Harms of single-party rule spur Idaho Democrats to run for office

By Lauren Necochea
Reader Contributor

Competition is the heartbeat of representative democracy.

Idaho shows what happens when one party faces no real check. The Republican supermajority has turned the Legislature into a pipeline for extremism, pushing policies that don’t solve real problems and don’t reflect what most Idahoans want. While Democrats fight to protect public schools, health care, fire prevention, public safety and other essentials, Republican lawmakers pick fights that play on cable news but do nothing to lower rent, expand child care or keep rural hospitals open.

Idahoans are noticing. Democrats are responding, stepping up in record numbers to offer a better path.

In 2026, 117 Idaho Democrats are running for federal, statewide and legislative offices, with candidates on the ballot for all three federal offices and all seven statewide constitutional offices. One hundred Democrats are running for the Legislature, and we’re competing in all 35 legislative districts — outpacing the Idaho Republican Party, which filed candidates in 34.

Competition forces accountability. It makes officials answer to voters. It gives Idahoans a real choice.

Our candidates come from every corner of Idaho: teachers, nurses, firefighters, small business owners, and parents balancing work and child care. They support a fairer tax code that makes the wealthy pay their share so Idaho can invest in thriving communities. They’re focused on strong schools, home accessibility and reducing the costs squeezing working families. They believe freedom means making your most personal decisions without politicians interfering.

You’ll also see candidates who once identified as Republicans. Far-right activists and Christian nationalists have targeted Idaho because they see the Idaho GOP as a vehicle for their agenda. Their radicalism is driving longtime Republicans who value common sense, local control and minding your own business to look for something better.

This moment is urgent because margins matter.

The Idaho Senate approved 4% across-the-board budget cuts by a single vote. The governor’s agency directors warned how damaging these cuts will be. A Republican senator called them what they are: arbitrary and lazy.

The bill passed 18-17. Every Democrat voted against taking a chainsaw to Idaho’s budget. A majority of Republicans voted for it. [Editor’s note: Dist. 1 Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, voted against the budget bill, S.B. 1331.]

If Sen. Rick Just, D-Boise, had been reelected last cycle, that bill would have died. Lawmakers would have had to budget responsibly, weigh priorities and consider Idaho’s $1.3 billion in reserves instead of punishing schools and essential services with blunt cuts.

Instead, Just earned 48.2% and lost to Codi Galloway with 51.8%. Galloway cast the deciding vote.

That’s what one election can do. That’s what a handful of votes can change.

Your vote matters. Who you elect matters. When officials are self-serving, shortsighted and harmful, they should be voted out — because when there are no consequences for bad decisions, the people pay the price.

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.