Age in the 2025 Idaho Legislature
The State of Idaho held its elections for a new Idaho House of Representatives and Idaho State Senate on November 4th 2024. In January 2025 the currently active 68th legislative session of the Idaho State Legislature. Among the members elected 5 were aged 35 or younger on election day in 2024. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the Idaho State Legislature.
Idaho Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18–29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote nationwide, including over 8 million who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms.
Nationally, according to the Pew Research Center, Millennials in 2020 overtook Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S., comprising 31% of the population, followed closely by Baby Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X makes up 28%, while the Silent Generation is the smallest at 9.9%.
This election showcased the increasing diversity of the youth electorate, with notable differences in voting patterns by race, gender, and issue priorities. Given Idaho’s unique demographics, voters elected 2 members to the Idaho House of Representatives, who were age 35 and under on election day. Below is information about the generational backgrounds of the current Idaho State Legislature.
The Idaho House of Representatives 33rd Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected to the Idaho House of Representatives
- the average age of Idaho House of Representatives members is 56.25 years
- the youngest Representative James Petzke was born in 1994
- the oldest Representative Richard W. Cheatum was born in 1944
- 2 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the Idaho House of Representatives, most representatives come from Generation X, and the Baby Boomer generation. Importantly, no members of the current Idaho House of Representatives belong to Generation Z . Scroll below to see the generations in the Idaho House of Representatives visualized.
Partisanship in the Idaho House of Representatives
The chart below further breaks down the current partisan makeup of the 2025 Idaho House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan dynamics in the Idaho House of Representatives reflect not only ideological differences but also generational contrasts. The visual below highlights one key distinction: the average age of legislators by party. While both parties include a mix of experience levels, Republican members are, on average, older than their Democratic counterparts. This difference may reflect broader trends in political recruitment, generational turnover, and candidate emergence in recent election cycles.
Young Elected Representatives – Idaho House of Representatives
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Idaho, two members aged 35 or under were elected to the Idaho House of Representatives. Below are all eleven of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth year (Age on Election Day) | Year first elected to Idaho House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
James Petzke (R) | 21st District –
Meridian, ID |
1994 (Age 30) | 2022 |
 |
Jaron Crane (R) | 12th District –
Coeur d’Alene, ID |
1990 (Age 34) | 2022 |
Photos courtesy of Idaho State Legislature member roster
Gender in the Idaho House of Representatives
The Idaho House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. Across all members, 75.71% are men, while women make up the remaining 24.29%. Age differences between these groups are notable: female representatives had an average age of 52.46 at the time of the election, compared to 57.49 for their male colleagues. Of the the 2 Young Elected Leaders, both are male.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional differences in age emerge within the Idaho House of Representatives. Democratic women have the lowest average age of the four groups at 44.66, while Democratic men have the highest average age of 64.12. For Republicans in the Idaho House of Representatives, both gender groups are on average older, with Republican women having an average age of 56.71 and Republican men averaging 57.08. Overall across both parties the average for all groups across party and gender lies above 44 years old. These patterns show that age representation in the Idaho House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
Race and Ethnicity in the Idaho House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the Idaho House of Representatives varies significantly across generations. In the 2024 Idaho House younger generations are overall more diverse. This table highlights how race and ethnicity intersect with age in shaping the diversity of the legislative body.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Idaho House of Representatives
|
Generation Z 1997 – |
Millennial Generation
1981 – 1996 |
Generation X
1965 –1980 |
Boomer Generation
1946 – 1964 |
Silent Generation
1928 – 1945 |
Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White/Caucasian | – | 16
(100%) |
23
(95.83%) |
28
(100%) |
1
(100%) |
67
(98.53%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | – | – | 1
(4.17%) |
2
(25%) |
– | 1
(1.47%) |
| Total (Precent of Idaho House) | – | 23
(46%) |
17
(34%) |
8
(16%) |
1
(1.45%) |
69*
(100%) |
*Missing age for one House member. The full Idaho House of Representatives is comprised of 70 seats.
The Idaho Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Idaho State Senate.
- the average age of Idaho State Senate members is 54.57 years
- the youngest Senator Joshua Kohl who was born in 1987
- the oldest Senator Cecil Scott Grow who was born in 1948
- 3 Senators are Young Elected Leaders, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the Idaho State Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Idaho, three members aged 35 or under were elected to the Idaho State Senate. Below is information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth Year
(Age on Election Day) |
Year First Elected to the Idaho State Senate |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Joshua Kohl (R) | 25th District –
Ammon, ID |
1996 (Age 28) |
2024 |
 |
Ben Adams (R) | 12th District –
Coeur d’Alene, ID |
1989 (Age 35) |
2022 |
 |
Brandon Shippy (R) | 9th District –
Moscow, ID |
1989 (Age 35) |
*2024 |
*Member appointed
Photos courtesy of Idaho State Senate member roster
Partisanship in the Idaho State Senate
In the Idaho State Senate, 29 senators belong to the Republican Party, 6 senators are Democrats. The mean age of Republican state senators after the 2024 election was 54.42, while the mean age of Democratic state senators was 55.3. Each generation had a different partisan makeup. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the Idaho State Senate.
Gender in the Idaho Senate
The generational makeup of the Idaho Senate also reflects important gender dynamics. Across generations, gender balance is more male skewed across generations. Overall more men are represented than women in every generational cohort. Overrepresentation of men in the Idaho Senate is especially true for older generations such as those within the Baby Boomer generation. These patterns suggest that gender balance varies across generational lines, with women represented in each age cohort of the Idaho Senate.
Race and Ethnicity in the Idaho Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the Idaho Senate reveals generational variation in representation. Below is the breakdown of race and ethnicity within the Idaho Senate.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Idaho State Senate
| Millennial Generation | Generation X | Boomer Generation | Silent Generation | Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 6 (100%) | 16 (100%) | 12 (92.31%) | – | 34 (97.14%) |
| Asian/Pacific American | – | – | 1 (7.69%) | – | 1 (2.86%) |
| Total | 6 (17.14%) | 16 (45.71%) | 13 (37.14%) | – | 35 (100%) |
The full Idaho State Senate is comprised of 35 seats.
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Idaho which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 2025 Idaho State Legislature