Paulette E. Jordan(born December 7, 1979)[1]is an American politician who served in theIdaho House of Representativesas a member of theIdaho Democratic Partyfrom December 1, 2014, until February 14, 2018.[2][3][4]She previously served on theCoeur d’AleneTribal Council, itssovereign government.During her final term she was the only Democrat serving in theIdaho LegislaturefromNorth Idaho.She was the Democratic nominee forGovernor of Idahoin the2018 election,losing against Lieutenant GovernorBrad Little.She was the Democratic nominee in2020for theUnited States Senate,losing to incumbent RepublicanJim Risch.[5]
Paulette Jordan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theIdaho House of Representatives from the5Adistrict | |
| In office December 1, 2014 – February 14, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Cindy Agidius |
| Succeeded by | Margie Gannon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 7, 1979 Spokane, Washington,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Washington(BA) |
Early life and education
editPaulette Jordan was born into a ranching and farming family in northern Idaho, where she still holds timber and farmland.[6]She is an enrolled citizen of theCoeur d'Alene tribe,which is based on the reservation of the same name. She also hasSinkiuse(known as the Moses–Columbia Band of the Colville Confederacy),Nez Perce,andYakama–Palusancestry.[7]She is a descendant of the 19th-century chiefsMosesandKamiakin,and 20th century Colville leaderLucy Friedlander Covington(1910 – 1982).[8][9][10]
Jordan is an alumna ofGonzaga Preparatory Schooland theUniversity of Washington.[8]She completed an Executive Certificate at theUniversity of IdahoCollege of Business and Economics Energy Policy Planning and Development Program, and earned a certificate in theHarvard Kennedy SchoolSenior Executives in State and Local Governments Program.[11]
Career
editWhile in Seattle, she held a variety of leadership roles in community activism and became involved in local city politics, also serving as an Advisor to the President of the university.[12]
After returning to the reservation, Jordan ran for and was elected to the Tribal Council. From this position, she became the co-chair of gaming for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), an organization founded in 1953 so that tribes could act in concert on mutual interests.[7]In 1969, ATNI passed a resolution honoring Jordan's great-grandmother Lucy Covington for her work opposing termination of the Colville Tribe. Jordan's engagement as a Native leader extends beyond the region to include national organizations. She is a Senior Executive Board representative, Finance Chair and Energy Initiative Chair for theNational Indian Gaming Association,serving her third consecutive term.[12]
Idaho House of Representatives
editWhen legislatorTom TrailofMoscowdecided to seek a seat on the Latah County Commission afterredistrictingin 2012, Jordan became a candidate for the legislature. In the general election, she was defeated by RepublicanCindy Agidius,ofMoscow,with a margin of under 1%.[13]In 2014 she ran again for the same seat and defeated Agidius in the general election.[14]She ran for reelection in 2016 and defeated Carl Berglund, ofKendrick.[15]
Jordan served on the Business Committee, the Energy, Environment and Technology Committee, and State Affairs Committee from 2015 to 2018. In addition, Jordan was selected to serve on Legislative Council, which oversees management of the Capitol and permanent staff.[7]
2018 gubernatorial campaign
editJordan was the Democratic nominee forGovernor of Idahoin the 2018 election, her main opponent in the general election was the Republican nominee and incumbentlieutenant governor,Brad Little.[16]
Jordan announced her candidacy on December 7, 2017.[17][18]In the primary she faced[19]previous 2014 nominee A.J. Balukoff and Peter Dill in what was the most competitive Democratic primary since 1998.[20]Eschewing corporate donations, she received most of her funding from Native American tribes.[21]
Jordan describes herself as "very progressive", supportingMedicaid expansion[22]andclean energy.Jordan ispro-choice,as a mother and as a legislator. She differed from her fellow Democratic opponent A.J. Balukoff in their April 22, 2018 televised debate primarily in her support for the decriminalizing of marijuana possession and the legalization of medical marijuana (cannabidiol). In early May it was announced that she andKristin Collum,running for lieutenant governor, were ade factojoint ticket,[23]and she received the endorsement of theIdaho Statesmanin a split decision.[24]
The Nationcalled Jordan the new face of rural politics in America, given the populist and progressive history of Idaho,[25]and the split Democratic party establishment united behind her[26]after the state's most competitive Democratic primary in decades.[27]
