I was a lucky kid, born to caring parents. My mom taught me how to care. Whether I was tagging along to volunteer at the church food bank or deliver a home-cooked meal for kids in foster care, I learned that caring for others means putting our values into action.
My mom also taught me to look out for our community by being a Democrat. “Democrats care about people,” she explained.
We all know Republican voters who care about their communities. What she meant is that caring for people guides how Democratic leaders make decisions. She was right 40 years ago. The difference is clearer today.
The Republican Party has become beholden to an erratic, self-serving president and the billionaires, corporate donors, and powerful industries looking to profit from access to power. It’s hard to see much caring in decisions by Idaho’s GOP officials.
Leaders who care about people wouldn’t charge families a higher tax rate on groceries than corporations pay on profits. They wouldn’t end Idaho’s child tax credit while delivering billions in income tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthiest households. They wouldn’t eliminate the Workforce Housing Fund as young families struggle to find affordable homes.
They wouldn’t allow federal healthcare tax credits to expire, forcing an estimated 30,000 off of their coverage. And they wouldn’t gut Medicaid so deeply that children with disabilities lose access to therapies and cuts to mental health services result in deaths.
Leaders who care about people wouldn’t rubber-stamp a war in Iran that has killed at least 21 U.S. service members, wounded at least 865 more, and cost Idahoans an estimated $761 million more at the gas pump.
They wouldn’t impose tariffs that drive up prices for essentials and hurt farmers.
And they wouldn’t give billionaire-connected data centers sweetheart tax breaks while allowing them to soil our public lands.
Idahoans are putting in the work. They deserve a government that cares enough to remove obstacles to building a good life. That’s what Idaho Democrats are fighting for. Our candidates have plans to make homes more affordable, eliminate the sales tax on food, invest in training for good jobs, protect our public lands, and make healthcare more accessible.
We’ll stand up to corporate greed instead of rewarding it. Because people who work hard should be able to provide for their families, afford a home, and have something left at the end of the week.
A trillionaire trying to buy elections for GOP politicians has been arguing that empathy is a bad thing. I disagree. We’re all better off when we care about each other.
That’s what this election boils down to. If you want to see a government that cares about people, vote for Democrats.
Onward,
Lauren Necochea
Idaho Democratic Party Chair