Terri Pickens’ primary election victory statement

Thank you everyone who helped my campaign to be Idaho’s next governor take this step. 

Like you, I am hopeful and excited about this next stage in our journey together.

We are at the start of a movement to elect leaders who truly care about regular people and who will fight for freedom. I know this because I have spoken to thousands of Idahoans as I campaigned. 

Everywhere people tell me this is a critical time in Idaho’s history. I agree.

We find ourselves lorded over by politicians and wealthy insiders who make our lives worse. They are dug in like ticks. Their power comes from hyper-partisanship, rampant disinformation, and the corrupt inertia of incumbency financed by billionaires, insiders, and dark money donors.

Honestly, it’s political indecency that is almost too lurid to talk about. 

The good news is that political movements are like landslides: they start small but quickly become unstoppable.

This campaign is powerful. Yes, people will doubt us. Yes, we need money. Yes, we have just six months to make our case. I am confident that we will. Our opponents will underestimate us until thousands of good people sweep them out of power. 

People from all walks of life, all across the political spectrum, agree it’s time to retire the bad, old ways of doing things. Believe me, people have been spreading that message for a long time now. 

My campaign will focus on persuading people that I will lead with integrity and moral clarity. I will be serious about making our government serve us–not the other way around.

My campaign aspires to return Idaho to being a place where everyone can grow a life, raise a family, and live with purpose and dignity.

We will take back all the freedoms that have been taken from us.

We will end the cruel and cynical culture wars.

We will act fast to end the housing affordability and availability crisis.

We will see that workers early in their careers get breaks instead of billionaires.

We will work with small businesses to help them compete against giants.

We will stop gouging homeowners so CEOs can get tax cuts.

We will help rural hospitals to keep serving their communities.

We will build public schools.

We will roll back the $50 million handout to religious and private schools.

We will reverse that scandalous $450 million tax cut for the wealthiest few.

We will never sell public lands.

This movement will run the rascals out of power. 

Our politicians have let power corrupt them. My campaign won’t have to do much work to convince people of that truth.

So between now and Election Day I will be introducing myself to people in Idaho. I will talk to everyone I can. I will show them that I will work hard. I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I will lead with integrity. I will put the needs of regular people first. 

Together we will make Idaho the beautiful, safe place to live and grow that we all know it should be–for everyone.