Voters in this Boise primary race have a tough choice. What sets the candidates apart?
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Idaho Elections 2024
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Voters in one Boise legislative district will have a tough choice to make in a Democratic primary race that drew four distinct candidates, two of whom are nearly neck-and-neck in campaign contributions.
The race to represent West Boise’s District 16 in the Idaho House attracted a range of challengers after former Rep. Colin Nash left the position B seat to focus on his new City Council role. Rep. Todd Achilles, who was appointed by Gov. Brad Little to replace Nash in February, is also running for the seat.
The four Democratic candidates appeared to be in lockstep about the Idaho Legislature’s recent actions: In Idaho Statesman interviews, they all emphasized the importance of overturning the state’s abortion ban, denounced efforts to ban “harmful” books from libraries, and sought to better fund public schools. But they told the Statesman it was their backgrounds and expertise, rather than policy goals, that distinguished them as candidates and gave them an edge.
In Idaho, anyone can vote in the Democratic primary — meaning any voter who resides in District 16 can choose to vote in this May 21 primary race. District 16 includes Boise areas east of Pierce Park Lane, south of Hill Road, west of 28th Street and north of Interstate 184.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Jackie Davidson, who is running unopposed for the seat in the Republican primary, in the November general election.
Rep. Todd Achilles touts experience
Achilles, 57, said his time working as a legislator gave him experience building coalitions with Republicans to pass legislation. He touted the Legislature’s passing of a bill that provided including the provision of $2 billion in funding for Idaho school facilities and rejection of bills he viewed as harmful, such as one that would have narrowed the scope of Idaho’s Terrorist Control Act to apply only to people linked with foreign, rather than domestic, terror organizations.
“Lobbying is one thing, but legislating is hard work,” Achilles said. “It takes a lot of conversations, kind of establishing that trust between yourself and other legislators. It’s not just understanding the policy but being able to work across the aisle to get good things done for the state.”
As an Army veteran and a member of the American Federation of Teachers union, he brings to the table 30 years of experience in the military, business and nonprofit worlds — which gives him “breadth” to cover the wide array of issues that come before the Legislature, he said. He teaches public policy at University of California Berkeley and previously worked for T-Mobile, Hewlett-Packard and startups.
Nikson Mathews affected by bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights
If money is any indication, Achilles’ top challenger in the race will be Nikson Mathews, 40, an advertising creative director and adjunct professor at Boise State University. Mathews raised over $43,000 as of May 16, compared with Achilles’ approximately $42,000, according to Idaho’s campaign finance tracking website. Mathews has received several small donations, which they said shows the “grassroots” nature of their campaign.
But most of Achilles’ funding came from donors in Idaho, while about half of Mathews’ came from out of state. Mathews said many of those donations came from family and friends, while others stemmed from securing the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund’s endorsement. The Victory Fund, which supports LGBTQ+ candidates, noted in its endorsement that Mathews would be the first openly transgender person elected in Idaho.
Mathews is new to politics, though they have worked as a lobbyist for Add the Words, Idaho, a nonprofit advocating to protect LGBTQ+ Idaho residents from discrimination. In that role, Mathews was “behind the scenes” building relationships with legislators and researching bills, they said.
Mathews’ focus is on being able to “bring people together,” especially those affected by the bills the Legislature is considering. Mathews has found success getting women, LGBTQ+ people, young people, teachers and health care providers involved.
It’s the “people who are being impacted, very personally, by these bills” who have been most active in Mathews’ campaign, Mathews said. “I think they see in me someone who is being impacted by these bills. … I understand it, not just at an academic level, but I understand these things on a personal level.”
“I think I bring something new and different, and that’s important,” Mathews added.
Jon Chu says he would bring needed medical expertise
Dr. Jon Chu, a retired family physician, is also new to politics — and readily admits he has more to learn. He frames his willingness to ask questions (to seek “curbside consults,” as doctors call them) as a strength he would bring to the Legislature.
“As a family physician, one of the things that was really important is knowing what one doesn’t know, and knowing how to find out, where to find out, who to talk to,” he said.
Like Mathews, Chu, 63, told the Statesman that he had little interest in running for office but felt a need to fill what he saw as a gap in representation at the Capitol. The last doctor in the Legislature, former Rep. Fred Wood, retired in 2022 after 16 years in the House.
“What we haven’t had in the Legislature for awhile is a medical background,” he said. In his submission to the Statesman’s Voter Guide, he wrote, “In too many circumstances, our Legislature has chosen to insert itself between a patient and their provider, a place that the Legislature does not belong.”
Chu lags behind Mathews and Achilles in fundraising. As of May 16, he had raised about $9,300 but still felt good about his chances in the race.
“Money isn’t everything,” he said, adding that he believes his campaign has been frugal.
Wayne Richey focused on affordable housing
Wayne Richey, an autobody technician who’s focused on slowing the area’s rapidly rising cost of living, acknowledged the other candidates are campaigning harder than he is, though he said he believed anyone could win. As of May 16, he had not raised any money for his campaign.
Richey, 64, who ran for Boise mayor in 2019 with the goal of stemming the tide of Californians moving into the area, seemed less focused on winning than on shifting the conversation to the lack of affordable housing, a topic he considers “the elephant in the room.”
He said “nobody” running for office cares about the area’s rapidly increasing cost of living — though Achilles, Mathews and Chu all also described the issue as a priority in their interviews with the Statesman’s editorial board.
Richey’s focus on the issue is driven by his personal experience. He has four kids who moved back home because they couldn’t find affordable housing. In his year driving for Lyft in 2018, he continually heard that his passengers were barely making ends meet. From his perspective, it’s an existential issue that will determine the future of Boise.
“What other place in the world is unacceptable to run off your kids to move rich people in, just because they have more money?” he said. “We’re selling off our hometown to get rich at the expense of our children.”
For Mathews and Chu, too, the future is top of mind. Neither of them aim to stay in politics long-term, they said.
If Chu is elected, his long-term goal is to “take what I have learned and try to recruit other physicians, like-minded physicians, and mentor them and try and get them to run and take over as I step down.”
The Idaho Legislature, he said, needs a “permanent medical presence” that can contribute a “scientific, medically oriented thought process.”
Mathews aims to pave the way for a new generation of candidates, they said.
“What became clear to me as I’ve been doing this work is that we have a younger generation who feels like they aren’t being seen,” Mathews said, “and they’re looking forward to a world that is scary.”
This story was originally published May 17, 2024 at 4:00 AM.
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