Idaho DNC delegates revved up for Kamala Harris acceptance speech
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CHICAGO — As Kamala Harris prepares to accept the Democratic nomination for president of the United States, Idaho Democrats are rallying around their new leader.
“She is offering a vision that will take our country forward and that will tackle the problems and issues that families face — whether it’s price gouging from corporations or childcare that’s too expensive (or) prescription drugs that are too expensive,” Idaho Democratic Party Chairwoman Lauren Necochea told EastIdahoNews.com. “She’s really focused on the challenges facing our families, and that’s why people are so hopeful.”
Among the DNC delegates in the Windy City are two eastern Idahoans — David Roth, of Idaho Falls, and Stephen Wray, of Pocatello.
Roth is running against Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, as the Democratic candidate for U.S. Congressional District 2 in November’s election.
“I really feel like we are failing on America’s promise right now, and that we need to all work together to try to get back on track,” Roth said. “That, to me, is the real patriotism. We want to be a country where everybody lives free, free from fear and that they have what they need to survive.”
On Tuesday, Idaho’s 27 delegates to the Democratic National Convention unanimously pledged their support for Kamala Harris as their party’s nominee for president of the United States during a ceremonial roll call.
“Republicans stripped away our reproductive freedoms. But Idaho Democrats are mounting our comeback,” Necochea announced to the convention Tuesday night. “For the first time in decades, we’re running in every legislative district. We are not going back!”
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In our Wednesday interview, Necochea said the election is about protecting reproductive freedoms, preserving the Affordable Care Act and its protections for preexisting conditions, and fighting for early childhood education and childcare assistance.
“Certainly reproductive health and abortion access is a huge issue,” Roth said. “Idaho has one of the strictest bans in the nation … and even our new library law, people from around the country have heard of that and how restrictive it is.”
Additionally, Harris and Walz would preserve the U.S. Department of Education and tackle the costs of healthcare, Necochea said.
“The Biden Harris Administration is reaching out … in lowering prescription drug prices for seniors through Medicare. We need to look at those policies for every American, but it’s going to take Democratic leadership,” she said.
During Tuesday’s convention, Harris’ campaign touted caps on “the price of insulin … at $35 a month for seniors and the total price of prescription drugs at $2,000 annually for seniors.”
Harris is also pledging to build “3 million new homes and rentals that are affordable for the middle class.”
“(It) is a drop in the bucket for what we need, but it’s a start,” Roth said. “… We’re really struggling right now in Idaho because housing has become so expensive, and yet our wages have remained relatively stagnant and certainly have not kept the pace.”
Roth served for years on the Habitat for Humanity Idaho Falls Area Board of Directors and cited Democrats’ plans to bring back and expand a federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers.
“I believe that home ownership is part of the American dream, and that if we really want to start improving our communities and improving people’s economic (well-being), we need to figure out how to get more people into homes versus just renting,” he said.
In June, Roth was elected as the Idaho Democrats’ National Committeeman. On Friday, he will begin a four-year term on the Democratic National Committee as well as serving on the state party’s executive committee.
As the first openly gay man to be nominated for a statewide office in Idaho, he is interested in serving in the LGBTQ caucus, on the rural caucus committee and on a committee focused on small businesses and enterprise, he said.
November’s election is not just about national issues, Necochea said.
“There’s a lot at stake in our Idaho elections as well,” she said. “The Launch scholarship program that’s so popular — that’s giving Idaho graduating seniors a choice to pursue welding, a nursing degree or another in-demand career — that’s going to be on the chopping block if we don’t hold and pick up Democratic seats.”
The legislation passed by one vote.
“Every Democrat voted for it. A majority of Republicans voted against it,” she said. “So if we don’t win enough Democratic seats in November, we could lose that huge progress that we’ve made towards giving the next generation the chance to succeed and giving businesses in Idaho the skilled workforce that they desperately need to make their products and be successful.”
Roth also brought up the debate on immigration reform and its impact on agriculture in Idaho.
“The executive of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association commented that we’re looking at 30,000 to 35,000 unauthorized workers in Idaho agriculture,” he said. “If you were to eliminate that, there is nothing to fill the gap. The industries would just collapse.”
Ultimately, Necochea said the Nov. 5 election is about preserving democracy.
“Trump has said he’s going to be a dictator on day one. He’s a convicted felon with no respect for the law. He instigated an insurrection when he lost the last election that resulted in violence and death, and he refused for hours to call off the rioters taking over the Capitol,” she said. “Then he told lie after lie about the integrity of our election and then targeted good hardworking election workers and set them up for harassment by the people who follow him.”
She was inspired by Michelle Obama’s speech on Tuesday and call to action to “do something.”
“Voters all across Idaho need to get engaged, educated about the issues, and if you want to see change in Idaho, you can go out and volunteer with candidates, knock on doors (and) make phone calls,” Necochea said.
The Democratic National Convention has prominently featured Republican politicians who support Kamala Harris.
“They’re saying, you know, we can survive policies we’re not that fond of, but we can’t survive losing our democracy or throwing our Constitution onto the fire heap,” she said.
