Democrat Paulette
Jordan could be the nation's first Native American governor. But
first, she's taking on her party's establishment.
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Paulette
Jordan is a progressive Democrat running for governor in a
deeply red state. And she's actually doing well. (photo courtesy
Paulette Jordan Campaign)
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WASHINGTON When you think of political dynasties in American
history, you might think of the Kennedys or the Bushes. You've probably
never heard of Paulette Jordan's family.
Jordan, an enrolled member of the Coeur d'Alene tribe, comes
from thousands of years of intergenerational leadership in Idaho
and the Pacific Northwest. Her grandfathers were chiefs. Her grandmothers
were chiefs. Some of her ancestors were very prominent, like Chief
Kamiakin of the Yakama-Palus Nation. In 1855, when the territorial
governor of Washington forced Kamiakin to sign a treaty of land
cessations, Kamiakin later banded together with 14 tribes and waged
a three-year war against the U.S. government.
"They could lead as chiefs and fight as warrior chiefs," Jordan
said of her grandmothers, one of whom was tribal chair of Colville
Confederated Tribes. "They taught me the way."
But Jordan, 38, has her eye on a different kind of leadership
role. She's running for governor of Idaho, and if she wins, she
would make history as the first female governor of the state and
the first Native American governor in the nation.
That's not even the most unusual aspect of Jordan's candidacy.
A two-term state legislator, she is running as a progressive Democrat
in a deeply red state and doing remarkably well. Ahead of
the May 15 primary, a March poll by Idaho Politics Weekly found
Jordan leading multimillionaire and Boise school board member A.J.
Balukoff, her Democratic opponent, 41 percent to 27 percent.
The same poll showed no clear front-runner in the general election.
Among all voters, Jordan was backed by 15 percent, while top GOP
candidates Raul Labrador and Tommy Ahlquist were at 16 percent and
15 percent, respectively. Balukoff was backed by 8 percent.
The obvious question is how a Democratic woman can win a governor's
race in Idaho, a state that's never been led by a woman and one
where Republicans control the state legislature, the governor's
office and all of the state's seats in the U.S. House and Senate.
The last time Idaho chose a Democratic governor was in 1990.
It's a question Jordan gets over and over again. "Does it just
baffle you that I'm running for office?" she said. "The world is
asking."
To this Idaho native, connecting with voters isn't about party
or gender. It's about understanding the rural way of life. She talked
about her grandfather's pride in ranching 1.5 million acres across
eastern Washington and teaching others how to ranch, effectively
teaching people how to be independent and provide for their families.
Idahoans are deeply rooted in this culture, she said, and she wants
to preserve it.
"It's more than just the process of ranching and being part
of the ag community. It's what it means to be a rancher or an agriculturalist,"
Jordan said. "It's sustainability. It's defending your family and
your way of life. When I talk about protecting my future generations,
that resonates. When I talk about protecting the land, that resonates."
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On
the right, Jordan. On the left, in 1895, her great-grandfather
Chief Moses, head chief of the Columbia band of Native Americans
in Washington state. Trippy, right? (photo courtesy Washington
State Historical Society/Paulette Jordan Campaign)
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Jordan grew up on her family's timber and farmland in northern
Idaho, where she now lives with her two sons. After graduating from
the University of Washington, she came home and ran for a seat on
the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Council in 2008. She won, becoming its
youngest member, and went on to run for the Idaho Legislature in
2012. She lost that year, but ran again and won in 2014 and 2016.
In the last election, she was the only Democrat in conservative
north Idaho to win in a district that President Donald Trump won.
She announced her run for governor in December, vowing to tackle
the state's broken tax system and education system that she says
doesn't support teachers. Between the historic nature of her run
and being a progressive in a GOP state, it wasn't long before Jordan
was in the national spotlight. She's been endorsed by Planned Parenthood,
Democracy for America, People for the American Way, Our Revolution
and Indivisible. Locally, she has support from unions, community
leaders and Add The Words, an Idaho LGBTQ group.
