Raúl Labrador

Labrador ran for and won the Republican nomination for Idaho House Seat B against two other challengers. He won the general election with 65.55% against Daniel S. Weston.[7][8]

He was unopposed in the May 2008 Republican primary.[9] Labrador defeated Glida Bothwell in the general election, winning 69.1% of the vote.[10]

Labrador served on the Environment, Energy, and Technology Committee in 2007, Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee from 2007 to 2010, the State Affairs Committee from 2007 to 2010, and the Transportation and Defense Committee from 2009 to 2010.[11]

In 2010, Labrador defeated Vaughn Ward in the Republican primary 48%–39% on May 10, in what was widely considered a major upset.[12][13] In the general election, Labrador defeated first-term Democratic incumbent Walt Minnick 51%–41%.

Labrador supported Mitt Romney for president.[14][15][16]

On August 14, 2013, Labrador decided not to challenge incumbent Idaho Governor Butch Otter in the Republican primary, instead running for reelection to Congress for a third term.[17][18]

On August 19, 2013, Democratic State Representative Shirley Ringo decided to challenge Labrador instead of running for an eighth term in the Idaho state legislature.[19]

Labrador announced on June 13 that he would challenge Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy for the leadership position; in a vote held June 19, 2014 the House selected McCarthy.[20]

Labrador won both the Republican primary (78.6%)[21] and the general election (65%).[22]

A supporter of Donald Trump in the 2016 election,[23] Labrador won the Republican primary (81%) in May,[24] and the general election (68.2%) in November.[25]

Town halls

Labrador was one of the few Republicans to host a town hall after the election of Donald Trump and the only member of the state's congressional delegation to host one.[26]

• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Federal Lands
  • Oversight and Investigations- Chair
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security- Vice Chair
  • Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations

• Liberty Caucus[27]
• Freedom Caucus[28]
• Congressional Western Caucus[29]

On April 20, 2017, Labrador said he does not believe healthcare is a human right.[30][31][32] Labrador supports the full repeal of the Affordable Care Act because he believes it will raise costs and eliminate jobs.[33]

Labrador supports requiring those illegally residing in the United States to be responsible for their own healthcare costs.[34]

He voted for the American Health Care Act of 2017, which passed the House May 4, 2017.[35] One of the few Republican lawmakers who hosted a town hall after this vote, Labrador received national attention for stating during the meeting at Lewis-Clark State College that "Nobody dies because they don't have access to healthcare." The statement caused a huge outcry from the audience present and on social media for several days.[36][37]

Labrador has stated that he supports the repeal of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which provides for the direct election of members of the U.S. Senate by the voters in each state. Before the amendment was ratified in 1913, Senators were selected by the legislatures of their respective states. With regard to this position, Labrador has stated "I have a consistent philosophy about government and the importance of states' rights."[38]

Labrador is in favor of tax reform, specifically reform that rids of loopholes, lowers "overall rates," and reduces government spending so the national debt does not increase.[39]

Labrador voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[40] He says the bill will "allow hard-working Idahoans to keep more of their money," including helping them "meet their expenses and make crucial investments."[39]

Labrador is seen by many in eastern Idaho, which is not in his congressional district, as an opponent of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).[41]

On the July 6, 2014, episode of Meet the Press, Labrador stated that the Obama administration needed to "immediately deport" young illegal immigrants. The comment came as part of a discussion about the estimated 52,000 unaccompanied minors from Central America who had tried to cross the border since October 2013.[42]

Labrador was a member of the "Gang of Eight," a bipartisan group of House members working on immigration reform legislation,[43] but on June 5, 2013, he left the negotiations because he wanted language in the bill requiring that illegal immigrants be responsible for their own health care costs.[34] Labrador said he would use his position on the House Judiciary Committee to pass immigration reform legislation.

Labrador opposes late termination of pregnancy and believes "life begins at conception" and that "The unborn child is still a child – made in the image of God, who will one day have the same hopes and dreams as the rest of us. The fact that life begins at conception might be an uncomfortable truth for some. But it's a truth, all the same."[44]

Labrador voted in favor of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in 2017.[44]

Idaho is one of the states that has faith-healing exemption. In a debate, Labrador said he would not change it.[45]

Labrador has a "B" rating from NORML for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes. Labrador is in favor of veterans having access to medical marijuana if recommended by their Veterans Health Administration doctor and if it is legal for medicinal purposes in their state of residence. He also supports industrial hemp farming.[46]

In June 2015, Labrador introduced HR 2802, titled the "First Amendment Defense Act" (FADA) which was said to protect those who oppose same-sex marriage based on their religious beliefs from action by the federal government. Critics, such as Ian Thompson of the American Civil Liberties Union claimed that the bill would "open the door to unprecedented taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBT people, single mothers, and unmarried couples."[47]

Labrador filed as a candidate in the 2022 Idaho attorney general election on November 17, 2021.[62] He challenged 20-year incumbent Lawrence Wasden for the Republican nomination; in the primary on May 17, Labrador won with 51.6% of the vote.[63]

In the general election on November 8, he received 62.6% of the vote to easily defeat Democrat Tom Arkoosh.[64]

Labrador was sworn in as Idaho's attorney general on January 2, 2023. Four days later, he filed a motion to dismiss charges against Sara Walton Brady, a Meridian woman who was arrested in 2020 for trespassing during the COVID-19 lockdown.[65]