts more flexible funding so local school boards can decide what their students need, and making sure our rural schools are not left behind. My second priority is protecting Medicaid. Idaho voters approved Medicaid expansion, and it covers about 85,000 working Idahoans. I will work to stop cuts to the doctors and clinics that serve these families and make sure the new work requirements do not push people off coverage through paperwork alone. We work for the people, not for political parties, and investing in our kids and the health of our families is the best investment this state can make.
Q: Many families are concerned about rising costs of fuel, housing, groceries, health care, and other essentials. What role should government play in addressing inflation and improving economic opportunities, and what specific steps would you support?
Certainly, the state has the ability to bring relief to citizens on these issues, as for the question of whether it is the role of the Legislature to help deal with this issue typically, I would say that has not been the case in previous years. However, I do believe we are in somewhat unprecedented times. While gas and grocery prices going up is not something entirely new, the reason for these price inflations can be traced back directly to the actions of the current administration and by proxy and support my opponent. I believe due to these reasons and the hurt it is causing to our working class the Legislature should step in to help with prices and rising costs. We work for the people not for political parties, it is time that our Legislators acted that way. There are specific steps I would support to bring that relief. First, I believe it is time to end the grocery tax in Idaho. Families are paying a 6% tax on food at the register and then have to wait until tax time to get some of it back. This is something both Republicans and Democrats have called for, and it is past time we got it done. Second, housing has gotten out of reach for too many Idahoans. The Legislature took good first steps this year by allowing things like backyard apartments and faster permitting, but I believe we need to go further, including tax credits for builders who sell homes that working families can actually afford. Third, child care. Idaho is short around 20,000 child care spots, and the federal money that has been helping open new ones runs out at the end of this year. Parents cannot go to work if they cannot find care for their kids, so I would support making the state’s child care grants permanent. Fourth, I will protect Medicaid expansion, which Idaho voters approved. When working families lose coverage, they end up with medical debt and our rural clinics struggle to stay open. Finally, we need to pay for these things responsibly. Idaho has more than 160 tax exemptions that never expire and are never reviewed. I believe every one of them should be reviewed, and any future tax relief should go to working families first, not those at the very top.
Q: Immigration remains a major issue at both the state and federal levels. What is your position on immigration policy, and what role, if any, should state government play in addressing immigration-related concerns?
I don’t believe ICE, as it operates today, makes Idaho safer, and I don’t think Idaho taxpayers should be paying to do its work. Immigration is a federal responsibility, and the real fix belongs in Congress: a path to legal status for people who have built their lives here, a workforce program our farms and dairies can depend on, and an immigration court system that actually functions. I also believe in applying the law as written. Overstaying a visa is a civil violation, not a crime, and treating people who came here legally as criminals is wrong. In the Legislature, I would oppose mandating that our sheriffs and police sign agreements with ICE. Our own sheriffs opposed that mandate because of jail space and local budgets, and they’re right. I’d also work to repeal Idaho’s state immigration crime law, which a federal judge has already blocked once and which keeps costing Idaho money in court. State resources should go to schools, health care, and fighting real crime, not to federal immigration enforcement.
Q: Access, affordability, and workforce shortages continue to challenge the health care system. What do you see as the biggest health care issues facing residents, and what solutions would you advocate for?
Idaho’s biggest health care problem is simple: there aren’t enough providers, and we keep making it harder for the ones we have to stay. We rank last in the nation in doctors per capita, and 43 of our 44 counties are short of health professionals. Families in rural Idaho are driving an hour or more to see a doctor or deliver a baby. First, I will protect Medicaid expansion. Idaho voters approved it in 2018, and it covers about 85,000 working Idahoans. The new work requirements add paperwork, not jobs: researchers estimate up to 34,000 people could lose coverage, many of them already working. I’ll push to implement them with the least red tape the law allows. Second, I support Proposition 1. Since the abortion ban took effect, Idaho has lost more than a third of its OB-GYNs, and hospitals have closed maternity wards, citing our legal climate. Doctors shouldn’t have to choose between their patient’s health and a prison sentence, and women shouldn’t have to leave the state for care. If voters pass Prop 1, I will defend their decision in the Legislature, just as I’ll defend Medicaid expansion. Third, stop cutting what Medicaid pays providers. Those cuts push rural clinics, mental health providers, and maternity wards toward closing, and when they close, everyone in that town loses care. Fourth, grow our own doctors by funding more rural residencies and expanding loan repayment for doctors who practice where we need them most.
Q: As lawmakers consider state budget priorities, what level of funding do you believe public schools should receive? What factors shape your position, and what outcomes would you hope to achieve?
I believe the people who should be telling us what our schools need are the ones who work in them every day. Our teachers, principals, school boards, and support staff are the experts, and too often the Legislature sets school budgets without really listening to them. If elected, I will make it a priority to hear directly from educators in our district before I vote on any education budget. I also don’t believe there is one perfect number for school funding. It is a moving target. Enrollment changes, costs go up, and the needs of our students shift from year to year, so funding needs to be looked at year over year and adjusted to match what our schools are actually facing. What I do know is that Idaho spends the least per student of any state in the country, and that tells me we are not meeting those needs right now. When educators come to the Legislature, they have been pretty clear about where to start. Our superintendent and school boards have said special education is underfunded by around $100 million a year. Teachers have said low pay is driving people out of the profession and into neighboring states. Local districts have had to ask voters for more than $183 million in levies just this past May to cover what the state isn’t. Those are the voices I will be listening to, and I believe the $50 million a year going to private school vouchers would be better spent answering them. The outcomes I hope to see are teachers staying in Idaho classrooms, special education funded by the state instead of local taxpayers, less reliance on levies, and every kid in Idaho getting a quality education no matter what town they live in. We work for the people, not for political parties, and that starts with listening to the people doing the work.
Q: Looking at the most recent legislative session, what do you think lawmakers got right, what did they get wrong, and what changes would you advocate if elected?
Looking at this past session, I believe lawmakers got a few things right. The housing reforms they passed, like allowing backyard apartments and faster permitting, will help get more homes built, and it was good to see both sides work together on it. I also give them credit for not repealing Medicaid expansion. That being said, I believe they got the big picture wrong. With the state already facing a shortfall, they passed a bill matching the federal tax cuts that cost Idaho $155 million this year and put us right back into a deficit. Then, to balance the budget, they cut pay for providers who care for people with disabilities by almost $22 million. Our schools got no help on the $100 million special education gap, while $50 million a year keeps going to private school vouchers. If elected, I would push to put that money back into our public schools, stop the cuts to Medicaid providers, and make sure future tax relief goes to working families first. We work for the people, not for political parties, and the budget should reflect that.
Q: What is one issue that has not received enough attention during this campaign, and why do you believe voters should care about it?
One issue that has not gotten enough attention this campaign is special education. Idaho’s public schools are short around $100 million every year between what it costs to serve students with disabilities and what the state and federal government actually pay. Educators and school boards have been raising the alarm on this for years, and the Legislature still hasn’t fixed it. I believe voters should care because every family pays for that gap, whether they have a child in special education or not. When the state doesn’t cover the cost, school districts have to pull money from other classrooms or go to local taxpayers for more levy money. Rural districts get hit the hardest, because a single student with high needs can take up a big share of a small school’s budget, and many of those districts also struggle to hire special education teachers. If elected, I would push to close the special education gap, starting with the $50 million a year now going to private school vouchers. These are some of our most vulnerable kids, and they deserve to have their education fully funded by the state. We work for the people, not for political parties, and that should include every student in Idaho.
