Karey Hanks

A Platform for Liberty

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Ronald Reagan once observed that, “as government expands, liberty contracts.” It is a lesson in reality that Idahoans have long understood. A government that can give us everything can take everything we have. Its role is not to lift people up but, rather, to stop holding them down.

Idahoans get it. We are a fiercely independent people who want to live in freedom, raise our children according to our values, work hard, enjoy this world, and leave it a little better for our having lived.

We don’t need leaders who have spent 50 years in office, shut away from the day-to-day realities of average citizens. Endurance should never be confused with experience.

My platform is based on one of the oldest tricks in the book: common sense. It reflects an understanding shared by Idahoans at every station of life, that the things that serve us best are the things we are able to do for ourselves.

PRO-GUN

I strongly support our 2nd Amendment rights, and I have co-sponsored bills to enhance our Stand Your Ground and Castle Doctrine laws. I oppose Red Flag laws. I’m a member of the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance and recognize this organization as a staunch protector of the 2nd amendment. I believe the right to keep and bear arms “shall not be infringed.”

PRO-LIFE

I know all life is sacred, and with the reversal of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court in June of 2022, abortion is illegal in Idaho (with very few exceptions) because of prior legislation, the trigger law, which was passed in Idaho and became effective with the Dobbs decision. I also believe we need to protect our religious freedom and make efforts to return basic universal principles to our educational facilities.

PRO FAMILY & INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

We must protect our families (and all Idahoans) from the “woke” agenda, including protecting our children from porn in public/school libraries; protecting them from grooming; and protecting children from permanent surgical alteration to their bodies because of gender dysphoria. I support a legislative ban of biological males participating in girls’ sports.

PRO-AGRICULTURE

Government has imposed a plague of artificial regulations and rules that stand in stark contrast to a way of life as old as the Garden of Eden. Agriculture, small business, transportation, and virtually every other means of earning a living is inundated with fees, audits, permits, licenses, and assorted barriers that discourage business startups and job-creating business expansions.

PRO-TAX REFORM

The money we take home to spend on our families, our businesses, and making our lives better should not be used to expand government programs, state agencies, and departments. I have long advocated for grocery tax repeal and changes to property tax laws so we are not priced out of our homes. State budget surpluses should be returned to the taxpayers, not spent to grow government!

PRO-ELECTION INTEGRITY

We must protect the integrity of our vote by eliminating drop boxes, requiring voter ID, and restricting or prohibiting mail-in ballots. I oppose Ranked-Choice voting and open primaries in Idaho, as this will compromise the right of Republicans to choose our candidates in the primary. This does NOT disenfranchise our vote—traditional vote casting and a Republican closed primary will preserve our individual rights and protect our state from further liberal encroachment.

About Me

From a modest background with a strong will to make the world a better place I have studied and advocated for Constitutional principles for many years. I have served many youths for the better as a Scout leader then as an intern at the Juvenile Correctional Center. I have supported my husband and family with our farm operations and understand the needs of small businesses. As a proud Idahoan, I want to promote and protect our way of life.

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Raised in the Idaho Falls area and Idaho-educated from elementary school through college, Karey Hanks was raised on the values and traditions of the American West.

As a faith representative at the Five County Detention Center with a degree in psychology from Brigham Young University Idaho campus, she has insights stretching across the life experiences of people in the 31st District.

A member of the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, Karey understands and respects America’s commitment to the Second Amendment and the need to protect those rights from infringement at every level. She hailed the passage of Senate Bill 1389 (Constitutional carry) in 2016 as a victory for individual rights and personal safety, and advocates for additional protection of our gun rights in Idaho.

Her rich and varied work history reflects a woman with a respect for hard work. She has driven a bus for the Fremont County School District, worked as a semi-truck driver for Generation Farms, and as a harvest worker at Crapo Farms.

She and her husband, Burke, have lived and farmed in the Egin Bench area for over 40 years. They know the importance of water rights and the burden of taxes and overregulation.

A lover of the outdoors, be it skiing, biking or hiking, she understands Idahoans’ connection to the land. That’s why it troubles her that 63 percent of Idaho land is controlled by the federal government, and not Idaho’s citizens. She knows that Idaho’s future must be determined by its own people, and not from behind a desk in Washington.

Idaho’s economic development is irrevocably tied to the soil and without control of its own land, Karey knows that the state cannot advance. She is committed to carrying that message to Boise and beyond. A people without control of their land can only be serfs. She views it as an issue of human rights and liberty.

Her political experience began with the Fremont County Central Committee and the Republican Women’s group in a variety of roles. One of her favorites has been speaking before school and scouting groups about Constitutional principles.

She and Burke have been married 45 years and have 7 children and 18 grandchildren.

Karey understands and appreciates the importance of public service, but she also cherishes the awesome significance of her other roles in life: wife, mother, and grandmother.