Megan Blanksma

American politician from Idaho

Megan Blanksma

Majority Leader of the Idaho House of Representatives
In office December 1, 2022 – February 8, 2024
Preceded by	Mike Moyle
Succeeded by	Jason Monks
Member of the Idaho House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office December 1, 2016
Preceded by	Pete Nielsen
Constituency	23rd district Seat B (2016–2020) 8th district Seat B (2020–present)

Personal details
Born	Nampa, Idaho, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	University of Idaho (BS)

Megan Blanksma (born in Nampa, Idaho) is an American politician serving as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives from District 8 in seat B.^[1] A member of the Republican Party, she served as the Majority Leader in the House of Representatives from 2022 to February 8, 2024, when she was removed due to disagreements within the Republican Caucus.^[2]

Early life and education

Blanksma was born and raised in Nampa. She graduated from Nampa High School and served as a legislative page in the Idaho Senate during her senior year. Later, she earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of Idaho.

Career

From 2014 to 2016, Blanksma served as Chair of the Elmore County Republican Party, after many years as a volunteer in many capacities at the county and state level.^[3] She also serves on the St. Luke's Elmore Community Board.

Idaho House of Representatives

Blanksma challenged 14-year incumbent Pete Nielsen in the Republican primary in 2016. She was endorsed by Governor Butch Otter.^[4] After securing the nomination, Blanksma faced only independent and third party opposition in the general election and was elected to the seat.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Blanksma criticized the Idaho Central District Health for endorsing a statement by Lauren McLean, the Democratic mayor of Boise, who supported Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance regarding masking and vaccines.^[5]

Committee assignments

Heath and Welfare Committee
Local Government Committee
Resources and Conservation Committee

Personal life

Blanksma and her husband, Jeff, live on a farm in Hammett, Idaho.

Elections

**District 23 House Seat B** - Elmore, Owyhee, and a portion of Twin Falls County
Year	Candidate	Votes	Pct	Candidate	Votes	Pct	Candidate	Votes	Pct
2016 Primary^[6]	Megan Blanksma	3,387	71.0%	Pete Nielsen (incumbent)	1,052	22.1%	Justin Freeman	329	6.9%
2016 General^[7]	Megan Blanksma	10,810	77.1%	Bill Chisholm	2,335	16.6%	Christopher Jenkins	889	6.3%

References

^ "Rep. Megan Blanksma". Idaho Legislature. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
^ Corbin, Clark (2024-02-08). "House Republicans oust Majority Leader Megan Blanksma from leadership role". Idaho Capital Sun. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
^ "Barry Peterson loses control of Elmore County GOP, blames Otter". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
^ "Breaking Down Otter's Legislative Endorsements". Idaho Education News. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
^ Norimine, Hayat (2021-08-20). "Can Central District Health back CDC guidelines? Board members seek more control". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
^ Denney, Lawerence. "May 17, 2016 Primary Election Results: Legislative Totals". Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
^ Denney, Lawerence. "Nov 8, 2016 General Election Results: Legislative Totals". Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2017.