Cowardly candidates make weak leaders

By Lauren Necochea
Reader Contributor

Having the courage of your convictions should be a prerequisite for elected office. Yet courage seems increasingly rare in the Idaho Statehouse and U.S. Capitol. It doesn’t have to be that way.

I’ve seen tremendous courage from Idaho Democrats stepping up to run for office. Teachers, small business owners and community leaders know they’ll face uphill battles, long hours and time away from family. They do it because they believe Idaho deserves better. And they are willing to show up and answer voters’ tough questions.

I’ve watched Kaylee Peterson, running for Congress in Idaho’s First District, travel to small communities and meet people wherever they are. She often finds common ground on rising costs and the future of rural communities. Gubernatorial candidate Terri Pickens has been touring Republican strongholds, including an event in Boise County where almost every other candidate was Republican. 

Recently, Democratic legislative candidates Kathy Dawes, Trish Carter-Goodheart and Robin Weldy participated in a forum hosted by Republican women in Moscow. Their Republican opponents showed up, knowing the organizers supported them. But a few days later, at a forum held by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters, incumbent Republicans Dan Foreman and Brandon Mitchell were no-shows while every Democrat was present.

Some of Idaho’s longest-serving Republican politicians are also running scared. Brad Little, Jim Risch, Russ Fulcher, Mike Simpson and Raúl Labrador have spent a collective 140 years in public office. Yet all have refused to participate in major debates and forums this year. They’re asking you for another term, but won’t even answer your questions.

Perhaps it’s because they don’t have answers to the issues facing our families, like health care, home affordability and exploding costs. Democratic candidates have plans. Republicans have a tired playbook of culture war attacks and claims that tax cuts for the rich help regular Idahoans.

We can expect candidates to govern like they campaign. If they won’t show up to talk to voters today, they’re likely to disregard voters after the election. I’m reminded of Brad Little saying he was against vouchers, then yielding to billionaire-funded pro-voucher PACs. The overwhelming number of voters who contacted him about the voucher bill asked him to veto it. He signed it into law, appeasing the out-of-state lobbyists now supporting his reelection campaign.

Our congressional delegation is so scared to cross Trump that they have voted repeatedly to keep tariffs in place, continue the war in Iran and gut health care. Their records offer countless examples of what happens when political loyalty wins out over duty to the people.

This November, let’s elect leaders who will show up to answer your questions and have not only good answers, but the courage of their convictions. 

Lauren Necochea is chair of the Idaho Democratic Party and a former District 19 legislator. Necochea spent a decade leading nonprofit programs dedicated to research and advocacy in tax policy, health care and children’s issues.