CALDWELL -- Gubernatorial candidate Paulette Jordan kicked off the 2018 Idaho Democratic Convention in Caldwell Friday morning with a call for delegates to stand up against division and exclusivity.
"All I hear is hate, from the national, from the local," she said. "We have to be the party of love that saves humanity, saves society, and saves our children."
Jordan touted her commitment to policies including legalizing marijuana, increasing the minimum wage, and expanding health care, drawing cheers from the crowd of delegates gathered in the College of Idaho's Jewett Auditorium.
The two-day convention is aimed at creating a platform for the party, and identifying strategies for the year ahead. Jordan told KTVB she believed it was critical that the Democratic party communicate and stay organized.
"We are spreading our message and showing that we're all on the same page, the same platform, and I think you'll see throughout the weekend that people will start to craft what they want to see for a greater Idaho," she said.
Jordan took sharply criticized the Republican Party several times during her address, accusing GOP lawmakers of delivering "nothing but talk."
"We gave these men so many chances, and now our children are ranked second from the bottom in every conceivable way," she said.
Jordan urged the delegates to keep fighting for the changes they wanted to see in Idaho - and head to the polls in November.
"We're fighting for the good that needs to exist," she said. "So don't give up."