Some months ago, people at the Idaho Democratic Party said something striking: This year, we will run at least one candidate in every legislative district in Idaho.
In other words, they wouldn’t do what they’ve been doing cycle after after, which is to leave so many Republican nominees unchallenged that the Legislature would be conceded to the GOP before the election even was held.
My thought was: OK, show me.
Turns out they have.
The regular two-week candidate filing window closed March 15, and the legislative field is mostly set. (A note: Candidates still can drop out, or they can file as write-ins for the primary election, so the numbers cited below still could rise or fall a little.)
In contrast to the typical 50 or so candidates Democrats have been fielding (some of those competing against each other in the primary) this year, 99 have filed for legislative seats.
Some of those are in fact running against each other in the Democratic primaries. But when the filing deadline closed, at least one Democrat had filed in all 35 legislative districts. How many years has it been since that last happened? I’m not sure, but I’d guess you have to go back a few decades.
Democrats have filed for 27 of the 35 Senate seats, which means 20 of those candidates will be running in current Republican-held seats.
In the House, where Democrats now hold 11 of 70 seats, D candidates have filed for 55 seats.
For the first time in perhaps a generation, Idaho Democrats have not conceded the Legislature — either chamber of it, in fact — immediately after the filing deadline.
I don’t mean to press the point too hard.
Obviously, these currently Republican districts are not going to be easy to win, and it’s entirely possible that Democrats will wind up in November with no more seats than they have now. (If that, in Idaho, presidential election years tend to tilt just a bit more Republican than in off-years.)
We have yet to see how much or how well they campaign, and what kind of campaign money and organization they can put together. Those will not be especially easy tasks either.
But the significance of this candidate recruitment shouldn’t be overlooked.
First, the party’s leaders made what sounded like an awfully daring boast in promising a presence in every district, and they carried through. This is something we haven’t seen for a while among Idaho Democrats.
Second is the fact that Idaho Democrats will be seen this year, locally, in places where they’ve been simply invisible for a long time. Here are some of the home communities of this year’s Idaho Democratic candidates: Spirit Lake, Dalton Gardens, Cottonwood, New Plymouth, Weiser, Emmett, Kuna, Homedale, Kimberly, Paul, Arco, Salmon, Preston, Soda Springs, Driggs, Irwin. I can remember when Democratic candidates (and sometimes winners) were not a rarity in such places, but it’s been a long time.
The fact that other voters in the area will have a human face — rather than a dark myth built out of demonic and perverted constructions — to associate with Democrats, could make some long-range difference.
A quick mention here is also warranted for the Democratic efforts to organize their local county parties. A short time ago, only a few were even thinly organized. Now, according to the state Democratic website, all 44 counties have a Democratic chairperson at least, and all but a few have considerably more than that. That’s a major change.
These can be considered good initial steps.
If you’re going to change politics in Idaho, at least somewhat, you’re not going to do it all at once. But, one step at a time, this is a place to start.
Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor who blogs at ridenbaugh.com. He may be contacted at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com.
