View source for Dan Gookin

{{Short description|American politician and author (born 1960)}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Dan Gookin
| image               = Dan_goo.jpg
| caption             = Gookin in 2017
| birth_place         = [[San Diego]], California, U.S.
| occupation          = {{hlist|Computer book author|politician}}
| website             = {{URL|http://www.wambooli.com/}}
| office              = Mayor-elect of [[Coeur d'Alene, Idaho|Coeur d'Alene]]
| succeeding          = [[Woody McEvers]]
| term_start          = January 1st, 2026
| birth_date          = 1960
| office1             = Member of the [[Coeur d'Alene, Idaho|Coeur d'Alene]] City Council<br>for Seat 3
| term_start1         = January 2nd, 2012
| term_end1           = 
| predecessor1        = A. J. Hassell III<ref>{{cite web |title=Past Elections |url=https://www.kcgov.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/536 |website=Kootenai County |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref>
| alma_mater          = [[University of California, San Diego]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| party               = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| otherparty          = [[Libertarian Party (United States) | Libertarian]]
}}

'''Dan Gookin''' (born 1960) is an American politician and author who is the mayor-elect of [[Coeur d'Alene, Idaho]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=BULEY |first=BILL |date=2025-11-05 |title=Dan's the man |url=https://cdapress.com/news/2025/nov/05/dans-the-man/ |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=Coeur d'Alene Press |language=en}}</ref> He has served as a member on the Coeur d’Alene City Council. Gookin is best known for writing the first ''[[...For Dummies]]'' books, including ''DOS For Dummies'' and ''PCs For Dummies'', which established the humorous and accessible style of the long-running ''For Dummies'' series.<ref name="council">{{cite web|url=http://www.cdaid.org/51/departments/council/council-members/councilman-dan-gookin|title=Councilman Dan Gookin|publisher=City of Coeur d'Alene|accessdate=May 10, 2014}}</ref>

== Life and career ==
Gookin earned a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in communications and visual arts from the [[University of California, San Diego]].<ref name="council" /> He has written over 150 computer books. His website provides computer help sections and a blog that is updated several times a week. From 1987 to 1989, he served as editor of ''[[ComputorEdge Magazine]]'', a [[San Diego]] computer periodical.

Gookin lives in [[Coeur d'Alene, Idaho]], where he has been active in the local arts community, serving as the artistic director of the Lake City Playhouse.<ref name="council" /> 

Gookin first ran unsuccessfully for the [[Idaho Senate]] in 2004 as a [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Curless |first=Erica F. |date=October 13, 2007 |title=Gookin sees making city accountable as a priority |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2007/oct/13/gookin-sees-making-city-accountable-as-a-priority/ |access-date=June 12, 2013 |work=[[The Spokesman-Review]]}}</ref> Later, in November 2011, he was elected to a seat on the Coeur d'Alene City Council, defeating former [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] state representative George Saylor.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Russell |first1=Betsy |title=Election results: Mayors re-elected, bag ban rejected... |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/nov/09/election-results-mayors-re-elected-bag-ban-rejecte/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |website=Spokesman.com |access-date=8 November 2025 |language=en |date=9 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=KC Dem Club: Dan Gookin, Incumbent for CdA City Council |url=https://kootenaidemocrats.org/events/kd-dem-club-dan-gookin-incumbent-for-cda-city-council/ |website=Kootenai Democrats |access-date=8 November 2025}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Gookin was a vocal critic of [[mask mandates]] in Idaho, voting against a Coeur d’Alene citywide mask requirement that the council approved in October 2020 by a 4–2 vote.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-26 |title=Coeur d'Alene City Council votes to require masks in public |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/oct/26/coeur-dalene-city-council-votes-to-require-masks-i/ |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=Spokesman.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-23 |title=CdA City Council calls special meeting on Monday to discuss mask mandate |url=https://www.montanarightnow.com/cda-city-council-calls-special-meeting-on-monday-to-discuss-mask-mandate/article_600ed79a-6dc8-5d4a-ba36-61cbf910875d.html |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=NonStop Local Montana |language=en}}</ref> He frequently spoke at public meetings and appeared at protests opposing face-covering requirements.<ref>{{Cite web |last=WEEKS |first=DEVIN |date=2021-04-13 |title=Anti-maskers show up at special board meeting |url=https://cdapress.com/news/2021/apr/13/anti-maskers-show-special-board-meet/ |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=Coeur d'Alene Press |language=en}}</ref> Gookin later drew controversy after posting a photo of a blank [[COVID-19 vaccine card|COVID-19 vaccination card]] that he said he had purchased from a Facebook friend.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=NORTHRUP |first=CRAIG |date=2021-05-14 |title=Councilman fills in the blanks on his vaccination controversy |url=https://cdapress.com/news/2021/may/14/GOOKIN/ |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=Coeur d'Alene Press |language=en}}</ref> He stated that he did not use the card and emphasized that his intent was to demonstrate how easily vaccination cards could be forged. Gookin described the requirement to present proof of vaccination as “another injustice in the ongoing COVID-19 saga.”<ref name=":1" />

