10 Things Giving Me Hope on the Campaign Trail
When I decided to run for office, I thought I’d be meeting voters face-to-face and fundraising through house parties and other in-person events. Of course, since most of my campaign has happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been nothing like I imagined. Despite the change in venue (and the added challenge of getting my name and face out there while wearing a mask!), this experience has been an incredible one.
I’ve learned so much on the campaign trail. This humbling experience has also reinforced many of the things I love about Idaho. There have been a few moments where I’ve been reminded that, as a first-time candidate, I’m still working on growing a thicker skin—I work hard to better our community, so being told I should “move to California” stings!—but those moments are few and far between. I’m more grateful than ever to be a born-and-raised Idahoan.
With Election Day just around the corner, I’m feeling hopeful. Here’s why.
1. We have the best neighbors. One Idaho value that I’ll never get tired of is our willingness to have a friendly chat with strangers. Our state is still small, so whether it was a connection to a friend or family member, favorite sports team, or conversation about a local issue (even the weather!), I always found something interesting to talk about with voters.
2. Idahoans are ready for change. Most people I talked to are frustrated with the national political scene. I’m with them! Thankfully, many people are excited about and interested in local politics, and I hope my campaign brings some hope. We have so many great folks running for office—people who care about and want to make a difference in our community.
3. New people are getting engaged. It’s not easy running for office and it’s a job I wouldn’t necessarily wish on anyone, but I do feel hopeful when I see more fresh faces and new energy stepping up into the local political scene. We need more elected officials from a variety of backgrounds—people who demonstrably care about our community.
4. It’s still possible to find common ground. I usually don’t lead with the fact that I’m a Democrat because I believe in people over partisanship. Sometimes, I talk to people for several minutes before they learn I am a Democrat. I think people who identified as Republicans were often surprised to learn that even though we were from different political parties, we shared many of the same values.
5. Boiseans look out for each other. Through campaigning and my work at Jesse Tree, I have seen the community continue to step up and help each other. At Jesse Tree, we are able to help more families with rental assistance than ever before thanks to community donations. Friends, family, and neighbors have also stepped up to volunteer or donate to my campaign. During my campaign, I’ve talked to a lot of people who are still doing okay despite everything going on—and they’re looking for ways to give back to the community.
6. First-time voters are showing up... Some of my favorite campaign trail memories are registering voters. I talked to a Somali woman whose husband was set to come here a couple of years after her, but got held up in a refugee camp four years ago when a majority of the refugee program was essentially shut down. She’s lived here for seven years and never voted. Now she will.
7. ...or voting for the first time in a long time. One example is a woman I talked to who had a felony on her record from 20 years ago, and she didn’t know that she could vote. We registered her, and she will vote for the first time in two decades.
8. Even voters who “don’t vote” are doing so in this election! I've talked to lots of people who’ve told me they simply “don’t vote.” I explain why they should: because local elections matter, and people like me are running for office because we believe in locally-led change and a better future for our community and neighborhood. Many are voting for the first time in years.
9. Boiseans love Boise. That’s something that hasn’t changed since I was born here, and it’s something I hope never does. What amazes me is that here, people truly care about our community, want to be engaged in decisions being made, and are concerned about the changes that are happening. I’m so grateful to be part of a community that cares.
10. You! The thing I enjoyed most about meeting with voters was listening and learning from them about the issues they most care about, which gave me some good ideas for what I can work on in the legislature. You, my community, are why I’m running for office this November.
Our country and our community have gone through a tough year in 2020. With all that’s going on, it’s not always easy to feel hopeful. But I’m drawing strength from our wonderful, caring neighbors right here in Boise. Whether you’re doing so by mail-in ballot, early, or in-person on election day, I hope you’ll get out and vote for the local candidates who are running to make a difference for our neighbors! I can’t wait to represent you in the State House.
