Fighting for Idahoans

COEUR d’ALENE — Kaylee Peterson said she’s ready to fight for Idahoans — and that fight begins now.

She’s running as a Democrat for the U.S. House of Representatives in Idaho's first congressional district. In November, she’ll face incumbent U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher, a Republican, and Joe Evans, a Libertarian.

The 32-year-old Eagle resident decided to enter the race in part because many Idaho politicians run unopposed.

“The idea that the people of Idaho don’t even get a choice is unfathomable,” she said.

She may be fighting an uphill battle. But she believes it’s one she can win, with the support of voters.

“Idahoans have this perseverance and grit that, combined with our community, gets us through tough times,” she said.

Peterson’s Idaho roots go back six generations. She and her husband, Trevor, live in the Eagle foothills, where they raise their two children on a street named for her grandfather.

“I can go to the Eagle history museum and see my great-grandfather’s bowler hat,” she said.

Her deep connection to Idaho’s history is why she’s invested in the state’s future.

To Peterson, that means protecting Idaho’s natural resources — its air, water and public lands — and maintaining public access.

It also means fighting for tax relief for Idahoans.

“Right now, our small businesses and working-class families are holding a giant tax burden while I watch legislators pass corporate tax breaks,” Peterson said.

She also emphasized the importance of Americans having access to high-quality, affordable health care, pointing to the recent Affordable Insulin Now Act as an example. The bill would have capped consumer insulin costs at $35 a month for most consumers.

Both of Idaho’s congressmen voted against it.

Peterson is also committed to providing health care for veterans, including mental health care. Her father served two tours of duty in Iraq, making the issue a personal one.

“I have seen firsthand the trauma these men and women go through,” she said. “The very least we can do is provide adequate health care.”

Peterson said she’s scheduling town halls geared toward Republican voters.

It’s an unusual move for a Democrat, she acknowledged. But she believes that much more unites everyday Idahoans than divides them.

“I want them to come and ask me the hard questions,” she said. “Tell me what you’re worried about. Once we actually talk about the policies that matter to us, we’re more closely aligned.”

On the campaign trail, Peterson said she’s met people in communities across Idaho who are struggling to make ends meet and getting priced out of their homes. Their children are in overcrowded classrooms and they hesitate to drive at night because their local roads are in terrible condition.

These are the types of issues that affect all Idahoans, Peterson said, and they’re the issues she’s determined to help solve in Congress.

Peterson said she’s also committed to fighting extremism in Idaho.

It’s why Coeur d’Alene was one of her early campaign stops, on the heels of the arrest of 31 members of white nationalist hate group Patriot Front.

“If we do not condemn it and find a way to confront this kind of hate in our communities, then we are going to see drastic harm down the line,” she said.