For a lot of people in Idaho, “Democrat” has become shorthand for something that belongs somewhere else. But I’m old enough to remember when we had close to a 60-40 split in the legislature and Democratic governors. Democrats are already here, and we’ve always been here. We’re your neighbors.
We volunteer at the Soup Kitchen on Saturday mornings. We sit through three-hour school board meetings. We coach youth soccer, serve on nonprofit boards, sit in the pew at church and show up when a family loses a home or someone gets sick.
In communities like Idaho Falls, most of us are not political caricatures. We are people trying to build stable, healthy communities where families can thrive.
And despite what social media outrage posts suggest, most of our values are not all that radical.
We believe kids deserve strong public schools because public education is one of the few institutions designed to serve everyone, regardless of income, religion or family background. Strong schools help create strong communities. They produce workers, entrepreneurs, nurses, electricians, teachers, and engaged citizens. Supporting public education is one of the most pro-family positions we can take.
We believe housing should be affordable enough that teachers, firefighters, young families and service workers can actually live in the communities they serve. A healthy town cannot survive if only the wealthy can afford homes while everyone else gets pushed farther away from jobs, schools, and support systems.
We believe communities are safer when people have access to healthcare, stable housing, functioning infrastructure and economic opportunity. We believe strong communities are built through investment in each other, not simply through slogans about independence while families struggle quietly behind closed doors.
And yes, many of us believe the Idaho Legislature spends far too much time involved in other people’s personal lives.
At a time when many Idahoans are worried about property taxes, stagnant wages, housing costs, healthcare access, and underfunded schools, the Legislature repeatedly dedicates enormous amounts of time to regulating private medical decisions, targeting LGBTQ+ Idahoans, policing libraries and creating culture war headlines that may energize political bases but do little to improve everyday life for working families.
The reality is that Democrats in Idaho are not outsiders trying to destroy communities. We are part of these communities. We love Idaho too. We raise our children here. We volunteer here. We mourn losses here. We celebrate victories here. We invest our time, labor and care into the places we live because we want Idaho to succeed.
Most of us want similar things: safe neighborhoods, good schools, economic stability, accountable government, and the freedom to live our lives without constant political outrage manufactured for clicks and campaign mailers.
That kind of shared civic life requires something increasingly rare: remembering that community comes before party labels.
Miranda Marquit, Master of Business Administration, is a nationally recognized financial wellness expert, writer and speaker. She is a member of the Bonneville County Democratic Central Committee.