In June 2018, Jordan remarked at the Idaho Democratic Party convention atCollege of IdahoinCaldwellthat "We have begun the progressive movement across the country that people are believing in... The precipice of this movement begins in Idaho."[28]In August 2018 theNew York Timesnamed her as one of four candidates who could become the first female governors of their states.[29]
In August 2018 according to a poll her opponent's lead was at 8%, withMedicaid expansionbeing a significant issue.[30]The statewide collapse of theDivision of Motor Vehicles'sinformation technologyon the vendor side became a significant issue in September, with Jordan calling the $10.8M contract a "... boondoggle that is failing our state." Otter said that fixing the driver's license system was one of the state's highest priorities.[31][32]
Jordan received significant national attention, with just under half of her donations coming from outside of Idaho.[33]She received an endorsement from the singerCher.[34]
She eventually lost to Little by more than 21 percentage points.[35]
2020 U.S. Senate campaign
editOn February 7, 2020, she announced a run for theUnited States Senateagainst incumbent senatorJim Risch.[5]Jordan won the June 2, 2020 Democratic primary and faced Risch in the November general election.[36]Risch ultimately won the general election with 62% of the vote.[37]
Electoral history
edit| Year | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Candidate | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 primary[38] | Paulette Jordan | 891 | 68.5% | James Stivers | 410 | 31.5% | |||
| 2012 general[13] | Paulette Jordan | 9,960 | 49.7% | Cindy Agidius | 10,083 | 50.3% | |||
| 2014 primary[39] | Paulette Jordan | 1,377 | 100% | ||||||
| 2014 general[14] | Paulette Jordan | 7,371 | 51.8 % | Cindy Agidius (incumbent) | 6,847 | 48.2 % | |||
| 2016 primary[40] | Paulette Jordan (incumbent) | 1,444 | 100% | ||||||
| 2016 general[15] | Paulette Jordan (incumbent) | 11,179 | 50.7% | Carl Berglund (Idaho Politician) | 10,889 | 49.3% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brad Little | 361,671 | 59.8 | |
| Democratic | Paulette Jordan | 231,065 | 38.2 | |
| Libertarian | Bev "Angel" Boeck | 6,557 | 1.1 | |
| Constitution | Walter L. Bayes | 5,791 | 1.0 | |
| Independent | Lisa Marie (write-in) | 92 | 0.0 | |
| Majority | ||||
| Total votes | ||||
| Year | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Candidate | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 primary[41] | Paulette Jordan | 72,777 | 85.7% | Jim Vandermaas | 12,145 | 14.3% | |||
| 2020 general[42] | Paulette Jordan | 285,864 | 33.2% | Jim Risch | 538,446 | 62.6% |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^Caudell, Justus (December 7, 2017)."Colville descendent Paulette Jordan announces candidacy for Idaho governor".Tribal Tribune.RetrievedJanuary 30,2018.
- ^"Democratic lawmaker resigns to focus on governor's campaign".Associated Press.February 7, 2018.RetrievedMarch 9,2018.
- ^Spence, William L. (February 10, 2018)."Lawmaker will bring in substitute while running for governor".The Spokesman-Review.RetrievedMarch 9,2018.
- ^Spence, William L. (February 14, 2018)."Governor candidate may still resign her legislative seat".Idaho Statesman.RetrievedMarch 9,2018.
- ^abJennifer Bendery."Idaho Democrat Paulette Jordan Is Running For Senate",HuffPost,February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^Petersen, Anne (2018-04-26)."Could Paulette Jordan Be The First Native American Governor? In Idaho, any Democrat running is a long shot. But Paulette Jordan — who, if elected, would become the first Native American to serve as a governor — doesn't mind the odds, and isn't heeding calls to let an older, white, established candidate take her place".Buzzfeed News.Retrieved2018-09-04.
- ^abcZotigh, Dennis (December 19, 2014)."Meet Native America: Paulette E. Jordan, Idaho House Representative".National Museum of the American Indian.Archived fromthe originalon June 25, 2016.RetrievedMay 30,2016.
- ^abPrentice, George (February 21, 2018)."Paulette Jordan's Historic Ride".Boise Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon 11 May 2018.Retrieved10 May2018.
- ^Cudahy, Claire (2018-06-04)."Native governor candidate Paulette Jordan: 'It's about time' for change".First Nations Focus.Retrieved2018-08-19.
- ^"Covington, Lucy Friedlander (1910-1982)".www.historylink.org.Retrieved2019-07-23.
- ^"LISTEN: A conversation with gubernatorial candidate Paulette Jordan".29 October 2018.
- ^abMcNeel, Jack (October 29, 2012)."Paulette Jordan, Coeur d'Alene Seeking Office in Idaho Legislature, Speaks to ICTMN".Indian Country Media Network.RetrievedMarch 9,2018.
- ^abYsursa, Ben."November 6, 2012 General Election Results".Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived fromthe originalon June 15, 2016.RetrievedMay 20,2016.
- ^abYsursa, Ben."November 4, 2014 General Election Results: Legislative Totals".Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived fromthe originalon December 20, 2016.RetrievedMay 20,2016.
