Necochea elected new chair of Idaho Dems

BOISE — The newly elected chair of the Idaho Democratic Party sees great opportunity for her caucus in the 2022 elections, despite one recent high-profile faux pas.

Rep. Lauren Necochea, D-Boise, was elected chair of the state party last Saturday. She also serves as assistant minority leader for the House Democratic caucus.

While acknowledging her party’s underdog status in Idaho, Necochea said it “absolutely” has a chance to flip some seats in the Legislature this year.

“We’re clear-eyed about the timeline for rebuilding the Democratic Party in Idaho,” she said. “But I do think we can make gains in this election. I think there will be more Democrats in the Legislature next year.”

Some of that optimism stems from internal party matters — for example, adding staff to do year-round organizing and, for the first time, hiring someone to build support within Idaho’s Latino communities.

Beyond that, she said, the growing “extremism” within the Republican Party could prompt voters to give Democrats a closer look.

“A lot of moderate Republicans don’t recognize their party any more,” Necochea said Thursday during a break from her legislative duties. “Elected Republicans aren’t holding the extremist Republicans to account, so electing Democrats is the only way we can build a brighter future for Idaho.”

When Democratic candidates have the opportunity to knock on doors and meet people face-to-face, she said, people realize that the issues they care about are the same issues Democrats fight for.

“When they see that their priorities are our priorities, that’s where we can make inroads,” Necochea said.

However, the recent candidate filing period illustrated just how steep that road might be.

For example, Democrats failed to field candidates in 59 of the 105 legislative races on the 2022 ballot, meaning they automatically ceded 56% of the seats to the other party.

The news was almost as bad at the state level.

Lewiston native and Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad was disqualified from filing for governor as a Democrat because the state voter registration database listed him as a Republican. Unless he successfully challenges the decision in court or files as a write-in candidate, that leaves Stephen Heidt, of Marsing, as the only Democrat in the gubernatorial race.

Necochea said she didn’t know anything about Heidt. He hasn’t filed any campaign finance reports, so it’s unclear if he intends to run an active campaign.

Rognstad, by contrast, has raised about $80,000. His campaign treasurer is Boise businessman and former Democratic gubernatorial candidate A.J. Balukoff.

Rognstad’s campaign sent an electronic survey to supporters Friday, asking if he should continue his run for governor “so Idahoans have the option of voting for real leadership.”

Necochea indicated the state party isn’t trying to influence Rognstad one way or the other.

“I share Mayor Rognstad’s disappointment that the filing didn’t go as planned,” she said.

Despite these challenges, Necochea said the Republican majority’s hard-right swing helps build momentum for Democratic candidates.

“When you see the extremism that’s metastasizing in Idaho Republicans, that’s strong motivation,” she said. “I also see all the ways Democrats make a difference here (in the Statehouse).”

For example, at least 15 of the appropriation bills passed by the House so far this session needed Democratic votes to prevail. That includes funding for public health districts, the Idaho Supreme Court, the Department of Health and Welfare’s Division of Welfare and the Attorney General’s Office.

“The government of Idaho wouldn’t function without Democrats, because budget bills wouldn’t pass,” Necochea said. “If we can flip a few more seats, we can make an even bigger difference.”

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.