Democratic candidates say they put people over party

A retired police officer and former gubernatorial candidate are seeking the Democratic nomination for Idaho’s U.S. Senate seat.

The winner of the May 19 primary earns the right to challenge two-term incumbent Sen. Jim Risch in the November general election.

Paulette Jordan, 40, became the first woman and first Native American in Idaho to receive a major party’s gubernatorial nomination when she defeated Boise businessman A.J. Balukoff in the 2018 primary.

Balukoff is now backing James Vandermaas, Jordan’s opponent in this year’s primary, who moved to Idaho in 2011 after serving 34 years as a law enforcement officer in California.

Vandermaas, 62, ran for Idaho’s 1st Congressional District House seat in 2018, losing in the primary to Cristina McNeil. He has no prior elected experience but believes his life experience gives him the knowledge and wherewithal to be effective in Congress.

“I had pretty humble beginnings,” Vandermaas said. “My father abandoned us when I was 1. My mother raised three kids by herself, so we all pitched in to help. I started working when I was 10 and was out on my own at 16.”

He grew up in Maryland and Virginia and later moved to California. As a member of the Redwood Police Department, he served on the search-and-rescue and SWAT teams, as well as shop steward and union negotiator.

“Given my background, I’m not willing to take no for an answer,” Vandermaas said. “I have no problem with confrontation or with pushing for the things we need.”

Education, health care and the economy are among the issues he’d like to focus on. For example, he’d like to see more public-private partnerships in the education arena, so students are working toward career opportunities.

And while he doesn’t have a college degree himself — other than in the “school of hard knocks” — he’d like to see more opportunities for students to perform community service in exchange for college loan forgiveness.

“The idea is you pay it forward to pay it back,” he said.

Education and health care are traditional “Democratic” issues, but Vandermaas said party affiliation isn’t a major consideration for him.

“Being a Democrat, that’s not as relevant as the positions I have on the issues,” he said. “Everything I’m working for would benefit everyone, regardless of their ideology.”

Jordan has a similar perspective on party affiliation. She said her priority is “always people over party.”

That’s the choice facing voters this fall, she said: Elect someone who will work for the people, or reelect an incumbent who has “done nothing for education or health care” and who “serves the interests of corporate America.”

“I think conservatives and Democrats can align on this,” Jordan said. “Neither (group) wants to promote corporations over people. Neither Democrats or conservatives can (defeat Risch) alone; we need to unite. It’s not about being a Republican or Democrat. It’s about being a good Idaho citizen.”

Following the 2018 election, Jordan has focused on issues and concerns raised during the gubernatorial campaign.

For example, she formed Idaho Voice, a nonpartisan organization that supports grassroots civic engagement efforts and voter rights. She also created Save the American Salmon, a group that advocates for removal of the four lower Snake River dams.

“I’ve dedicated a lot of time the last two years to learning about those issues,” Jordan said. “I didn’t see a lot being done, especially when it came to our representation in Congress.”

Overall, her interest is in “liberating” people from the heavy hand of the federal government, both at the state and individual level.

“If we want more state sovereignty, we need someone (in Congress) who will fight for and promote those ideas,” Jordan said.

And while she preaches “people over party,” she hasn’t ignored party connections. She helped form the Democratic National Committee’s Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis and serves as its director of Native American engagement. She also serves as Idaho’s at-large member on the DNC.

Those connections are part of why she thinks she’s the best choice for voters.

“We need leadership who can appeal to both sides and who can get national support (to help challenge the incumbent),” Jordan said. “I know folks in Congress and have previous relationships with them. I also have experience in public office (in Idaho), and on the tribal council. All of that helps when it comes to being a productive voice.”

Vandermaas said Congress will only start working for the people when incumbents like Risch are ousted.

“The only way it’s going to change is by getting people like me in there,” he said. “We need legislators who work for things that help people, and clearly the ones in Congress now aren’t doing that.”

Given his understanding of the issues and his priorities, he thinks voters should give him a chance.

“I’m not afraid of confrontation or pushing an agenda that includes everyone, regardless of party,” Vandermaas said. “It’s not about who holds office; it’s about their willingness to serve. I’m running because I know I can do the job and do it well. I’m not in this for glory. I just want to get the job done.”