Brandon Mitchell

I grew up on a small farm in Syracuse Utah, where I learned about faith, family and hard work. I was raised with Christian values; following the example of Jesus Christ has ingrained in me the principles of integrity, honesty, and a love for others.

After marrying my High School sweetheart, we embarked on raising a family. My wife and I have 3 children and 5 grandchildren which I adore. We have a strong family bond that will pull us through anything.

I started working straight out of High School and was working my way through college at Weber State University where I was working on a degree in Criminal Justice. As I continued moving up in the job I had, it led to leadership positions, and I continued to grow with the company. I continued to move up in the company and moved several times to create better running and more efficient stores. Learning to control spending and create profitability was the value that the company saw in me. I eventually found myself controlling 10 stores in Tri Cities, WA that stretched from there into Lewiston, ID. In 2012, I was offered an opportunity to purchase my own two stores in Moscow, ID and Pullman, WA.

After much prayer and consideration, my wife and I decided to take the offer and we moved to Moscow where we have made our home. Since 2013, we have grown to 6 stores and continue to find success. The community welcomed us in with open arms and we have felt so loved here. I returned to school in 2016 to learn more about business and entrepreneurship.

I graduated from Brigham Young University – Idaho in 2022 while in my second year as a state legislator and still running my business. I have always believed in lifelong learning and will continue to do so.

I was elected in 2020 to my first term and then re-elected for a second term in 2022 as State Legislator in the Idaho State House of Representatives where I was able to accomplish many things for the people of Idaho and for district 6. I continue to fight for things that are right and would benefit our great state.

Candidate Questions

List your top issues you are promoting as part of your campaign:

Continue to focus on voter integrity laws. 2023/2024 session: Sponsored HB340 Voter ID, HB599 Ballot Harvesting. Co-Sponsored SB1377 initiative paid signature gatherers must disclose, SB1394 prohibiting voting machines from internet connection. Continuing my move on securing our elections. I will be working on issues that we see with the voting calendar. Dates are making things a bit more difficult to run an efficient election, so I will be looking at ways that we can streamline the process to give less chance for error. I would also like to address issues with our voter affidavit.

Holding government departments accountable. This year, we discussed many issues in a few different departments. I think we need to be holding those employees accountable. A great example would be in the department of Vocational Rehabilitation who was under the impression that they had overspent by almost 50% of their budget. If our department heads are not paying attention to something a simple as a budget, then they should not be in control of that portion of government.

Relieve tax burdens by controlling the growth of government and keeping appropriations to the core responsibilities of State Government. This year taxpayers realized an income tax cut and additional property tax relief with HB521.

There’s an expectation that candidates must explain which potential laws they will promote if elected. Let’s flip that around and ask, “What existing law will you seek to repeal and why?”

As the least regulated state in the union, I want to continue working to remove more regulations that put burdens on the citizens of Idaho. I would like to see us cut ties from the federal government. Laws that tie our hands such as allowing Idaho to manage the lands here in Idaho such as maintaining federal and state lands.

A famous chant of Democrats since the 1980s is “You can’t legislate morality.” Should morality and virtue be considerations in public policy? i. If not, why not? ii. If so, what standard will you use to decide what is moral?

I don’t think that we can shy away from morality in policy making. When you look at the differences in some moral policies (Human Rights, Death Penalty, Immigration), you can see that it is part of our society. As such these types of laws at the federal level would be completely wrong, but the more local they are, you might argue that they are right. My standard is simple when making policy decisions. I have three C’s that need to be met before I can vote for a bill and the last and most important one falls in this question.

The three C’s are:

• Is it constitutional?
• Is it what my constituents want?
• Can my conscience live with my vote?

Can the “the will of the public” be wrong? i. If not, why not? ii. If so, please describe your leadership role relative to public policy making when the public will is wrong.

We live in a nation were “we the people” are supposed to govern. Can the will of the public be wrong at times? One could argue that it could be, however, we also need to live with our choices. The way that I try to make decisions is based on will of the people. Listening to my constituents is what I was sent to Boise to do. When I do hear from them, I also take into consideration who it is coming from.

Those in my own party have more influence over my decision than those from the opposing party (after all, they are the ones who put me there to be their voice). I take into account what some entities like cities and counties might have to say, but I am there to represent the people and that is who I should be responding too.

Substantial portions of Idaho wilderness are controlled and managed by the federal government. What is your viewpoint on this land management issue?

I believe that land management needs to be closer to home and not managed from afar. We here locally know the lands better and can make faster changes when something needs to be addressed. Like government, land management needs to be as local as possible.

Provide an example of an emerging public health phenomenon that you think warrants further research and investigation.

Having gone through a pandemic this this has still been a hot topic of discussion. With that we have had scientists from both sides coming to completely different conclusions. We do not need to waste time with more research and investigation when we have a viable answer. With that said, I think that we need to always err on the side on the individual rights before we just jump in making choices that we the people should be left to make.

Describe your approach to promoting appropriation transparency for the public.

