Mathew Erpelding (born January 10, 1975) is an American politician who served as a member of the

Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate se ...

from the from 2012 until 2019. Erpelding also served as House Minority Leader from January 2017 until his December 2019 resignation.

Early life and education

Erpelding was born in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. From 1993 to 1997, Erpelding attended

Idaho State University , mottoeng = "The truth will set you free" , established = , former_names = Academy of Idaho(1901–1915)Idaho Technical Institute(1915–1927) University of Idaho—Southern Branch(1927–1947)Idaho Stat ...

, in Pocatello, graduating with a BA in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

. He later earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in adult education and

organizational learning Organizational learning is the process of creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge within an organization. An organization improves over time as it gains experience. From this experience, it is able to create knowledge. This knowledge is bro ...

from the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The Universit ...

Career

Rep. Erpelding co-own
Idaho Mountain Guides
serving as the head guide and instructor. Additionally, he teaches at Boise State University in the College of Innovation and Design as an adjunct instructor for the LEAD certification. Prior to his election in 2012, Rep. Erpelding was a social and behavioral sciences instructor at the

College of Western Idaho College of Western Idaho (CWI) is a public community college in Southwest Idaho with its primary campus locations in Boise and Nampa. CWI also offers classes at several community locations throughout the Treasure Valley. It is one of four compr ...

. An accomplished mountain guide, Erpelding has guided mountains across the western United States, most notably summiting Denali (20.310 ft) four times. During the 2012 session of the

Idaho Legislature The Idaho Legislature consists of the upper Idaho Senate and the lower Idaho House of Representatives. Idaho is divided into 35 legislative districts, which each elect one senator and two representatives. There are no term limits for either ...

, Erpelding served as an aide for Representative Brian Cronin (D-Boise). He has also been vice chair of the

Ada County Ada County is located in the southwestern part of Idaho, United States. As of the 2021 United States census estimate, the county had a population of 511,931, making it by far the state's most populous county; it is home to 26.8% of the state's p ...

Democratic Party. In 2003 Erpelding founded Experiential Adventures LLC, which offers "clients hands on leadership experience in fun and progressive learning environments."Leadership Team , Experimental Adventures
(accessed 27 November 2012) In December 2019, Erpelding resigned from the Idaho House to take a position with the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Elections

Erpelding was elected as the

Minority Leader by the House Democratic Caucus in December 2016. 2016 Erpelding was unopposed in the Democratic Primary. Erpelding defeated Republican Mark Patten with 68.75% of the vote. 2014 Erpelding was unopposed in the Democratic Primary. Erpelding defeated Republican Mitchell Berger with 71.6% of the vote. 2012 When Democratic Representative Cherie Buckner-Webb ran for

Idaho Senate The Idaho Senate is the upper chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 35 Senators elected to two-year terms, each representing a district of the state. The Senate meets at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho. Composition of ...

, Erpelding won the three-way May 15, 2012 Democratic Primary with 1,449 votes (48.0%). Erpelding won the November 6, 2012 General election with 14,695 votes (66.7%) against

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nominee Mike Washburn.

References

External links

Official page
at the

Campaign site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erpelding, Mat 1975 births 21st-century American politicians American mountain climbers Boise State University faculty Idaho State University alumni Living people Democratic Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives People from Boise, Idaho People from Denver University of Idaho alumni