Chuck Winder

Chuck Winder has been a Republican member of the Idaho Senate since 2008 and is representing the 14th District. He is married to Dianne Winder; the couple has two children.

Winder attended College of Idaho and received his bachelor's degree in Political Science/Pre-Law. He previously had been a Naval Aviator for the United States Navy. He is currently Senator of District 14 in the Idaho State Senate since 2008.

During a debate on the floor of Idaho Senate on a bill that would mandate women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound before the abortion is done Winder commented about women seeking an abortion of a pregnancy that was a result of rape. “Rape and incest was used as a reason to oppose this," Winder said on the Senate floor. "I would hope that when a woman goes in to a physician with a rape issue, that physician will indeed ask her about perhaps her marriage, was this pregnancy caused by normal relations in a marriage or was it truly caused by a rape. I assume that's part of the counseling that goes on.” The bill later passed the Senate 23-12. After coming under heavy criticism for his comments Winder later stated "I used a married woman, the idea being that as a woman or a couple, whether they be married or unmarried at the time, would want to find out if the pregnancy occurred as the product of the rape, or whether the pregnancy was unknown at the time," Winder told The Associated Press. "There was never any intention on my part to question the honesty of a woman in cases of rape." Despite his explanation, however, some still contend Winder's comments on the floor were insensitive.

He is a former member of the Ada County Highway District Commission. He previously served on both the Boise City Design Review Committee and the Boise Planning and Zoning Commission. In 2003, Winder ran for mayor of Boise, Idaho, but lost to David H. Bieter. From 2005 through 2008, Winder was a co-chair of the Treasure Valley's Coalition for Regional Public Transportation. In 2008, the coalition merged with the statewide Moving Idaho Forward organization.

As of August 2012, Winder is a member of the Education, State Affairs, and Transportation committees of the Idaho Legislature. He serves as the Assistant Majority Leader of the Idaho Senate. In the 2012 election, Winder is running for the state senate in the redrawn District 20. His opponent is former member of the United States Air Force and Idaho Army National Guard and current publisher of Legionary Books, James Mace.

Winder is a lifetime member of United States Navy League and the vice president of Ore-Ida Council, Boy Scouts of America. He is or was a member of the Ada Planning Association, Boise Evening Men's Bible Study Fellowship, Boise Metro Economic Development Council, and Children's Home Society of Idaho. Winder has served as the president of Junior Achievement of Idaho.