Hazel challenges Price in rare contested Kootenai County GOP primary

Christa Hazel’s challenge to Rep. Elaine Price has exposed a fight inside Kootenai County Republicans over who really speaks for the party in Legislative District 4B, where Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls voters will decide whether to keep a Price-style incumbent or move to a longtime local activist with deep roots in North Idaho GOP circles.

Hazel announced her bid on March 13 and entered the race as a founding member of North Idaho Republicans and a former Kootenai County Republican precinct committeewoman. Price has held the seat since Dec. 1, 2022, and is seeking reelection after building her profile inside the Idaho House, where she serves on the Appropriations and Local Government committees.

The contest has become one of the clearest signs yet of a broader tug-of-war inside the local GOP power structure. Price has the backing of party loyalists and allies who say she is focused on fiscal restraint and protecting taxpayer money. Hazel, by contrast, has cast her campaign as a push for stronger local representation in Boise and a check on outside political groups that she says should not be driving decisions in Kootenai County.

Hazel’s campaign message is rooted in her own local resume. She grew up in the Hayden Creek area, graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School and North Idaho College, and later earned bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Idaho. She served on the Coeur d’Alene School Board from 2013 to 2017, including two years as chair, and co-chaired the successful 2012 school bond effort. Hazel also said she is a cancer survivor and believes access to quality health care close to home matters.

Her priorities are local control, low taxes, strong schools, workforce opportunities and government accountability. Those issues could matter well beyond the primary because House members serve two-year terms and are not term-limited, making District 4B a regular hinge point in how Kootenai County’s interests are carried to Boise.

Price’s supporters have defended her after criticism over her vote against House Bill 907, a career technical education appropriations bill. They say the measure was already fully funded and that her vote reflected discipline on spending, a message likely to resonate with Republican voters who prize tight control over public dollars.

County election officials say the race could also shape turnout. Kootenai County Clerk Jennifer Locke said there were 4,122 absentee ballot requests as of April 17, well below 2024 levels so far, but she said only two legislative primaries are contested countywide this year, including District 4B. Absentee ballot requests are due by 5 p.m. May 8, early voting runs May 4 through May 15, and returned absentee ballots must arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day. In a heavily Republican district, that makes the Price-Hazel race more than a party contest; it is a contest over who controls the center of gravity in Kootenai County politics.