Endorsement: Three Democrats face off in primary for Idaho governor | Opinion

Democratic voters have three viable candidates to choose from in the upcoming primary election for Idaho governor.

Terri Pickens is a Boise attorney, small business owner and founding partner of Pickens Law. Pickens ran as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022 and emphasizes unity, protecting public lands, civil rights and resisting billionaire influence in politics.

Maxine Durand is a career public servant from rural Richfield, Idaho, with over a decade in government, nonprofits, healthcare and higher education, and previously served as Twin Falls director of transportation. Now based in the Magic Valley, her priorities include public transportation, college access for high school graduates and food security; she previously considered running as an independent and is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Jill Kirkham is a mother, wife and small business owner. Born in Pocatello, she has lived her entire life in Idaho, raising children and growing a family business. Her campaign focuses on family values, tackling high living costs, improving schools and balancing budgets to help families and communities thrive.

A fourth candidate on the ballot, Chanelle Torrez, does not have a campaign website and does not appear to be mounting a viable campaign.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary on May 19 will go to the general election in November to face the winner of the Republican primary, which is itself crowded with seven candidates, along with two independent candidates and two Libertarian candidates.

The Idaho Statesman endorses Terri Pickens in the Democratic primary for Idaho governor.

In her interview with the Idaho Statesman editorial board, Pickens had detailed answers, is more polished and has more experience in running for statewide office.

Pickens said her top three priorities, if elected, are restoring Idaho’s financial security, which includes funding public schools, ensuring adequate housing and affordability, protecting Medicaid, Medicare and rural healthcare programs and preserving and protecting fundamental freedoms for all Idahoans.

She said as governor she would protect constitutional rights for every citizen, not just certain groups, regardless of gender, race or other characteristics, and she opposes efforts to sell off public lands or transfer federal lands into state hands in ways that could harm Idaho’s identity and access to the outdoors.

Durand impressed the board with her knowledge and specific answers to our questions.

She supports Medicaid for all and an expansion of public education to include daycare access and associate degrees.

She said working in a conservative area of Idaho has led her to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans

We give her credit for being all-in on this race and not backing down, but we think some of her views are far left and too extreme.

Perhaps no other issue differentiates the three candidates than the issue of whether Idaho should cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Kirkham said she would not eliminate the 287(g) agreement that the Idaho State Police has with ICE, saying she believes Idahoans should have what they want, and “they want legal immigration.”

Durand’s position is the most absolutist of the three: She said she would terminate the cooperation agreement on day one and use the governor’s office to actively block and oppose ICE cooperation wherever she can.

She used an expletive that is seen on many signs at anti-ICE protests and called what’s happening under these policies “fascism” and said ICE officers are “monsters… criminals… they’re killing people.”

While we appreciate her passion for the subject, we preferred Pickens’ reasoned argument and her framing of the issue as an Idaho value of freedom and limited federal intrusion in states.

“I would undo the agreements that we have with ICE and Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol, because they have gone too far,” she said.

Idaho has historically been a “freedom-loving, leave-the-government out of our business state,” and federal agents on local streets used to be “unfathomable.” She argued that the current practice violates that tradition.

She said she would veto any bill that forces sheriffs, local police or municipalities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, as was proposed this session.

All three candidates oppose the school choice tax credit for private education and support funding public education. They all expressed support for some degree of marijuana legalization. Durand supports full legalization with a state-run monopoly similar to state-run liquor stores.

They all prefer to eliminate sales tax on groceries, though Pickens said she’d rather first focus on tax policies that are much more damaging. They agreed that the recent tax cuts have gone too far, and Pickens supports repealing the $450 million in tax cuts approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Brad Little in 2025.

But on most issues, Pickens gave more detailed and balanced answers with specific critiques of the current administration that will represent the Democratic Party well come November.

Statesman editorials are the opinion of the Idaho Statesman’s editorial board. Board members are opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, editor Chadd Cripe, assistant editor Jim Keyser and community members John Hess, Debbie McCormick and Julie Yamamoto.