“Have you ever seen a human being that’s been shot in the head, or shot in other parts of their body?” Dan Foreman, Idaho State Senator, asked. “I have. Do we have the right to take a human life?”
On Thursday, Oct. 24, three Republican candidates running in the upcoming election spoke at the University of Idaho College Republicans meeting. The candidates were Lori McCann, running for Idaho State Representative District 6 Seat A, Brandon Mitchell, running for Idaho State Representative District 6 Seat B and Dan Foreman, running for Idaho State Senator.
The meeting began with each candidate explaining their background and why they were running in the upcoming election on Nov. 5.
Mitchell, speaking first, shared how he was raised in a home with drug-addicted and alcoholic parents and had to live off of government assistance programs such as food stamps. Right out of high school, he knew he wanted a change in his life. This led to him pursuing a degree in law enforcement, although that dream never came to fruition. Eventually Mitchell became the manager and then owner of several Jiffy Lube stores and now owns some local businesses.
“It is amazing the effectiveness of being a Republican in a Republican-led state,” Mitchell said, when beginning to speak about his position on political conflicts.
Mitchell’s process for passing a bill includes asking three questions: Is it constitutional? Is it what his constituents want? And can his conscience live with it?
As an example, he presented his opinion on the recent Senate Bill 1354, which aims to administer electroshock therapy to minors.
“Yes, it was constitutional,” Mitchell said. “Did my constituents want or need it? Yes. [But] I had a hard time getting my conscience over it.” Mitchell voted no on the bill.
When asked what he thought the most pressing issue in our current justice system is, Mitchell claimed that many of the current leaders in the system have forgotten the term “stay blind.” He said that there are many judges now that have their own opinions and biases and they operate off of that instead of seeing things as they are.
Foreman took the stage next, speaking about his 30-year military background. He then moved on to work for the Idaho State Police and eventually the Moscow Police Department.
Foreman’s top priorities in his campaign include strengthening pro-life laws, starting an investigation into the government’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic and creating a patient bill of rights.
Foreman claimed there were two current loopholes to the otherwise strong anti-abortion laws that Idaho currently enforces.
“It’s still legal to have an abortion in the cases of rape and incest,” Foreman said, describing the two loopholes he finds in abortion laws. “I take a lot of flak for that. People say, ‘Oh, how can you force a woman [to give birth]?’ I’m not forcing anything. I’m standing up for the principles that are enshrined in our constitution, which flow from a big, black book called the Bible.”
Continuing, he explained how he felt that the government violated citizens’ rights to the freedom of assembly, freedom of speech and the freedom of religion during the global pandemic.
“The pillars of society are crumbling,” said Foreman, in reference to the justice system. “No system of criminal justice can function unless it has a moral foundation.”
Foreman also mentioned how he aims for lawful concealed carry on campus with a permit.
McCann’s background is in a broad range of business and education. She was an instructor at Lewis Clark State College for 16 years and currently helps run her husband’s law practice.
Due to the time McCann spent in higher education, she prioritizes funding it.
“Education is critical,” McCann said. Without college-educated students, where are Idaho’s next representatives or senators?
McCann believes that she looks at each bill presented to her with a broader scope, as opposed to viewing it through a very narrow lens.
McCann is pro-life, although she does in believe in exceptions, unlike Foreman.
She believes the most pressing issue in the current justice system is the lack of police authority and how people are allowed to commit crimes without prosecution. She specifically cited cities in California as an example of this and explained how frustrating it was because large corporations will not build in cities in the West due to the issues of unprosecuted theft they have had.
One student asked the candidates about the bill Idaho had proposed that would make use of a firing squad for the death penalty. Idaho Governor Brad Little passed this bill in March 2023, which allows for the use of the firing squad only when the drugs required for lethal injection were not available. The renovation of the prison for the firing squad chamber originally cost around $300,000, according to the Idaho Statesman, and the Idaho Legislation allot $750,000 to the prison system for the entire project. However, now the Idaho Department of Corrections will likely request more funds in January, estimated to be as much as another $500,000. The student asked if each candidate plans on supporting this proposal or not.
Mitchell and McCann both explained how they were currently unsure, having not yet read the bill.
For Foreman, the answer was easy. “I’m not giving [them] a dime,” he said. ‘Pro-life’ means all life, he explained.
“Thou shall not kill,” Foreman said. “These people are locked up; they are not a threat to society. They are human beings. Could any of you flip the switch, pull the trigger?”
Rebekah Weaver can be reached at [email protected].