Republican Chad Christensen announced Tuesday that he’s running for Idaho state representative in District 35A.

He launched his campaign with a central pledge to protect taxpayers and restore integrity to public assistance programs by rebuilding a dedicated welfare recipient fraud unit with real independence and real capacity.

“Idahoans have watched what’s been happening in Minnesota, and they should treat it as a warning,” Christensen said. “Fraud in public programs is not a victimless crime. It steals from taxpayers, it erodes trust, and it ultimately makes it harder to sustain help for families who truly qualify.”

Christensen emphasized that Idaho already has important tools aimed at provider side abuse. The Idaho attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit focuses on Medicaid provider fraud, along with abuse and neglect cases in facilities that receive Medicaid funding.

Christensen says his campaign is focused on a different gap, fraud committed by recipients, the kind of fraud that diverts benefits meant for eligible Idahoans.

“I know this problem personally because I lived it,” Christensen said. “I worked as a welfare fraud investigator for four years. When enforcement is weak, fraud spreads. When investigators are supported, fraud is deterred and honest families are protected.”

Christensen previously served in the Legislature and said he drafted legislation to restructure recipient fraud enforcement after hearing directly from investigators who felt their work was being blocked inside the Department of Health and Welfare. Those proposals never received a hearing. He argues that Idaho needs a structure that cannot be quietly slowed, diluted, or dismantled.