Steve Berch

Steve Berch

Democratic Party

Candidate, Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Tenure

2018 - Present

Term ends

2024

Years in position

5

Predecessor

Lynn Luker

Compensation

Base salary

$19,913/year

Per diem

For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $74/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $221/day.

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Next election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

State University of New York, Albany

Graduate

University of Minnesota

Personal

Profession

Consultant

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Steve Berch (Democratic Party) is a member of the Idaho House of Representatives, representing District 15A. He assumed office on December 1, 2018. His current term ends on December 1, 2024.

Berch (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Idaho House of Representatives to represent District 15A. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024. He advanced from the Democratic primary on May 21, 2024.

Biography

Representative Berch earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from the State University of New York at Albany and a master's of business administration in management information systems from the University of Minnesota. His professional experience includes working over 35 years as a computer programmer and marketing manager at Hewlett Packard in Boise and providing business planning and process consulting as owner of Steve Berch Consulting LLC. Berch has served as vice-president of the Board of Directors of the Greater Boise Auditorium District and vice-president of the West Valley Neighborhood Association.

Committee assignments

2021-2022

Berch was assigned to the following committees:

• Joint Legislative Oversight Committee
• Business Committee
• House Education Committee
• Local Government Committee

2019-2020

Berch was assigned to the following committees:

• Business Committee
• House Education Committee
• Local Government Committee

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Incumbent Steve Berch and Annette Tipton are running in the general election for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Steve Berch (D)
		Annette Tipton (R)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Incumbent Steve Berch advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Berch	100.0	1,804

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,804
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Annette Tipton advanced from the Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Annette Tipton	100.0	3,050

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,050
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Steve Keyser (R)

Endorsements

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2022

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Incumbent Steve Berch defeated Steve Keyser in the general election for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Berch (D)	52.9	9,739
		Steve Keyser (R)	47.1	8,656

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,395
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Incumbent Steve Berch advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Berch	100.0	1,543

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,543
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Steve Keyser advanced from the Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Keyser	100.0	5,242

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,242
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ruthie Bush (R)

2020

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Incumbent Steve Berch defeated Patrick McDonald and David Hartigan in the general election for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Berch (D)	50.6	11,567
		Patrick McDonald (R)	47.8	10,933
		David Hartigan (Constitution Party)	1.6	365

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,865
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Incumbent Steve Berch advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Berch	100.0	3,153

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,153
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Patrick McDonald advanced from the Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patrick McDonald	100.0	3,960

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,960
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2018

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Steve Berch defeated incumbent Lynn Luker in the general election for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Berch (D)	54.5	9,845
		Lynn Luker (R)	45.5	8,225

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,070
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Steve Berch advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Berch	100.0	2,245

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 2,245
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

Incumbent Lynn Luker advanced from the Republican primary for Idaho House of Representatives District 15A on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lynn Luker	100.0	3,619

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 3,619
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Idaho House of Representatives were held in 2016. The primary election took place on May 17, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 11, 2016.

Incumbent Lynn Luker defeated Steve Berch in the Idaho House of Representatives District 15A general election.

Idaho House of Representatives, District 15A General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Lynn Luker Incumbent	50.77%	9,663
	Democratic	Steve Berch	49.23%	9,370
Total Votes				19,033
Source: Idaho Secretary of State

Steve Berch ran unopposed in the Idaho House of Representatives District 15A Democratic primary.

Idaho House of Representatives District 15A, Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Steve Berch  (unopposed)

Incumbent Lynn Luker ran unopposed in the Idaho House of Representatives District 15A Republican primary.

Idaho House of Representatives District 15A, Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Lynn Luker Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Idaho House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 14, 2014. Steve Berch was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Lynn M. Luker was unopposed in the Republican primary. Berch was defeated by Luker in the general election.

Idaho House of Representatives, District 15A, General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Lynn M. Luker Incumbent	51.6%	6,615
	Democratic	Steve Berch	48.4%	6,199
Total Votes				12,814

2012

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2012

Berch ran in the 2012 election for Idaho House of Representatives District 15B. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary on May 15 and was defeated by Mark Patterson (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.

Idaho House of Representatives, District 15B, General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mark Patterson	53.1%	9,618
	Democratic	Steve Berch	46.9%	8,481
Total Votes				18,099

2010

See also: Idaho House of Representatives elections, 2010

Berch was a Democratic candidate for District 14B in the Idaho House of Representatives in the November 2, 2010, state legislative elections. He was unopposed in the primary on May 25th. He lost to Republican Reed DeMordaunt in the general election on November 2, 2010.

Idaho House of Representatives, District 14B (2010)
Candidates		Votes	Percent
Reed DeMordaunt (R)		16,624	67.8%
Steve Berch (D)		7,891	32.2%

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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You can ask Steve Berch to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing [email protected].

2022

Steve Berch did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Steve Berch did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

Berch's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“

“I believe the American Dream in West Boise should be more than just be grateful you have a job.” Idaho has nearly the lowest average wage and highest percentage of minimum wage employees in America. I will work to attract and keep good paying jobs here in the greater Boise area. “I believe education (public and higher) is the foundation for long-term economic growth in Idaho.” I will work to reprioritize existing resources to make Idaho among the top ten states admired for the quality of its public and higher education systems. Children and young adults must be prepared to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy. “I believe government plays an important, necessary role to provide vital services to honest, hard-working citizens who are truly in need.” I support Medicaid expansion. District 15 legislators have blocked this expansion for four years, costing taxpayers millions of dollars and putting the lives of over 80,000 Idahoans in jeopardy. I have visited the homes of many citizens in District 15 and have seen first-hand the harm these legislators are doing to them. “I believe public lands should not be privatized and sold to the highest bidder” – and convenient public access to local riverfronts and surrounding wilderness areas must be protected. I will work to protect your right to enjoy the wonders and beauty that is Idaho – which is why so many of us want to live and raise our families here.

