Gubernatorial candidate Ed Humphreys says people who want something ‘radically different’ should vote for him
Published at | Updated atIDAHO FALLS — Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Humphreys wants to see “the good old boys club” out of Idaho.
Humphreys says state government in Idaho needs a change, and he is the candidate to make it happen. The 31-year-old oil field roughneck-turned-financial-planner moved to Idaho in 2013, and he fell in love with not only the state but his wife. He now lives in the Treasure Valley area.
“It just seems like there is a growing insanity that is happening across our country, and Idaho isn’t exempt from that,” Humphreys said. “Really what I think it is, we’ve had a political class that has run our state for a very long time and is kind of used to the status quo and running things the way they have been run, and what we see is this gradual loss of the character of Idaho.”
Humphreys said his campaign sits on a platform of standing up for beliefs and having a state government that stands up for the people rather than the politically connected. Humphreys said the United States needs a state that still celebrates family and traditional American values, and that state should be Idaho.
“We see even now how this kind of anti-American very leftist agenda is being introduced into the schools, and it is worrying people, and it’s at the cost of education,” Humphreys said. “Our state government is doing the same thing. Our state government is taking our tax and funding things that run contrary to what the average Idahoan wants.”
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Humphreys specifically expressed concerns with grant funding for Idaho arts programs and with public health department programs that give away free contraceptives. He also made claims that funding for “critical race theory” in education is occurring in Idaho.
“While you’re wondering why a road can’t be widened or a bridge built and things like this that make sense or are reasonable,” Humphreys said. “Well, it’s because we’re too busy our paying taxes so we can go buy free condoms for any business that requests it.”
If elected, Humphreys says he will go through the budget with red pens and each agency line by line.
“The reality is our state government is like an iceberg. People only see a small fraction up top,” Humphreys says. “People think it’s about law enforcement, and roads, and schools. No, that is only a small part of the budget when you start to dig into it.”
To change what Humphreys feels is the wrong course for Idaho, the candidate wants to create more education options, such as charter and private schools. Humphreys also wants to be one of the states that do not have an income tax, and he wants to empower families to have control over their money. Humphreys says doing so creates a stronger community and greater wage growth.
“I have a real focused mission to tackle corruption in state government,” Humphreys says. “As we have been on this journey, it’s really been on my heart to really just open people’s eyes to the games that are played, to what our tax dollars go to fund and to some of the deal-making that goes behind the scenes that is really destroying the character of the state.”
Humphreys says Idaho needs more investigative journalists to point out corruption. He says people need to ask themselves when the last time was that a politician went to prison for corruption. Humphreys also wants to take a close look at the correlation between money given to candidates and the political actions taken by those in office.
During his interview, Humphreys also spokes about his competitors Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin. He says the political grandstanding and theater only hurts Idahoans. Humphreys recommends Idaho’s system of the governor and lieutenant governor running on separate tickets needs to be looked at and possibly adjusted so a team can work together in the executive branch.
“I’m not the candidate for the person who wants more of the same,” Humphreys says. “We want something that is radically different. Something that’s a course correction from where we’ve been going and if you look throughout American history the reality is when there has been big positive change in our country, it’s been young patriots oftentimes with a bold vision.”