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District 4 Democrat: Rebecca Schroeder

| April 9, 2018 11:47 AM

Idaho has always been home. I was born in Grangeville, and raised in the small central Idaho town Kooskia—where my Dad hunted and fished for our family’s subsistence.  Secret huckleberry patches discovered by my Father during his years of service to the Forest Service still remain closely guarded family secrets. After I graduated from Clearwater Valley High School, I moved to Moscow to attend the U of I where I would earn Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and Spanish and meet my husband Brock—another Idaho native from Middleton, ID, suburb of Boise. We moved to Coeur d’ Alene in 2005, and our son Brady was born in 2007. I currently work as a personal trainer at a local gym, and my husband Brock works as a technical recruiter for an Idaho owned small business.

Just a few short weeks after our son Brady was born, he was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease—cystic fibrosis—which changed everything for our family. We were completely shocked by this unexpected news, and became quickly aware of the affordability and access issues associated with obtaining high quality healthcare. My son’s extraordinary medical needs led me to advocate for healthcare policies to improve access and promote innovation in treatment of rare genetic diseases. I served as the Idaho State Advocacy Chair for the non-profit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for three years, and then moved to the National Advocacy Co-Chair role in 2015. Working in the realm of rare disease advocacy taught me a great deal about effective policy making, and provided me the opportunity to meet with dozens of lawmakers, both in Boise and Washington DC, regarding health and budget issues affecting chronically ill children and adults.

My experiences advocating for healthcare policy with our Idaho lawmakers has been discouraging at best, and absolutely frightening at worst. I know that our current Representatives are not motivated by the needs of Idaho families, and I’m deeply concerned about direction they are leading my beloved home state. I have resigned from my position at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to focus my full attention on campaigning for a seat on the Idaho State Legislature in District 4.  Working to expand Medicaid in Idaho will be a cornerstone of my platform-- bringing Idaho tax dollars back home, and covering thousands of low income and disabled Idahoans in the healthcare “gap.” Idaho needs lawmakers who will actively work for health and opportunities for the individuals they represent.

I am a working mother and wife, with a 10 year old child in the public school system. I am 40 years old, and I just paid off my student loans a few months ago. I drive a Kia. There are a million reasons why it doesn’t make sense for me to run for office, but I am campaigning as a Democrat for a seat in District 4 because I am compelled to stand-up for Idaho. I’m compelled to stand-up for those who feel ignored, and I’m compelled to stand up for my child. Most importantly, my vote will never be for sale. I look forward to connecting with, and learning from Coeur d’ Alene as we move into 2018.

To learn more about Rebecca Schoeder, visit www.rebeccaforidaho.com