BOISE, Idaho — On Tuesday, November 8, voters across Idaho will head to the polls in the general election to decide on who they want to represent them in key federal and state offices.
This Viewpoint and the previous show focus on one of the big races in Idaho, the race for lieutenant governor between longtime Speaker of the House, Republican Representative Scott Bedke of Oakley and Democrat Terri Pickens Manweiler of Boise.
Speaker Bedke was the guest on Sunday, Sept. 25. Bedke has served in the Idaho House of Representatives since 2000 and as speaker since 2012. He is the longest-serving speaker in Idaho history.
On Viewpoint he talked about why he's running for lieutenant governor, his view on the role of the lieutenant governor, as well as his priorities and his stances on key issues in Idaho, including the state's strict new anti-abortion law and public education funding. You can watch that interview here.
Terri Pickens Manweiler is the guest on this edition of Viewpoint. She is a fourth-generation Idahoan who was born and raised in Pocatello. After law school, she served as a public defender for Nez Perce County in Lewiston. She moved to Boise in 1999 to start her career as a trial attorney. Pickens Manweiler is the founding partner of Pickens Law, P.A., which she started in 2008. She is also a wife and mother of two children.
In this excerpt, she explains how, as a Democrat, she would work with a Republican governor, if Governor Brad Little wins re-election.
"The idea that you have to be of the same party just isn't the case in Idaho," Pickens Manweiler said. "We've long had lieutenant governors who are of different parties. Let's go back to Cecil Andrus in the 90s when he had his lieutenant governor who then went on to be Governor Butch Otter. The two of them worked as statesman. They worked together as gentlemen. They sat at the table together. They discussed policy together, and I don't see that being any different for myself and Governor Little."
"He really does appreciate having other Viewpoints. And that is really critical when you're talking about big issues that impact Idahoans. To have another voice in the room that's different than the one that you constantly hear is going to be helpful. Diversity in thought is critical and we need that in Idaho, and I think he'll appreciate having that voice at the table," Pickens Manweiler said.
Pickens Manweiler also discusses more in-depth her vision for the role of the lieutenant governor, her priorities, her stances on Idaho's strict new anti-abortion law, the 410-million dollars in public education funding the legislature approved in the recent special session and other big issues.
Viewpoint airs Sunday mornings at 9 o'clock on KTVB.
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