Pickens Manweiler looks to bring opposing voice to Idaho

Terri Pickens Manweiler is looking to restore some luster to the lieutenant governor’s office in Idaho, after four years of what she describes as “political antics and games” by incumbent Janice McGeachin.

Pickens Manweiler, a Boise attorney and former Nez Perce County public defender, announced her candidacy for the position more than a year ago. She’ll face Republican Speaker of the House Scott Bedke and Constitution Party nominee Pro-Life in the Nov. 8 general election.

If successful, she would be the first Democrat to hold the office since 1980. Moreover, if she and incumbent Gov. Brad Little both prevail, it would be the first time since 1994 that the two offices have been held by members of different political parties.

In her view, that would be the best possible outcome for Idaho.

“When two members of the executive branch of the same party can’t even sit in a room and discuss policy together, then we’ve really hit a point where we need a reset,” said Pickens Manweiler, referring to the open disagreement that characterized Little’s and McGeachin’s relationship over the past four years.

McGeachin spent much of that time establishing herself as the far-right alternative to Little. She ultimately challenged him in this year’s Republican primary, losing by a margin of 53% to 32%.

“She took what had been an unremarkable position that was based on respect and relationships and destroyed it,” Pickens Manweiler said. “One of my goals is to restore the statesmanship of the office. What that looks like to me is someone who can sit at the table with the governor, maintain a relationship of mutual respect, and give him an opportunity to hear an opposing view. … (Republicans) have been the super-majority for so long, they just don’t have opposing voices at the table. And they need to hear that. They need to hear the other side.”

Pickens Manweiler grew up in Pocatello and subsequently earned her law degree from the University of Idaho. She served as public defender for Nez Perce County in 1998, before relocating to the Treasure Valley and opening a private practice. She returned to Clearwater County this past weekend for Lumberjack Days.

She noted that she was a Republican until changing her party affiliation in 2018, partly in response to the GOP’s ongoing efforts to restrict women’s reproductive health rights.

“I couldn’t in good conscience keep the ‘R’ beside my name,” she said. “When I analyze what values I hold dear and compare that to the values of the current GOP, I’d say the party left me.”

One area where Pickens Manweiler is particularly critical of opponent Bedke is his position on abortion, which she believes puts women’s lives at risk. She noted that, as speaker of the House, he recently intervened in the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit over Idaho’s near-total abortion ban law, seeking to keep the restrictions in place.

“I’ve been a champion for women’s reproductive health care for decades,” she said. “I can stand up to the nonsense and make sure we’re on a path to restoring reproductive freedom in Idaho. My opponent has done absolutely nothing to curb the right-wing fringe from taking over his party.”

What better way to send a message to moderate voters that it’s “time to pull their heads out of the sand,” Pickens Manweiler said, than by putting a Democrat in the lieutenant governor’s office?

“At some point, you have to say ‘enough is enough,’ ” she said.

She also believes Bedke is vulnerable to an upset, given his often-tense relationship with far-right Republicans.

“The far-right fringe absolutely will not vote for him,” Pickens Manweiler said. “That puts him at a disadvantage. If any race at the state level can be won (by a Democrat), it will be mine.”

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