Gookin is an elected precinct committeeman for the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC),<ref>{{cite web |title=Precinct Committeemen |url=https://www.kootenaigop.org/precinct-committeemen |website=Kootenai County GOP |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref> an organization he openly criticizes.<ref name=":0" /> In 2023, during a forum hosted by the Kootenai County Republican Women Federated (KCRWF), a subsidiary of the KCRCC, Gookin was questioned by members of both organizations about remarks on his YouTube channel ''[https://www.youtube.com/@kootenairants5923 Kootenai Rants]'' that they viewed as "derogatory" toward Christians and Republicans. The exchange grew tense after Gookin defended his comments and accused the committee of refusing to condemn white supremacy and David Reilly, a former KCRCC endorsee who has been accused of antisemitic and white supremacist affiliations,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-14 |title=Far-Right Influencers Hyped Coeur d’Alene Pride Before Patriot Front Showed Up |url=https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/far-right-influencers-hyped-coeur-dalene-pride-patriot-front-showed/ |access-date=2025-11-11 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en-US}}</ref> leading to a heated confrontation in which a moderator briefly ripped the microphone from his hand.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=BULEY |first1=BILL |title=Gookin under fire, fires back |url=https://cdapress.com/news/2023/oct/07/gookin-under-fire-fires-back/ |website=Coeur d'Alene Press |access-date=8 November 2025 |language=en |date=7 October 2023}}</ref>

Since the 2023 forum and the subsequent defamation lawsuit and 2025 settlement, Gookin has remained publicly critical of the KCRCC and its chairman, Brent Regan, accusing the committee of internal bias and a lack of transparency, while its leadership has maintained that his comments exceed the bounds of "protected" political speech.<ref>{{Cite web |last=BULEY |first=BILL |date=2023-10-18 |title=KCRCC files defamation lawsuit against Gookin |url=https://cdapress.com/news/2023/oct/18/kcrcc-files-defamation-lawsuit-against-gookin/ |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=Coeur d'Alene Press |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-26 |title=KCRCC to settle defamation suit against Committeeman Dan Gookin |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/feb/26/kcrcc-to-settle-defamation-suit-against-committeem/ |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=Spokesman.com |language=en}}</ref> 

Gookin appeared as himself on the television series ''[[To Tell the Truth]]'', where the panel attempted to determine whether he or another contestant was the author of the first ''[[For Dummies|...For Dummies]]'' book.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NORTHRUP |first=CRAIG |date=2021-02-24 |title=Gookin shines in ABC game show |url=https://cdapress.com/news/2021/feb/24/TOTELLTHETRUTH/ |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=Coeur d'Alene Press |language=en}}</ref>

