By Lauren Necochea
Reader Contributor
Idaho Democrats are clear underdogs in the Legislature, but that doesn’t stop them from bringing forward real solutions. They are working to strengthen public schools through investments in facilities, mental health resources, and career and technical education. They’ve introduced legislation to expand coverage for advanced breast cancer screenings. They are fighting for renter protections and long-term solutions for home affordability. And they continue working to restore reproductive freedoms, protect doctors from persecution, and ensure no woman has to risk her health or future fertility for a political agenda.
Republican politicians stand in stark contrast and have made one thing clear this session: They don’t work for you.
Their push for voucher schemes would strip millions of dollars from public schools, funneling tax money to private and religious schools without accountability. Every state that has tried vouchers has seen worse student outcomes while ballooning costs drain the state budget.
They would rather let women suffer than take responsibility for the harm they’ve caused. Idaho’s abortion ban is forcing women to flee for emergency care. Instead of fixing it, Republicans introduced a bill to charge women with murder for seeking an abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. A rape victim seeking care could face more severe punishment than her rapist, potentially even execution by firing squad.
They would rather rip away health care than expand access. Medicaid expansion provides health care for nearly 90,000 Idahoans and pumps $1.5 billion into our economy. Their latest proposal is a blatant attempt to take health care away and send our tax dollars elsewhere.
They would rather protect wealthy donors than help working families. Instead of repealing the grocery tax, Republicans are starving essential services and blocking tax reforms that would help working people, all while giving another massive tax handout to millionaires.
They would rather rig the system than face voters. Republicans know their policies are unpopular, so they are attacking the citizen-led ballot initiative, one of the last tools Idahoans have to hold them accountable. Democrats stopped their attempt to let the governor veto initiatives, but now the GOP wants to change the Constitution to make future initiatives nearly impossible. When the Idaho Supreme Court already called their efforts “tyranny of the minority,” you know they’ve gone too far.
While Idaho families struggle, Republicans waste time on nonsense: banning certain flags in classrooms, making firing squads the primary death penalty method and mandating Bible readings in public schools — a clear violation of the separation of church and state.
Republicans in the Idaho Legislature are not like us. They prioritize the wealthy over working families, control over freedom and power over common sense. Idaho Democrats know which side we’re on. The question is: Do you?
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.
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