Idaho Democrat Paulette Jordan is gearing up her campaign for governor.
Jordan says despite the perception that Idaho is a solid Republican state, she has a good chance of being elected.
She says as a lifelong resident of rural Idaho, she believes her priorities resonate with Idaho voters.
“These are people that want freedom, they want to be left alone. We just want to be able to live our lives, raise our children. We want to ensure access to health care. We want to make sure no one is polluting our water. We want to hand off the land to our children so they can be great stewards, along with the great legacy we have before us. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is an Idaho issue,” Jordan said.
Among her priorities: ensuring more people have access to health care, which she believes can be done if lawmakers take the step to expand Medicaid.
“People in Idaho have not seen access to healthcare services, such as those who are caught in the Medicaid gap, and this holds true for those in rural Idaho. They don’t have access to quality healthcare, as many do in the more urbanized areas of our state,” Jordan said.
Another priority for Jordan is improving the state’s education system.
“This needs to be addressed by giving back to the community, and showing that the needs are being addressed in the classroom, so that the teachers are paid adequately, and they’re competitive to the salaries around them, meaning the states of Washington, Oregon and Montana. We need to ensure they have the resources they need to educate our children,” she said.
Jordan feels those priorities can be achieved without a need to raise taxes. She thinks too much of the state’s budget is spent on the wrong things.
“We have Republicans in office who are not going to invest in the people, who are willing to give that money away to corporations and willing to give that money away to the top earners in our state. You are displacing a vast majority of Idahoans who deserve for that money to return to their pockets,” she said.
Jordan, who is a Coeur d'Alene tribal member, served two terms in the Idaho Statehouse as a Democratic representative.
She faces off in November against Republican Lt. Governor Brad Little.
