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Mary Souza

Secretary of State

Biography & Background

Honors: Senator Mary Souza has been named a Top 20 Election Integrity Superstar by WorldNetDaily’s Whistleblower Magazine. She is one of only 12 state legislators nationwide to be chosen for The Honest Elections Project.

Accomplishments: Senator Mary Souza stopped Facebook money in Idaho. When she discovered that 20 of Idaho’s 44 counties received money from Facebook to help operate the 2020 General Election, she got to work. One county asked for $215,000, but received $500,000, more than double their request. At no time in the process did that office consult with the Secretary of State. Mary quickly drafted a bill that was passed and signed into law making it illegal to use this kind of private, dark money to operate our elections in Idaho. You can find out more here: https://MarySouzaforIdaho.com/Zuck-Bucks

(NOTE: A rumor is circulating that Mary voted in favor of allowing Facebook/Meta to build a data center in Kuna. That is not true! A bill in early 2020 allowed a tax incentive to be offered to any data center approved in Idaho. The bill passed the Legislature overwhelmingly. No one knew at that time about Facebook / Meta’s future influence in our state.)

Background: The only girl of eight children, Mary grew up competing with her seven brothers and building the strength of a leader along the way. She knows how to meet a challenge. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Pacific Lutheran University and spent the next decade working as a critical care nurse and clinical nursing instructor before returning to school and earning her masters degree in health education.

Mary and her husband, Rick have been married 43 years and have 4 grown children and two grandchildren. When Mary and Rick started their business 37 years ago, Mary stepped away from nursing and was general manager for 15 years. Thanks to that decision, Mary understands what it takes to run a successful business in Idaho.

Volunteer Service: Mary served on school committees, the Planning & Zoning Committee, and wrote a weekly political column for the local newspaper. In 2009, a city council election was decided by only five votes. Mary was writing her column and became fascinated by the many elements and vulnerabilities of our election system. Her interest in elections has only grown over the years and motivated her to run for office at the state level.

Elected Service: In 2014, Mary was elected state senator and is now finishing her eighth year in office. As our state senator, she has sponsored and/or carried a long list of election bills, with a focus on reporting, transparency, and increasing turnout while maintaining security. Now that our current secretary of state is retiring, Mary is ready to step up to the challenge and bring her warm, calm, communicative leadership style to the job.

Top 3 Issues:

1. Election Integrity Mary has worked tirelessly to secure our elections and is the leading voice on important election security measures including Voter ID, secure ballot storage, and protecting seniors from predatory ballot harvesting practices. Mary will continue to prevent Big Tech money from trying to influence our elections. Last year’s “test run” by Facebook was dangerous and we must guard against other methods of intrusion into our elections. Mary will provide clear communication and pro-active leadership for all 44 county election offices to make sure your vote is protected and guarantee our elections are safe and secure.
2. Securing Our Future The Secretary of State is one of five statewide officials to sit on the Land Board and oversee our important state endowment lands, which play a key role in funding K-12 education and children’s mental health. These endowment lands include timber, mining, water, and grazing lands. As a passionate advocate for education, Mary believes access to career technical education, charter schools, and school choice are key opportunities our children deserve. She will also work to ensure our children’s mental health is prioritized and accessible for those who need it most.
3. Securing Our Economy The Secretary of State oversees the Business Division, which registers businesses, certifies documents, as well as many other operations. As a business owner, Mary knows how red tape makes it more difficult to do business. She will use her experience on the Senate Commerce Committee and Local Government & Tax Committees, which prioritize reducing regulations, in working with the Business Division and those who depend on its services. Additionally, timber, mining, and agriculture are critical economic sectors for our state which still face huge challenges from COVID. A sudden increase in fees will decimate the ranchers and farmers who worked so hard to keep our grocery stores stocked throughout the pandemic, so any changes must be made with care.

Integrity in Affiliation

Submission: Yes

“I have read the Idaho Constitution and the Idaho Republican Party Platform. I support the Idaho Republican Platform and accept it as the standard by which my performance as a candidate and as an officeholder should be evaluated. I certify that I am not a candidate, officer, delegate or position holder in any party other than the Republican Party.”

Contact Info:

Idaho Republican Party
101 S. Capitol Boulevard, Suite 302
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 343-6405

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