Senator Phil Hart Contact information

Phil Hart is an American politician and businessman who has been representing District 2 in the Idaho Senate since 2022. He is a member of the Republican Party and previously served in the Idaho House of Representatives for Legislative District 3B from 2004 to 2012.

Hart is notable for having stopped filing both federal and state income tax returns in 1996, while he unsuccessfully pressed a federal lawsuit challenging the federal income tax as unconstitutional. After the case was rejected, he began filing returns again, but he continued to fight an order to pay more than $53,000 in back state income taxes.

In terms of education, Hart earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Utah and his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Hart’s political career has seen several ups and downs. In 2018, he was defeated by incumbent Paul Shepherd in the Republican primary, taking 41.3% of the vote. In 2012, after being redistricted to 2B, Hart lost the four-way May 15, 2012, Republican primary to Ed Morse, getting only 31.2% of the vote. However, in 2010, Hart was unopposed for the Republican Primary and won the general election with 80.1% of the vote against write-in candidate Howard Griffiths.

Hart is a successful businessman in Kootenai and Shoshone County, the principal of Alpine Engineering, LLC with an office in Hayden, Idaho. He is a licensed civil and structural engineer in 12 states. He is also a published author and has served on the Board of Directors for the Remington Water District.

Hart is a member of several organizations including the American Legislative Exchange Council, Gun Owners of America, National Rifle Association, and Wharton Alumni Association. He has one daughter named Sarah.