IDAHO—The race for governor is coming to a swift close on May 19, and Terri Pickens will find her name on the ballot in the Democratic primary.
Pickens says she’s running because she’s seen what she calls a “disintegration of our fundamental freedoms and liberties.”
“And that’s across the board,” Pickens said. “It’s just gotten worse and worse the last couple of legislative sessions. And then going into this last legislative session, there’s been a complete budget crisis.”
But she says she’s the candidate who can fix the problems she’s seen.
“We need somebody who can actually go in and work with the legislature instead of just allowing the legislature to run roughshod on the people of Idaho and the budget of this state. So, I thought, what better way to do it than run for governor? Because I’d rather have action than word.”
And a balanced budget seems to be one of the biggest running points for Pickens. She says that if she is elected, that will be one of her biggest priorities.
“The first thing I’ll do right out of the gate is walk into the office with a proposal for a balanced budget,” Pickens said. “And that balanced budget will restore a lot of the revenue that was given away in tax cuts to the very wealthy and the corporations.”
To be clear, Idaho currently has and has always had a balanced budget. It’s required by the state constitution. But the legislature had to cut spending across state departments to balance the budget this year.
Besides the budget, Pickens says one of her biggest concerns is what she calls “culture war legislation.”
“I will not sign any culture war legislation that’s currently pending and now being sued over,” Pickens said. “We’re going to get back to the business of the state and stop doing business of out of state interests.”
Pickens is a fourth generation Idahoan and believes her deep roots in Idaho make her the right pick for governor. Her father was a construction worker and her mother was a bookkeeper. She was the first one to go to and graduate from college as well.
“I understand the struggles,” Pickens said. “I understand what it’s like to have to work really hard to just make ends meet. And I think the people who are running the show right now, and particularly the governor, have completely lost touch with the everyday Idahoans and the struggles of everyday Idahoans.”
Registered Idahoans will find Pickens’ name in the Democratic primary on May 19.