Idaho Democratic Party News and Articles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director Jared DeLoof issued the following statement regarding the Idaho GOP Platform Ranking System released today by the right-wing Institute for Legislative Analysis, a group closely aligned with the Idaho “Freedom Caucus” and Idaho GOP Chairwoman Dorothy Moon: “The Idaho Republican Party continues its decline into an insular, paranoid, extreme, and exclusionary group where any independent thought results in censure and removal from [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Democratic Party announced today the Frank and Bethine Church Gala has sold out. Now entering its thirtieth year, the Frank and Bethine Church Gala is the premier social event for Idaho Democrats. On Saturday, March 9, over 1,000 Democrats will gather for an evening of celebration and support featuring keynote speaker Senator John Fetterman. Organizers expect to raise $300,000 from this [...]

Our school children deserve safe facilities. And after decades of letting buildings crumble, the Republican supermajority finally has a proposal. But there’s a catch. As I explained to my sixth grader on our walk to school, the plan also cuts $60 million annually from the revenue stream that funds school operations. Her response summed it up well, “That sounds counterproductive.” Indeed, the bill helps repair facilities, but it’s a [...]

For democracy to work, elected leaders must have the freedom to act in the best interest of their constituents. This bedrock principle is now being severely undermined by Idaho’s House GOP leadership. We’re seeing historic levels of strong-arming around votes behind closed doors and harsh punishment for dissent. With the Idaho House looking more like the dysfunctional U.S. House of Representatives, there are harmful repercussions for Idahoans.  At the [...]

Investments in public education benefit all Idahoans. Regardless of whether we have children attending school at any given moment, the advantages of strong public education resonate throughout our communities. Unfortunately, the latest effort by the out-of-state voucher lobby and a faction of Republicans to implement a school voucher scheme poses a grave threat to our already underfunded schools and the state budget. House Bill 447 would start as a [...]

All Idahoans should agree: the safety of our children is paramount. How we decide to protect them may differ from community to community. When it comes to guns in schools, current Idaho law allows locally elected school boards to set the policies they deem appropriate. Some districts keep guns out of schools unless they are in the hands of law enforcement. Others have policies providing oversight. Unfortunately, House Bill [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Democratic Party today announced that U.S. Sen. John Fetterman will keynote the Frank and Bethine Church Gala on Saturday, March 9 in Boise. “We are thrilled to welcome Sen. Fetterman to Idaho,” said Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea. “His 2022 victory is a testament to what can be accomplished when Democrats invest and compete everywhere. John exemplifies the independent spirit, [...]

When I was a kid, Idaho enjoyed a fairly healthy balance of political power. Democratic Governor Cecil Andrus served alongside a Republican lieutenant governor and for one legislative term, the Idaho Senate was evenly divided. As I grew up, Idaho veered rightward. Today, new migration patterns are rapidly accelerating the trend, and an interesting paradox has emerged in Boise State University’s new polling.  The 2024 Idaho Public Policy Survey finds [...]

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Budgets are moral documents” because they show our real values. Allocating our public dollars demands thoughtful, transparent deliberations. Unfortunately, recent moves by Republican legislative leaders have compromised Idaho’s process with serious consequences. The integrity of our nationally-lauded budgeting process started eroding last year. GOP leaders knocked House Democrats down to just one member on the budget committee, taking away our proportional representation. This month, [...]