Perry Shumway

Perry Shumway was born in Lynwood, California. Shumway earned a high school diploma from West Springfield High School, a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 1989, and a graduate degree from Brigham Young University in 1993. His career experience includes working as a marketing manager and businessman.[1]

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased August 23, 2025

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Perry Shumway is the Brand Strategy Manager for Madisonhealth in Rexburg, Idaho.

The father of nine children, Perry has lived in eastern Idaho for the past 25 years. He earned his Eagle Scout award at age 14, and served in Los Angeles as a Spanish-speaking missionary for his church from 1984 to 1986.

Perry earned his MBA from Brigham Young University in 1993, and has worked in various industries since then.

In his spare time, Perry enjoys cooking, working in his yard, teaching a classroom of seven-year-olds at church, and solving crossword puzzles.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I will never vote for legislation which increases our national debt. Ever.

This is the single most important issue to me. I will not cave to pressure or coercion on this point. It's the reason I'm running for Congress in the first place.

Government spending is America's most egregious problem. Congress has placed us on the brink of potentially disastrous consequences, even though we're not at war, we're not in a recession, and there's no longer a pandemic. There's no excuse for spending beyond our means, yet Congress continues to do that, again and again, year after year.

It's time for Idaho to send someone to Congress who won't continue to put us deeper and deeper in the hole.The 22nd amendment was ratified in 1951, limiting presidents to two terms in office. Plenty of presidents since then have served for two terms. I'm glad they're not able to keep getting re-elected. Two terms is enough for any president, no matter how popular.

People who serve in the US House and the Senate are not similarly restricted. Several congressmen have been in office for 44 years. Idaho's Mike Simpson is in his 25th year. That's just too long.

Career politicians like these become enamored with the Washington power elite, and lose their connection to their constituents back home.

I support an amendment to the Constitution calling for term limits (12 years) for all members of the House and the Senate.Town hall meetings can be scary. Politicians put themselves in front of the public and stand there, open to criticism, debate, protesting, and even the unfortunate potential of physical violence.

Across the nation, an increasing number of town hall meetings are being held virtually, on computer screens, without the social interactions that can only occur when people meet in person.

I'm committed to transparency, including traveling throughout the district and meeting in person with constituents in their communities, where they live and work. As Idaho's representative in the second congressional district, I will hold a minimum of four in-person town hall meetings each year, for as long as I'm in office.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1. The rule of law. Not just that everyone has to follow the law, but also the idea that many federal agencies and departments are unconstitutional. They are based on a too-broad reading of the "general welfare" and "necessary and proper" clauses of the Constitution, which should be interpreted in a much more restrictive way.

2. The cost of healthcare. The US system is very far removed from a free market system. Government restrictions and regulations permeate all aspects of healthcare. I want to remove them all.

3. Mandatory licensing / certifications. I want to remove the ability of all levels of government to require that anyone be licensed or certified in order to provide some good or service.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

All elected officials must have absolute integrity, total honesty, compassion and understanding, and a commitment to freedom of choice coupled with personal responsibility for one's actions. They should be well informed, reasonable, and open to other's ideas and suggestions, while remaining principled and grounded in the Constitution.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

1. Voting in ways that benefit the American people and uphold the Constitution.

2. Providing oversight and, when necessary, investigations.

3. Assisting constituents with their interactions with federal agencies.

4. Keeping the public informed and up-to-date.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I delivered a free, weekly newspaper in Stockton, California when I was 10 years old. My only income was from knocking on doors and asking for voluntary contributions from the people to whom I delivered the paper. Some were polite; others told me to get lost. One day, when I was out delivering the papers, I had to use the bathroom so badly, I thought I was going to explode. I started to cry, and my mother, who had dropped me off at my delivery location, picked me up in the family's station wagon and drove me home, so that I could "take care of business." I felt much better after that.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Elections are every two years, and members are extremely averse to having their job continuity threatened every other year, so they've invented all manner of mechanisms to protect incumbents, making it virtually impossible for challengers to win. Also, there is very little incentive for members of the House to reduce the size and scope of government. Voters have an expectation that their representatives will "bring home the bacon."

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. I think that the ones with extensive experience are often the very ones who create such bad legislation. Congress shouldn't be so complicated an institution that regular, everyday citizens with real-life experience can't figure out how things work and make a difference. Instead, drunken with power, members of Congress devise all manner of procedures and rules, designed to reward those who financially contribute to their parties, and who are loyal to the party's leaders. This is a very, very serious problem.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Our economic stability hinges precariously on the edge of collapse. Of all of the issues that people love to debate - men competing in women's sports, illegal border crossings, tariffs, military readiness, foreign aid - none of it will matter if our economy implodes. Our national debt now far exceeds our GDP, and it continues to grow without restraint. Many legislators give lip service to the threat; no one ends up doing anything meaningful about it. Our nation is like a child, running across a busy freeway to retrieve a lost toy, and telling his mother that he's safe, because none of the cars that went rushing by hit him. It is the height of irresponsibility to continue on our current path. Any trigger (war, pandemic, recession) could launch us into a downward spiral of extreme unemployment, severe devaluation of the dollar, hyperinflation, the depletion of our retirement savings, and ultimately, riots and violence at unprecedented levels. When compared to this, everything else pales.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes. They need to be responsive to the people.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I absolutely support term limits, both for members of the US House of Representatives (6 terms) and for members of the US Senate (2 terms). I would happily vote in favor of an amendment to the Constitution to require this.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

No. Instead of compromise, we should act with integrity and work on either persuading our co-workers, or leveraging public opinion to accomplish the right thing. Compromise is the very thing which has gotten us into so much trouble in the past. I would prefer for Congress to accomplish nothing, than to continue to act the kind of legislation it has been enacting for decades.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

I would vote against any revenue-raising bill which added to the national debt. And I would likely vote against most or all other revenue-raising bills, as well. I'm a believer in small government, in a literal sense.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

In a very sparing, non-partisan way. When everyone gets investigated, all the time, and the investigations often mount to little more than political grandstanding on both sides, it's a waste of time, and it dilutes the power and efficacy of the process itself.

What role should the United States government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

None at all.

What legislation would you enact related to election administration in the United States?

None at present.