Elinor Gilbreath

Elinor (Ellie) Gilbreath is the Democratic nominee for Idaho's 2nd Congressional District. A Georgetown-trained attorney, she has worked as a mediator and coach and has lived in the Ketchum area for about 23 years. She has not held elected office and describes herself as a political centrist.[1][2][3][4]

Gilbreath earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.[2][3][4] She lists her professional background as lawyer, mediator, and conflict resolution and strategy expert, and her Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey cites more than 20 years of experience in conflict resolution and mediation.[5][1] According to the Idaho Mountain Express, she owns and operates a business and personal coaching business under her maiden name, Ellie Newman Coaching.[3]

Gilbreath lists her hometown as Ketchum, Idaho, and gave her age as 63 in an Idaho Capital Sun candidate survey. According to EastIdahoNews.com, her family moved to Idaho in 2003 with their 18-month-old daughter, and she has lived in Ketchum for 23 years.[5][3][4] She has never held elected office, according to the Idaho Mountain Express.[3] Gilbreath entered the Democratic primary shortly before the filing deadline; fellow candidate Julie Wiley endorsed her and later suspended her campaign, and Gilbreath won the May 2026 Democratic primary. She describes herself as a "political centrist."[4][6][7]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.