Paulette Jordan for US Senate
I’m Paulette Jordan, candidate for U.S. Senate. I’m a born and raised Idahoan. I am a mother of two young boys, and I wouldn’t be running for this office if not for them.
I am a proud member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and I served as a member of my Tribal Council from the time I was a teenager. I come to this race with the unique experience of working on Capitol Hill as a staunch advocate for economic sovereignty. I’ve developed working relationships with several federal agencies and congressional representatives in my work with the National Indian Gaming Association and as a business strategist.
In 2014, I ran to represent my home district in the Idaho House of Representatives and despite tough odds, unseated an incumbent Republican and successfully won a second term. While in office, I fought for policy change in a number of important areas, including expanded access to healthcare, access to rural broadband and rural resource centers, clean energy, teacher loan forgiveness, criminal justice reform, environmental resource protection, and economic development in Idaho’s struggling communities. In 2018, I was the Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Idaho, becoming the first woman nominated to that position by a major party in Idaho and the first Native American woman nominated for Governor in U.S. history. That race brought national attention to a presumptively “safe red state” election and it was exciting for our State to see a race that brought in more votes than any other Democratic gubernatorial or congressional candidate in Idaho history, even though unsuccessful. We’re continuing that movement now.
Over the past several years, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to thousands of Idahoans throughout this great state. Above all, I’ve learned that our state needs new leadership. We need leaders who value people over politics.
In this election, the stakes have never been greater. Idahoans are fed up. People from all walks of life are frustrated with the partisan gridlock in Washington. They are hoping and calling for a leader who represents them and not the interest of the elite. I have decided to answer the call to serve and represent all of you to usher in a generation of new leadership.
We all watched as our current Senator, Jim Risch, embarrassed our state by falling asleep on the job during one of our nation’s most historic events. If Idahoans fell asleep at work, we would lose our jobs. This isn’t nap time. It’s time to get to work. Mr. Risch has spent 11 years in the Senate and yet he has no legacy to stand on. We can’t afford to let him sleep away six more years.
