Senator Janie Ward-Engelking

Janie Ward-Engelking is an American politician who has been serving as a Democratic member of the Idaho Senate, representing District 18 since December 2013. She was born in Caldwell, Idaho.

Before her tenure in the Senate, she represented District 18 Seat A in the Idaho House of Representatives. Her political journey has been marked by several noteworthy elections. In the 2010 General Election, she narrowly lost to Julie Ellsworth with 49.9% of the votes. However, in the 2012 General Election, she turned the tables and won with 55.3% of the votes against Julie Ellsworth.

In November 2013, she expressed interest in being appointed to the Idaho Senate to succeed Durst, who had resigned. On December 20, 2013, Governor Butch Otter appointed her to the Idaho Senate to finish Durst’s term. Since then, she has been re-elected multiple times, even securing 100% of the votes in the 2016 General Election.

Apart from her political career, Janie Ward-Engelking has also made significant contributions to the field of education. After attending Whittier College, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Idaho State University and her Master of Arts from Boise State University. She worked as a classroom teacher for 33 years before retiring. She has been an active community member, trainer, and facilitator for the College of Western Idaho.

She resides in Boise, Idaho with her spouse, Kay Frank Engelking.