”

2014

Berch's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

“

I want the same things you do: A thriving local economy with good paying jobs and real career opportunities Great schools that prepare our children and grandchildren for the future Keeping families together so they don’t have to move out of state to find gainful employment Leadership that brings people together by showing respect for others with different points of view

”

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Steve Berch campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Idaho House of Representatives District 15A	On the Ballot general	$124,041	$42,763
2022	Idaho House of Representatives District 15A	Won general	$196,034	$177,079
2020	Idaho House of Representatives District 15A	Won general	$130,057	N/A**
2018	Idaho House of Representatives District 15A	Won general	$102,907	N/A**
Grand total			$553,039	$219,841
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only availabale data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Idaho

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Idaho scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Idaho State Legislature was in session from January 9 to April 6. ACLU Idaho Legislators are scored on their stance on civil liberties issues. Idaho Freedom Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Idaho Wildlife Federation Legislators are scored on how they voted on sportsman-related bills. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. The Institute for Legislative Analysis Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Idaho State Legislature was in session from January 10 to March 31. ACLU Idaho Legislators are scored on their stance on civil liberties issues. Citizens Alliance of Idaho Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to upholding and defending Idaho values. Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business and economic issues. Idaho Business for Education Legislators are scored on their stance on education policy. Idaho Freedom Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Idaho Wildlife Federation Legislators are scored on how they voted on sportsman-related bills. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Idaho State Legislature was in session from January 11 to November 17. ACLU Idaho Legislators are scored on their stance on civil liberties issues. Idaho Business for Education Legislators are scored on their stance on education policy. Idaho Freedom Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Idaho Wildlife Federation Legislators are scored on how they voted on sportsman-related bills. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].

In 2020, the Idaho State Legislature was in session from January 6 to March 20. ACLU Idaho Legislators are scored on their stance on civil liberties issues. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Idaho Freedom Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Idaho Wildlife Federation Legislators are scored on how they voted on sportsman-related bills. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Idaho State Legislature was in session from January 7 through April 11. ACLU Idaho Legislators are scored on their stance on civil liberties issues. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Idaho Freedom Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

See also

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Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

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Idaho House of Representatives District 15A

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Lynn Luker (R)	Idaho House of Representatives District 15A 2018-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Idaho House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Mike Moyle

Majority Leader:Jason Monks

Representatives

District 1A

Mark Sauter (R)

District 1B

Sage Dixon (R)

District 2A

Heather Scott (R)

District 2B

Dale Hawkins (R)

District 3A

Vito Barbieri (R)

District 3B

Jordan Redman (R)

District 4A

Joe Alfieri (R)

District 4B

Elaine Price (R)

District 5A

Ron Mendive (R)

District 5B

Tony Wisniewski (R)

District 6A

Lori McCann (R)

District 6B

Brandon Mitchell (R)

District 7A

Mike Kingsley (R)

District 7B

Charlie Shepherd (R)

District 8A

Matthew Bundy (R)

District 8B

Megan Blanksma (R)

District 9A

Jacyn Gallagher (R)

District 9B

Judy Boyle (R)

District 10A

Mike Moyle (R)

District 10B

Bruce Skaug (R)

District 11A

Julie Yamamoto (R)

District 11B

Chris Allgood (R)

District 12A

Jeff Cornilles (R)

District 12B

Jaron Crane (R)

District 13A

Brent Crane (R)

District 13B

Kenny Wroten (R)

District 14A

Ted Hill (R)

District 14B

Josh Tanner (R)

District 15A

Steve Berch (D)

District 15B

Dori Healey (R)

District 16A

Soñia Galaviz (D)

District 16B

Todd Achilles (D)

District 17A

John Gannon (D)

District 17B

Megan Egbert (D)

District 18A

Ilana Rubel (D)

District 18B

Brooke Green (D)

District 19A

Lauren Necochea (D)

District 19B

Chris Mathias (D)

District 20A

Joe Palmer (R)

District 20B

James Holtzclaw (R)

District 21A

James Petzke (R)

District 21B

Jeff Ehlers (R)

District 22A

John Woude (R)

District 22B

Jason Monks (R)

District 23A

Melissa Durrant (R)

District 23B

Tina Lambert (R)

District 24A

Chenele Dixon (R)

District 24B

Steve Miller (R)

District 25A

Lance Clow (R)

District 25B

Gregory Lanting (R)

District 26A

Ned Burns (D)

District 26B

Jack Nelsen (R)

District 27A

Douglas Pickett (R)

District 27B

Clay Handy (R)

District 28A

Richard Cheatum (R)

District 28B

Dan Garner (R)

District 29A

Dustin Manwaring (R)

District 29B

Nate Roberts (D)

District 30A

David Cannon (R)

District 30B

Julianne Young (R)

District 31A

Jerald Raymond (R)

District 31B

Rod Furniss (R)

District 32A

Stephanie Mickelsen (R)

District 32B

Wendy Horman (R)

District 33A

Barbara Ehardt (R)

District 33B

Marco Erickson (R)

District 34A

Jon Weber (R)

District 34B

Britt Raybould (R)

District 35A

Kevin Andrus (R)

District 35B

Josh Wheeler (R)

Republican Party (59)

Democratic Party (11)