Cher yes, Cher is also a fan. The two crossed
paths in January at the Women's March in Washington, D.C., and then
met again at a Women's March rally in Las Vegas. They chatted backstage
about Jordan's run and Cher was won over. Soon after, she tweeted
to her 3.6 million Twitter followers that she was endorsing Jordan's
campaign.
"I did not expect the tweet," Jordan said with a laugh. "I did
not ask for anything."
Local news stations went bananas, Jordan said, and some Idahoans
were not sure what to make of it. Some were mad that Cher would
try to influence a state race and vowed not to support Jordan because
of it. Others, particularly younger people, thought it was amazing
and pledged to support Jordan because of it. Jordan said she's not
sure if it hurt or helped her campaign overall, but she's honored
that Cher would try to help her out.
"My mom is one of her biggest fans," she said. "It made her
world to see us together in photos. 'Cher is endorsing my daughter!
This is so cool!'"
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Jordan
talks to campaign supporters during a watch party for her
gubernatorial debate in April. (photo courtesy Paulette Jordan
Campaign)
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But Jordan has more pressing challenges than celebrity endorsements.
A number of Democratic state legislators and former Idaho Democratic
Party leaders are siding with her opponent, Balukoff. He ran for
governor in 2014 and got crushed, after spending $3.6 million of
his own money on his campaign. What's different this time is that
the governor's seat is open, as current Gov. Butch Otter (R) is
not running for re-election.
Balukoff, 72, shares some of Jordan's policy views. They both
support expanding Medicaid. They both say education is a top priority,
despite having different stances on charter schools (she's a fan;
he's not) and guns in schools (she's opposed to arming teachers;
he says local leaders should decide). But Jordan is clearly to the
left of Balukoff. She supports legalizing marijuana. She is a forceful
advocate for LGBTQ and women's reproductive rights. Neither is true
for Balukoff.
Their backgrounds are also vastly different. Jordan was raised
Catholic and grew up in a rural community. Balukoff is Mormon, grew
up in San Diego and used to be a Republican. He has donated thousands
of dollars to GOP candidates over the years, including former Idaho
Sen. Larry Craig (R) and former GOP presidential candidate Mitt
Romney.
They are financing their campaigns differently, too. Jordan
isn't taking any PAC money and is relying on grassroots support;
Balukoff is largely self-funding his campaign. Jordan has raised
about $300,000 in total. Balukoff, who is worth as much as $50 million,
has spent about $800,000 on TV ads alone.
Balukoff boasts about the endorsements he's picked up from state
Democratic leaders ? including from some of Jordan's colleagues
in the House, which is a slight to Jordan. He has said he thinks
Jordan is a fine candidate but needs to wait her turn.
"I think I bring more experience this time around and had leadership
roles that Paulette hasn't had," Balukoff said in March. "I think
people should stay with me this time around. She may be what we
need the next time."
That sentiment did not go over well with Jordan, who fumed about
the "older establishment" biases at play in her state party.
"People just aren't used to thinking that a woman of color,
or a woman period, can win," she said. "Even people in the Democratic
Party, they aren't used to envisioning a woman at the top. Yet there
are Republican women who know we can get there. There are progressive
women in our state who know we can get there. Being young and vibrant
and fresh, that plays into a new, bold vision and strong leadership."
People just aren't used to thinking that a
woman of color, or a woman period, can win. Even people in the
Democratic Party.
Jordan's candidacy comes amid an explosion of progressive grassroots
activism in response to Trump's presidency. Democrats, many of whom
are women and people of color, have been running for local and state
offices at record-breaking levels all over the country. And many
are winning, even in GOP strongholds. Jordan's platform is a natural
extension of a Democratic base that's been demanding change and
taken to marching in the streets ? and right past their party's
establishment.
In Idaho, the establishment is clearly siding with Balukoff.
What's weird is that lawmakers typically avoid making primary endorsements
? and if they do endorse, it's usually to throw support to a colleague.
It's hard to overlook the influence of Balukoff's money.
