Lucas Cayler did not respond to the Idaho Statesman's editorial board's request for a recommendation interview. That made our decision in the race for the District 11B House seat easy – but it probably would have been easy that way.

Sarah Chaney is a highly qualified candidate with strong credentials who would be a thoughtful candidate for the House of Representatives. While we will likely disagree with some of her decisions and votes, we expect her to approach issues thoughtfully and with consideration for the voters in her district.

For this reason, the editorial team supports Chaney.

Chaney has lived in Idaho since birth and has run a campaign focused on supporting police, agriculture and education. She said she was motivated to run because she saw “Idaho being taken in a different direction.”

“I want to leave my children the Idaho I grew up in,” she said.

We know less about Cayler, but on his campaign website he lists endorsements from far-right Senator Genneda Zuiderveld and a number of political action committees with similar ideology. Combine that with the lack of transparency he demonstrated by refusing to speak to our board and answer questions about his policy positions—the board generally does not endorse a candidate who will not be interviewed—and it is clear that he would be a much worse choice for the 11th District, which includes Caldwell and surrounding areas.

Residential property taxes there, as in much of the state, have risen sharply as a result of the Legislature's decision to cap the property tax exemption for homeowners. Chaney said she is open to raising that cap and other measures to curb property tax increases.

Chaney said her top priorities would be ensuring continued low taxes and supporting safe communities. Chaney, who is strongly opposed to abortion rights, also said another top priority would be expanding support for adoption and other alternatives.

We disagree with Chaney on abortion rights, but we appreciate her recognizing that the state has some responsibility to address the consequences of the laws it passes. Similarly, she advocated for clarifying Idaho's abortion ban to ensure that doctors feel confident in providing necessary care when a woman's life and health are at risk from her pregnancy.

Chaney also opposes all recent efforts to ban books in Idaho's libraries, including the law passed this year. She pointed to a Utah district that used similar language to ban the Bible in elementary and middle schools because of sexual content and violence. A wise man once reminded us that he who lives by the sword dies by the sword.

Chaney also expressed his support for Governor Brad Little's Idaho Launch program, which aims to help Idaho students launch into in-demand careers.

She said she could support some forms of funding for private or religious schools, but only if she could be assured that no harm would be done to Idaho's public schools. She correctly recognized that preserving the public school system was the legislature's most important (and constitutional) obligation.

The Statesman's editorials are the unsigned opinions of the Idaho Statesman editorial board. Members of the editorial board include opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, staff writer Chadd Cripe, editorial writers Dana Oland and Jim Keyser, and community member Mary Rohlfing.