In November 2025, Gookin was elected mayor of Coeur d'Alene with 34.19% of the vote, with his primary challengers Debbie Loffman and incumbent mayor Woody McEvers receiving 28% and 26.46% of the vote, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cull |first1=Tori Luecking, Ian |title=Dan Gookin wins race for Mayor of CDA |url=https://www.kxly.com/news/dan-gookin-wins-race-for-mayor-of-cda/article_a0e8dcfb-56dc-4ba8-879a-09fd8f8ff069.html |website=KXLY kxly.com |access-date=7 November 2025 |language=en |date=5 November 2025}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin no change | title = 2025 Coeur d'Alene mayoral election }}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = [[Dan Gookin]]
 | votes = 3,265
 | percentage = 34.19%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = Debbie Loffman
 | votes = 2,674
 | percentage = 28.00%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = [[Woody McEvers]]
 | votes = 2,527
 | percentage = 26.46%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = John Pulsipher
 | votes = 1,084
 | percentage = 11.35%
}}
{{Election box total no change
 | votes = 9,550
 | percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title = 2019 Coeur d'Alene City Council election, seat #3 }}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = [[Dan Gookin]] (incumbent)
 | votes = 3,157
 | percentage = 62.44%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = Michael Pereira
 | votes = 1,899
 | percentage = 37.56%
}}
{{Election box total no change
 | votes = 5,056
 | percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title = 2015 Coeur d’Alene City Council election, seat #3 }}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = [[Dan Gookin]] (incumbent)
 | votes = 3,559
 | percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}Gookin was re-elected unopposed in 2015, increasing his share from 54.12% in 2011 to 100%.{{Election box begin no change | title = 2011 Coeur d'Alene City Council election, seat #3 }}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = [[Dan Gookin]]
 | votes = 3,409
 | percentage = 54.12%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = George C. Sayler
 | votes = 2,435
 | percentage = 38.66%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = Patrick "Mitch" Mitchell
 | votes = 239
 | percentage = 3.79%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = Annastasia Somontes
 | votes = 170
 | percentage = 2.70%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Nonpartisan politician
 | candidate = Derec Aujay
 | votes = 46
 | percentage = 0.73%
}}
{{Election box total no change
 | votes =6,299
 | percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change | title = 2002 Idaho Senate election, district 4<ref>{{cite web |title=2002 General Results legislative |url=https://archive.sos.idaho.gov/ELECT/results/2002/general/tot_leg.htm |website=Idaho Secretary of State |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref> }}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party = Republican Party (US)
 | candidate = [[John Goedde]] (incumbent)
 | votes = 6,022
 | percentage = 59.18%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Democratic Party (US)
 | candidate = David James Hunt
 | votes = 3,443
 | percentage = 33.83%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Libertarian Party (US)
 | candidate = [[Dan Gookin]]
 | votes = 615
 | percentage = 6.04%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party = Write-in
 | candidate = Barbara Harris
 | votes = 96
 | percentage = 0.94%
}}
{{Election box total no change
 | votes =10,176
 | percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}

==Bibliography==
* ''C Programming For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 2020) {{ISBN|978-1119740247}}
* ''Android For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 2020) {{ISBN|978-1119711353}}
* ''Dan Gookin's Guide to Curl Programming'' (Kindle, 2019) {{ASIN|B07ZS294W6}}
* ''Running For Local Office For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 2019) {{ISBN|978-1119588177}}
* ''Android Tablets For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 2014) {{ISBN|1-118-54319-X}}
* ''Android Phones For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 2014) {{ISBN|1-118-72030-X}}
* ''Samsung Galaxy Tabs For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 2013) {{ISBN|1-118-77294-6}}
* ''Beginning Programming with C For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 2013) {{ISBN|1-118-73763-6}}
* ''Word 2013 For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 2013) {{ISBN|1-118-49123-8}}
* ''PCs For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 2013) {{ISBN|1-118-19734-8}}
* ''Laptops For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 2012) {{ISBN|1-118-11533-3}}
* ''More DOS For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 1994) {{ISBN|1-568-84046-2}}
* ''DOS For Dummies'' (For Dummies, 1991) {{ISBN|0-764-50361-8}}
*''Dan Gookin's Guide to Ncurses Programming'' (Kindle, 2017) {{ASIN|B075FGJJCS}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.wambooli.com Dan Gookin's Homepage]
* {{C-SPAN|73095}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gookin, Dan}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:American humorists]]
[[Category:American libertarians]]
[[Category:American technology writers]]
[[Category:Politicians from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho]]
[[Category:Writers from San Diego]]
[[Category:Writers from Idaho]]
[[Category:Idaho city council members]]
[[Category:University of California, San Diego alumni]]