Idaho state senator calls on Native American candidate in forum to go back to where he came from

KENDRICK, Idaho (AP) — Tensions rose during a bipartisan forum this week after an audience question about discrimination reportedly prompted an Idaho state senator to angrily tell a Native American candidate to “go back to where you are.” come here.”

Republican Sen. Dan Foreman left the event early after the outburst and later denied making racist comments in a Facebook post. He did not respond to a voice message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Trish Carter-Goodheart, a Democratic candidate for the Sixth House seat and a member of the Nez Perce Tribe, said the explosion shocked her and made her think about security needs for future public events. It also forced some difficult conversations with her two young children, Avery and Lavender, who were in attendance.

“Having conversations about racism with an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old is not something me and my husband Dane were prepared for,” Carter-Goodheart said Friday. “You’ve never seen a grown man break down like this before. They were afraid. I was afraid.”

The event was held Monday evening by Democratic and Republican county committee members from the small northern Idaho town of Kendrick. The Lewiston Tribune reported. It targeted House and Senate candidates from the local district, including Foreman; his Democratic opponent Julia Parker: Republican Rep. Lori McCann; and her Democratic opponent Carter-Goodheart.

About an hour into the event, someone asked a question about a state anti-discrimination bill. Each of the candidates had two minutes to respond, and when it was Carter-Goodheart’s turn, she dismissed previous comments that suggested discrimination wasn’t a big problem in Idaho.

She said the state’s hate crime laws are weak and pointed out that the neo-Nazi group Aryan Nations made northern Idaho its home base for many years. She also talked about how she was the only candidate there who was a person of color.

“I pointed out that the mere fact that someone has not experienced discrimination does not mean that there is no discrimination,” she said. “I was making my statement and then he jumped up from his seat and said, ‘I’m so sick of your liberal (expletive).’ Why don’t you go back to where you came from?'”

The Nez Perce tribe has lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest for more than 11,500 years, including the area where Kendrick lives. The northern edge of the reservation, while only a small part of the tribe’s historic territory, is less than 10 miles from the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall where the forum was held.

“It was like slow motion,” Carter-Goodheart said. “I just remember thinking, ‘Go back to where you came from?'” That’s just a few miles from the venue for this forum. We literally have land that is leased to family farms nearby.”

In his Facebook post, Foreman called the incident a “typical display of race-baiting” and said Democratic attendees made personal attacks and “declared Idaho a racist state.”

“Well, here’s a newsflash for the leftists out there. “There is no systemic racism in America or Idaho,” Foreman said. “Idaho is a great state – the best in the union!”

He then added an attack on abortion rights advocates, saying, “And furthermore, it is immoral and against the law of God to kill unborn babies in the womb.” They have no right to murder the unborn. There is no such thing as the “women’s reproductive rights” you self-proclaimed. There are no such rights in the state or federal constitutions. And we don’t do designer rights in Idaho.”

During the forum exchange, both Parker and McCann said Foreman stood up and yelled for Carter-Goodheart’s response.

“I stood up and faced (Foreman) and tried to defuse what was going on,” Parker said.

McCann said Carter-Goodheart’s description of the incident matched her own recollection.

“Your statement is accurate,” McCann told the Tribune. “(Carter-Goodheart) leaned over to me and said, ‘Where do you want me to go?'”

The event lasted about 20 minutes after Foreman left. Carter-Goodheart said she watched the only door and feared he would come back, and the female contestants later checked on each other.

“I really appreciate that about the people who are running, especially Lori McCann,” she said. “She is my oldest and I appreciate her and her commitment to our community. We actually have a big difference in our values ​​and what we want to do for our communities, but she checked me and I checked her and this was the right thing to do.”

Additional candidate forums are planned in the coming weeks, Carter-Goodheart said. Organizers of an upcoming League of Women Voters event emailed Carter-Goodheart on Friday that police would be on site as a precaution, she said, and the Idaho Secretary of State’s office provided guidance on security measures her campaign was taking could finance.

“We were told it wasn’t a bad idea to get security,” she said. “And we need to have honest discussions about race and discrimination and the inequalities and disparities that exist not just in Idaho but across the country.”