- ^abDenney, Lawerence."Nov 8, 2016 General Election Results: Legislative Totals".Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived fromthe originalon December 21, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 10,2017.
- ^"Report Declaration".sos.idaho.gov.Retrieved2018-06-19.
- ^Russell, Betsy Z. (December 7, 2017)."Rep. Paulette Jordan announces she'll run for governor as a Democrat".The Spokesman-Review.RetrievedDecember 8,2017.
- ^Spence, William L. (December 11, 2017)."Democratic state Rep. Jordan announces run for Idaho governor".The Lewiston Tribune.RetrievedDecember 12,2017.
- ^"Statewide Totals".sos.idaho.gov.Retrieved2018-06-19.
- ^Sewell, Cynthia (2018-05-10)."May primary gives Democrats the most choices for governor since 1998".Idaho Statesman.Retrieved2018-05-11.
- ^Sewell, Cynthia (2018-08-19)."Why Paulette Jordan says she can bust Idaho's Republican stronghold".Idaho Statesman.Retrieved2018-08-19.
- ^Brown, Nathan (2018-09-09)."Paulette Jordan brings populist message to Idaho Falls".Idaho State Journal.Retrieved2018-09-09.
- ^Sewell, Cynthia (2018-05-08)."These women are now running to be Idaho's governor, lt. governor as a joint ticket".Idaho Statesman.Retrieved2018-05-09.
- ^n/a, n/a (2018-05-11)."Democratic primary: Jordan offers Idaho voters a new face, new approach for governor".Idaho Statesman.Retrieved2018-05-11.
- ^Nichols, John (2018-05-16)."Paulette Jordan Is the New Face of Rural Politics in America".The Nation.Retrieved2018-05-17.
- ^La Ganga, Maria (2018-05-15)."Paulette Jordan claims Democratic victory: 'We won this race by everyone.'".Idaho Statesman.Retrieved2018-05-17.
- ^Sewell, Cynthia (2018-05-16)."Paulette Jordan is Idaho's new political force; Brad Little is its steady, guiding one".Idaho Statesman.Retrieved2018-05-17.
- ^Russell, Betsy (2018-06-30)."Kander to Dems: 'The blue wave is not a weather event, you've got to make it happen".Idaho Press.Retrieved2018-06-30.
- ^Lu, Denise."These Women Could Shatter Glass Ceilings in Governors' Races".NYT.Retrieved2018-08-06.
- ^Bronson, Chris (2018-08-13)."Jordan edges closer to Little in gov. race, poll shows".Idaho Press.Retrieved2018-08-14.
- ^Wood, Colin (2018-09-04)."DMV service outages in Idaho shaping up as major issue in November election The governor says fixing the driver's license system is one of the state's highest priorities".statescoop.Retrieved2018-09-05.
- ^Russell, Betsy (2018-09-02)."Jordan calls DMV contract a 'boondoggle,' Little is 'frustrated'".The Spokesman Review.Retrieved2018-09-05.
- ^Sewell, Cynthia (2018-11-07)."Brad Little becomes Idaho's next governor".The Idaho Statesman.Retrieved2018-11-10.
- ^Russell, Betsy Z. (24 January 2018)."Cher endorses Paulette Jordan for governor of Idaho".The Spokesman-Review.Retrieved21 July2021.
- ^Walters, Daniel (2018-11-07)."Did all those national Paulette Jordan profiles only help her get clobbered in the Idaho governor race?".Inlander.Retrieved2018-12-02.
- ^"Jordan to face Risch in Idaho's U.S. Senate race in November".ktvb.com.3 June 2020.Retrieved2020-07-13.
- ^"Idaho U.S. Senate Election Results".The New York Times.2020-11-03.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2020-12-11.
- ^Ysursa, Ben."May 15, 2012 Primary Election Results".Boise, Idaho:Secretary of State of Idaho.Archived fromthe originalon November 19, 2012.RetrievedMay 20,2016.
- ^Ysursa, Ben."May 20, 2014 General Election Results".Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived fromthe originalon November 8, 2014.RetrievedMay 20,2016.
- ^Denney, Lawerence."May 17, 2016 Primary Election Results: Legislative Totals".Boise, Idaho: Secretary of State of Idaho. Archived fromthe originalon December 20, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 10,2017.
- ^"Live: Idaho State Primary Election Results 2020".The New York Times.2 June 2020.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2020-06-27.
- ^"2020 General Election Results – Statewide".Idaho Secretary of State.RetrievedDecember 18,2020.
Further reading
editExternal links
edit
Media related toPaulette Jordanat Wikimedia Commons
- Campaign websiteArchived2020-10-31 at theWayback Machine
- AppearancesonC-SPAN