BOISE, Idaho — A Boise lawyer joined Idaho's growing pool of lieutenant governor candidates Wednesday morning, becoming the first Democrat to throw her hat into the ring.
Terri Pickens Manweiler said in her announcement at Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial that she is not a politician, but felt compelled to act as a "voice of reason" for the state.
"I can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch the Idaho I know and love go away," she said.
If elected lieutenant governor, Pickens Manweiler said, she would act as a champion of individual rights, public education, public lands, and equal justice.
"My daughter deserves to have the same freedoms and rights that were afforded to me my entire lifetime. My son deserves to have an education that is not censored, that is based on factual history," she said. "Every Idahoan deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, religious affiliation, sexual orientation or gender identity."
She also vowed to help small businesses still reeling from the effects of the pandemic and place people over politics.
"It's time to do better," she said.
A fourth-generation Idahoan, Pickens Manweiler is a founding partner of Pickens Law in Boise, and lives in the City of Trees with her husband and two children.
Three Republicans - Speaker of the House Rep. Scott Bedke, Rep. Priscilla Giddings of White Bird and former representative Luke Malek of Coeur d'Alene - are also running for the lieutenant governor seat.
Current Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin is vying for governor, and will not seek reelection.
Election Day is set for Nov. 2, 2022.
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