This year the Legislature came up with a new budgeting process. This process creates transparency for not only the legislators that control it, but for the citizens as well. This process has been used before, so it really isn’t new, but it has been some time since it was use last. I believe that it creates complete transparency. I will continue to advocate for this method so that the people will know where their tax dollars are being spent.

Describe one way to improve the appropriation process.

This year we had a state government department (Vocational Rehabilitation) come up late in the session and thought that they overspent for the year. As we looked deeper, we asked for an accounting and receipts for some of the spending.

I think that one improvement would be to request a line-item sheet in some of these departments with receipts. This allows us to review more information out about the spending.

Describe the areas that state government has a responsibility to fund.

As I look at appropriation bills and spending, I ask myself a couple of a questions:

• Is this the proper role of Government?
• Does the budget make sense?

I believe that the proper role of government is things like roads, K-12 schools (Idaho constitution), defense and police activity, etc.

When a budget has a much bigger increase than the normal 3%, I question why? It is important to control spending and the first thing that needs to happen is to scrutinize the budgets.

Describe the relationship and tensions that exist between State, County and Local government.

Understanding federalism is important when answering this question. There is often a call for “local control” and I do believe in local control. When looking at the way our government is setup, we realize where local control really lies.

The state is who created the Federal Government. The state also created the cities and counties. We have given certain abilities to both and when either one steps over their bounds, then the state should step in, and course correct.

There are a few things that the federal and state governments overlap. There is not such area between state and cities/counties. We want the local entities to control what happens locally, but if one starts to interfere with personal right, private property rights, or unconstitutional issues, then the state needs to step in and course correct.

GENERAL QUESTIONS FOR ALL CANDIDATES

Freedom: Explain your position on First Amendment rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Do you think these rights have eroded?

I do believe our First Amendment rights have eroded. Tech giants like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are deciding which rights are ours and at what times these rights apply. Who would have ever thought that liquor stores would be deemed essential while religious services were not. It is time that we secure and preserve the right enumerated in the U.S and Idaho constitution.

Race-Based Politics: Martin Luther King famously stated, “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Also, the Preamble to the Idaho Republican Platform states, “We believe in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or disability.” What is your perspective on race or sex-based politics?

I think that we have gone full circle on this issue, and it has no place in our world today (especially here in Idaho). We need to look at people for who they are and not focus on their race, religion, gender, etc. Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream has seemed to go the wrong direction. I believe what he wanted to see is where there is no special treatment of one race, sex, or religion. He just wanted people to be treated equal and that is what I would like to see and strive for.

The Biden administration is a prime example of how bad these ideological thoughts processes are. I personally don’t care what faction you might belong to, all I care is can you do the job? are you a good person? and how can I help you succeed?

Illegal Immigration: Over two million immigrants have crossed U.S borders in the last 15 months accompanied with human trafficking, drug trafficking, violent criminals, and potential terrorists that Americans are paying for financially and in other ways. What are your thoughts on local impacts resulting from illegal immigration?

Local impacts such as drugs, indigent care, and social services are putting more pressure on Idaho communities. That in turn overloads our law enforcement and other state and local services. I believe in people coming here legally. It needs to be controlled and we need to support the efforts to stop them at the boarder. I have spoken to people who have come here legally, and they are so disappointed in the way we have people just walking right in.

As your Representative, I will continue to work at the state level and with our national delegation to gain more state control over the issues that are being brought to Idaho through illegal national activity.

Limited Government: Describe your policy position on taxation, spending, and budgeting relative to state or local government?

Government has a role in providing services and programs that individuals cannot provide themselves. Each year it seems that we spend more to try and make something work better with failed results.

The only way to lower taxation is to shrink government. We need a balanced budget and when we have excess, then we need to return it to the rightful owners (the people). We do not need new taxes; we need less government.

Problem Solving: Describe two difficult interactions you have experienced and how you contributed to a resolution?

• As a small business owner, I have interactions with customers all the time. When a dispute comes up, I have been able to rationally address and discuss the issue through honest facts. The resolutions are easy when honesty is involved. We may not always like the outcome, but at least it comes out as an agreement between both parties that works.
• Listening and Serving

Republicanism: Do you subscribe to the Idaho Republican Party Platform? Describe any exceptions.

Yes. I would actually add to the platform under section 3. Reform of Congress that bills should stand on their own merits and not be lumped together in omnibus bills.

I also believe that in the Republican Platform, it discusses the importance of life in section 3b. That comes in conflict with section 3a in the fact that we cannot put one life over another. When the mother’s life is in jeopardy, I believe that there needs to be a decision made regardless of how difficult that discussion might be.

Governance: The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” How will this declaration influence you in administering your office, if elected?

For any bill that might come up, I look at the three C’s (described earlier). All three need to be agreed in order for me to vote in favor. As I look at what is taking place, I believe that is my responsibility to always err on the side of protecting the rights of the people. There will be bills that will pit my thoughts on protecting one area or protecting the people’s rights and that is where I decide vote in favor of the people.