Dan Gookin

Dan Gookin (born 1960) is an American politician and author who is the mayor of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He has served as a member on the Coeur d’Alene City Council. He 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.

Background Gookin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and visual arts from the University of California, San Diego. Later, in November 2011, he was elected to a seat on the Coeur d'Alene City Council, defeating former Democratic state representative George Saylor.

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. He frequently spoke at public meetings and appeared at protests opposing face-covering requirements. Gookin later drew controversy after posting a photo of a blank COVID-19 vaccination card that he said he had purchased from a Facebook friend. He said that he did not use the card and emphasized that his intent was to demonstrate how easily vaccination cards could be forged. Gookin said the requirement to present proof of vaccination is “another injustice in the ongoing COVID-19 saga.” an organization he openly criticizes. leading to a heated confrontation in which a moderator briefly ripped the microphone from his hand.

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. 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 book. In November 2025, Gookin was elected mayor of Coeur d'Alene with 34.19% of the vote, with his primary challengers Debbie Loffman and the incumbent mayor Woody McEvers receiving 28% and 26.46% of the vote, respectively.

Electoral history

Gookin was re-elected unopposed in 2015, increasing his share of the vote from 54.12% in 2011 to 100%.