Issues
Data Centers
Idaho is becoming a major target for hyperscale AI data centers, and the Legislature is scrambling to balance economic development with water conservation, power grid stability, and tax fairness. My understanding is that while it is advertised as an economic benefit for the community, employment opportunities are limited and mostly of the few jobs are low paying (security guard, for example). Environmental impacts like water conservation, power grid stability, noise pollution, etc. are other big considerations for beautiful Idaho. We need to figure out prudent regulation and tax fairness before permitting these impactful structures, considering the real benefits to its citizens before bending to big business interests.
In short: I very much support responsible regulated development, but we need to have local control and transparency. Idaho taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize projects that don’t return value to them.
Right-to-Work Laws & Organized Labor
Idaho has been a Right-to-Work state since 1985. Ostensibly, this means that workers cannot be required to pay union dues as a condition of employment. In actuality, this is an anti-worker and anti-union measure. No bills in the 2025–2026 legislative sessions attempted to repeal Right-to-Work. Instead, lawmakers advanced bills restricting public sector unions, especially the Idaho Education Association (IEA). I have always been a strong supporter of the people’s right to speak, organize and stand up for what they see as fair. Historically, unions have generally advanced society.
In short: Giving workers a way to collectively voice their rights provides rural economic stability. Collaboration between employers and workers leads to safer, more productive workplaces.
House Bill 516 & Teacher Collaboration
I have heard from some who mistrust teachers, but my experience is that Idaho’s educators are trained professionals who care deeply about our kids. I trust teachers the same way I trust doctors and scientists — they are highly trained experts in their field.
Teachers deserve fair wages and the ability to collaborate, meet, and advocate for their students. Restricting their ability to meet in school facilities undermines student success, especially in rural districts where resources are already stretched thin. I support using tax dollars to ensure that teachers have the tools and professional freedom they need.
In short: Teachers collaborating in school buildings is essential for student success. This pertains especially to our rural schools, where restricting collaboration does the most harm.
Public Forest Lands
Being from North Idaho, our forests mean a whole lot to me personally, and I cringe to see the devastation caused by clearcutting our long-established native forests by private timber corporations and out-of-state business interests. As an active Incident Management Team member for major wildfire events, I personally witness firsthand increased wildfire destruction and its effects on communities. Private ownership/management is not the answer. Clearcutting is not the answer. I advocate for keeping our public lands public, and NOT selling them off. I also propose to keep access to public land free for everybody. We all pay taxes, and access to our lands should not be regulated according to a person’s economic status.
In short: Public lands support recreation, tourism, and wildfire resilience. Privatization reduces access and increases fire risk, and is irreversible!
School Vouchers
I oppose school voucher programs. Vouchers divert public tax dollars into unregulated private education systems with no accountability, no curriculum standards, no staff background check requirements, and no limits on what counts as “educational expenses.†Our public schools must accept every student and provide comprehensive services. Private schools can pick and choose. Vouchers create a parallel taxpayer‑funded system without oversight. In addition, rural Idaho families often don’t have alternatives, so vouchers drain already meager resources from the only schools available. Many teachers tell me the district can’t afford school supplies, and teachers must buy them with their own money.
To bridge the gap between families who rely on public schools and those seeking alternatives, we must strengthen public education: improve funding, support teachers, expand special‑education and mental health resources, offer after-school tutoring, and ensure schools have the staff and facilities they need. Partnerships with local nonprofits and tribes need to be encouraged.
In short: Families shouldn’t feel forced to leave the public system because it’s underfunded.
Rising Medical Costs
Medicaid expansion is one of Idaho’s most cost‑effective tools. It brings about $1 billion per year into our healthcare system while the state pays only 10%. It reduces uncompensated care, keeps rural hospitals open, and prevents local tax increases. As a rural Idaho resident and former volunteer EMT, I’ve seen how essential affordable healthcare is. Weakening expansion would push 75,000 Idahoans toward losing coverage and increase hospital debt. We also need to invest in rural healthcare infrastructure, support medical workforce retention, and expand preventive care, all of which reduce long‑term costs.
In short: Rising medical costs are being driven by hospital consolidation, workforce shortages, and high prescription drug prices. Rural families feel it the most, as fewer providers and higher bills make basic care harder to afford.
Minimum Wage
Idaho’s minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009, and every attempt in the Legislature to raise it has been voted down. Meanwhile, housing costs have risen 40–60% in many counties, and our neighboring states offer much higher wages, pulling workers away. Idaho now has one of the highest rates of working poor in the country.
I understand that small rural businesses cannot absorb a sudden, drastic increase. But modest, phased‑in adjustments, starting at $10-12 and including informed input by local businesses, would help workers afford housing and reduce reliance on public assistance programs like Medicaid and SNAP. I know that people here spend money locally, so when they earn a living wage, it will strengthen our rural economies.
In short: I support a living wage that raises Idaho’s floor so that people who work full‑time can afford housing, food, and basic needs without relying on public assistance.