HuffPost reviewed Balukoff's Federal Election Commission reports,
along with state campaign finance data, and found that many of the
Democratic officials endorsing him have gotten money from him.
Take, for example, the 12 Democratic state legislators that
Balukoff touts on his campaign site as supporters. Eight of them
have received campaign money from him.
"AJ Balukoff has the smarts, the common sense, and the know-how
to be a great champion as governor," says state Sen. Mark Nye, who
has received $4,000 from Balukoff since 2014.
"When A.J. reached out to me for my support, I didn't hesitate,"
says state Sen. Maryanne Jordan, who got $1,000 from Balukoff in
the 2016 election cycle.
"Idaho students and teachers could not ask for a better candidate,"
says state Rep. Hy Kloc, who got $950 from Balukoff between 2013
and 2016. "That candidate is undoubtedly AJ Balukoff and I wholeheartedly
endorse him in May and in November."
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Jordan
and A.J. Balukoff at their May 1 Democratic gubernatorial
debate. (photo courtesy KTBV)
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Balukoff has given more than $551,000 to the Idaho
Democratic Party since 2009, including $11,000 that he and his wife
donated after Nov. 2 ? the day he announced his run for governor.
That means he's been financing the party at a time when it's supposed
to stay neutral in his campaign. And that's on top of the $3.6 million
of his own money he poured into the 2014 gubernatorial race. A year
after that, he became the party's treasurer.
There's nothing inherently wrong with Democratic
officials taking lots of money from a wealthy donor. Jordan herself
got $500 from Balukoff in 2014. (She said she's donating it to charity.)
But when you look at the spread of Balukoff's donations over the
years between local and state leaders, and to the party itself,
he's had an outsized influence on the system that he's now leaning
on to help him become governor.
Shelby Scott, political director of the Idaho Democratic
Party, emphasized that "a large amount" of the money Balukoff has
donated to the party went toward his 2014 campaign's payroll and
making sure campaign workers had access to health care.
"We want to make sure that we're living our values,"
she said.
Scott acknowledged that Balukoff has been "important
to helping elect Idaho Dems" in a state where Republicans have a
financial advantage. She referenced the $500 he gave Jordan's campaign
in 2014.
Balukoff's campaign dismissed the idea that Democratic
legislators are endorsing Balukoff in the primary because they get
money from him.
"A.J. is proud of the support he's received from
people and organizations that care about boosting Idaho's education
system, making sure all Idahoans have access to health care, protecting
public lands, and ensuring equality in the workplace," said Balukoff
spokesman Andy Bixler. "He's racking up endorsements because it's
become very clear to voters that A.J. is the right pick to lead
Idaho."
Jordan stopped short of saying Balukoff is trying
to buy the election, but lamented the effect money is having on
Idaho's democratic process.
"It displaces young people and people of color
from being able to rise into the party in Idaho, and then people
who are poor, and all the rural communities," she said. "This is
why the Idaho Democratic Party is really hurting. Everyone should
have a voice at the table. They don't."
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Jordan
listens to women during the Women's March outside the Idaho
Capitol in March 2018. (photo courtesy Paulette Jordan Campaign)
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A week out from the primary, Jordan said she's been thinking
a lot about her great-great-grandfather, Chief Kamiakin, and what
he would make of her working for the U.S. government. He spent his
life fighting the government's efforts to wipe out his community,
take its land and exploit its resources.
"I always wonder if he would be proud of me," she said. "He
defended me and my existence from a government that was encroaching
on the freedom of the people here, for their own manifest destiny
and because of greed. It was pretty tragic."
But for all the wars he waged, Kamiakin was trying to make peace,
she said. And he didn't give up, even when U.S. military leaders
repeatedly killed the people he sent over to broker a peace deal.
That's where Jordan sees herself following in his footsteps.
"My grandmother always said, 'You will always fight. The next
generation will have to hold the line and fight for the same things,'"
she said. "I am always going to continue that legacy of fighting
for freedom, peace and justice. I think it's a good thing for me
to work internally to try to make things better."
Jordan paused. "I know he's proud of me."
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