{"id":20358,"date":"2026-10-04T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/?p=20358"},"modified":"2026-10-04T13:38:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T19:38:32","slug":"idaho-attorney-general-2026-labrador-vs-hickman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/idaho-attorney-general-2026-labrador-vs-hickman\/","title":{"rendered":"Idaho Attorney General 2026: Labrador vs. Hickman"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bottom line –<\/strong> The choice is between a proven Republican incumbent with a measurable record and a capable lawyer whose public life has run through progressive causes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ra\u00fal Labrador (R)<\/strong> has recovered roughly $165\u2013190 million for Idaho since 2023, more than quadrupled arrests for internet crimes against children, cleared a 1,400-tip backlog, and defended Idaho’s laws on women’s sports, school choice and the unborn in court, winning at the U.S. and Idaho Supreme Courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lori Hickman (D)<\/strong> is an experienced business and intellectual-property lawyer with no prosecutorial or government-executive experience. For about five years she chaired Mormon Women for Ethical Government, a group that sued to overturn Idaho’s school-choice tax credit, a law Labrador’s office successfully defended. Every political donation on record goes to Democrats, including $5,000 to the Idaho Democratic Party in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hickman’s main argument is ethics and professionalism, backed by endorsements from former Republican attorneys general Lawrence Wasden and Jim Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labrador’s strongest argument is results from his four years as Idaho\u2019s AG. He also has a proven record as a conservative Congressman and Legislator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Side by side<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/th>Ra\u00fal Labrador (R, incumbent)<\/th>Lori Hickman (D, challenger)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Current role<\/td>Idaho Attorney General since January 2023; former U.S. congressman<\/td>Attorney at McFarland Ritter PLLC, Boise, since 2014<\/td><\/tr>
Prosecution \/ law enforcement experience<\/td>Runs the office’s prosecutors, ICAC task force and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit<\/td>None found; civil, business and IP practice; pro bono counsel in child-protection cases<\/td><\/tr>
Money recovered for Idaho<\/td>$161M in first 18 months; about $165\u2013190M total including Purdue opioid share (up to $24M)<\/td>Not applicable<\/td><\/tr>
Child-exploitation arrests (ICAC)<\/td>143 in 2025, vs. 34 in 2022 under the previous AG<\/td>Not applicable<\/td><\/tr>
School choice (HB 93 tax credit)<\/td>Defended it; Idaho Supreme Court upheld it 5\u20130 in Feb. 2026; challengers paid Idaho $70,000 in fees<\/td>Chaired the board of a group that sued to strike it down<\/td><\/tr>
Women’s sports and child-protection laws<\/td>Defended at U.S. Supreme Court and 9th Circuit<\/td>Says she would end “culture war” litigation<\/td><\/tr>
Lawsuits against the Biden administration<\/td>Won injunctions or rulings on parole, Obamacare for illegal immigrants, minimum wage, Corporate Transparency Act<\/td>Not applicable<\/td><\/tr>
Immigration enforcement<\/td>Won a ruling against the Biden administration’s immigrant parole program<\/td>Would let local law enforcement decide whether to participate<\/td><\/tr>
Political giving<\/td>Not researched for this guide<\/td>All recorded donations to Democrats, incl. $5,000 to the Idaho Democratic Party (2026)<\/td><\/tr>
Fundraising (2026)<\/td>$552,742 by May<\/td>$173,433 itemized through Sept. 29; top donor A.J. Balukoff ($10,000)<\/td><\/tr>
Notable endorsements<\/td>Not researched for this guide<\/td>Former GOP AGs Lawrence Wasden and Jim Jones<\/td><\/tr>
Bar discipline<\/td>None found<\/td>None found<\/td><\/tr>
Primary result (May 2026)<\/td>Unopposed<\/td>Unopposed, 43,348 votes<\/td><\/tr>
Polling<\/td>49%<\/td>31% (20% undecided)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Labrador’s record<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Labrador has brought in about five times his office’s $33.6 million annual budget in his first 18 months alone and has made child exploitation a top enforcement priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Money recovered for Idaho<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Case<\/th>Idaho’s share<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Tobacco company payment disputes<\/td>$74 million<\/td><\/tr>
Opioid makers, distributors and pharmacies (Teva, Allergan, CVS, Walgreens and others)<\/td>$78 million<\/td><\/tr>
Johnson & Johnson talc baby powder (43 states, $700M total)<\/td>$5.7 million<\/td><\/tr>
Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers ($7.4B total)<\/td>Up to $24 million over 15 years<\/td><\/tr>
Medicaid fraud, federal FY2025<\/td>$900,756, the most outside multistate cases in a decade<\/td><\/tr>
Consumer mediation, 2025 through June 2026<\/td>About $2.06 million, more than all years since 2017 combined<\/td><\/tr>
HB 93 school-choice lawsuit fee award<\/td>$70,000 paid by the challengers<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most of the large recoveries are multistate settlements, several begun under his predecessor and finished by Labrador’s office. The Medicaid, consumer and HB 93 recoveries came from his office’s own work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protecting children<\/h3>\n\n\n\n