(UPDATED, 1:18 p.m., to reflect that Jordan discussed her run with Boise State Public Radio Wednesday.)
Former gubernatorial candidate Paulette Jordan says she will take on U.S. Sen. Jim Risch.
The Plummer Democrat rolled out her campaign announcement over two days. She dropped the news Wednesday in an interview with James Dawson of Boise State Public Radio. She also discussed her run Thursday with the Huffington Post, in what was falsely billed as an “exclusive interview.”
“I’ve always been the champion and a dire advocate on (the environment) because it’s closest to my heart and I often remind people that this is part of my genetic code,” Jordan told Dawson, as she listed the environment, health care and cybersecurity as her top issues.
Jordan had been noncommittal about a Senate run last month, in an interview with Chuck Malloy of Idaho Politics Weekly.
Risch has served in the U.S. Senate since 2008 and chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Risch has been a loyal backer of President Trump, and Jordan dinged Risch for getting caught napping on the Senate floor during impeachment proceedings on the Senate floor in January.
“If Idahoans fell asleep at work, we would lose our jobs,” Jordan said in a Friday news release. “This isn’t nap time. It’s time to get to work. Mr. Risch has spent 11 years in the Senate. We can’t afford to let him sleep away six more years.”
Three other Democrats are already running for Senate: Nancy Harris of Boise, Travis Oler of Shelley and James Vandermaas of Eagle. Idaho’s primary election will be held on May 19.
Jordan was the Democrats’ gubernatorial nominee in 2018, losing to Republican Brad Little. Jordan received 38 percent of the vote.
