BOISE, Idaho — Following the decision to have Senator John Fetterman as the keynote speaker at the Democratic Party dinner, also known as the Frank and Bethine Church Gala, over 80 young Idaho voters have signed a letter voicing their opposition. They cite the senator's support of Israel and his opposition to a two-state solution.
The young voters are asking the Idaho Democratic Party (IDP) to rescind the invitation to the senator.
"Besides refusing to call for a ceasefire and pledging full support for unconditional military aid to that country, Fetterman has taunted Palestinian-American families who have lost loved ones in Gaza, equated Palestinian children with Hamas terrorists, and publicly opposed a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which would finally afford Palestinians their right to self-determination and bring about long-lasting peace in the region," the letter states.
On the IDP website page for the event, Representative Lauren Necochea and the chair of the IDP states they are thrilled to welcome the senator to Idaho.
“I ran on a slogan of ‘every county, every vote’ because I think it’s important for Democrats to go everywhere and talk to everyone,” said Sen. John Fetterman. “We need to be making our case to voters in every part of the state and every part of the county – that’s how Democrats can still win in rural areas. That doesn’t mean we’re going to turn a state like Idaho blue, but politics is about addition, not subtraction – and margins matter. I’m honored to have the opportunity to talk to Idaho Democrats about what’s at stake in 2024.”
The letter in opposition to Sen. Fetterman speaking at the gala, was delivered to the Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director Jared DeLoof, Idaho Democratic Party Chair Rep. Necochea, and Idaho Democratic Party Leadership on Friday, Feb. 2.
"As young Idaho progressives, we are writing to express our extreme disappointment and frustration with the Idaho Democratic Party's decision to invite Senator John Fetterman to be the keynote speaker at the Frank and Bethine Church Gala," the letter states. "Aligning the Idaho Democratic Party with the Zionist politics of the right demonstrates that the Party no longer has the moral courage that Frank and Bethine Church once embodied. Frank spent his last days in the Senate seeking to undo our country's imperialist history and restore the tradition of limited American interference in foreign governments. Bethine served as the honorary co-chair of the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, the strongest reminder of the evils of the Holocaust west of Germany, and the president of the Center for Responsive Politics (now called OpenSecrets), which has worked to curtail the ballooning influence of special interest groups like AIPAC from U.S. politics."
Sujata Gandhi, a 21-year-old who signed the letter told KTVB she signed the letter because democrats should be the party that supports human rights.
"Many Democrats and young people on the left have been speaking out against the U.S. support of Israel's military in their actions against Palestine. Unfortunately, Sen. Fetterman has been choosing to ignore this, and instead has become more staunch in his support of Israel's government. Fetterman has refused to acknowledge the insurmountable harm that this has caused to Palestinians and human rights globally. Due to his actions, I don't feel as though he adequately represents the values of the left and the party. The Idaho Democratic Party is built up by young people and people that have been marginalized. We put our time into door knocking, helping candidates campaign, and reaching out to the community," Gandhi said.
She added that she signed the letter on behalf of herself, not as the Inclusivity Chair for the Idaho Young Democrats, but that seeing her views and the views of other young democratic progressives be ignored by the party is a "slap in the face."
"I still do believe that we can work within the Democratic party to call for a ceasefire and an end to providing military aid to such a horrific atrocity, however. Speaking out against the Idaho Democratic Party in this case is because we want to see progressive Idahoans be better represented within, and not because we disagree with the party as a whole," she said.
KTVB reached out to Democratic Party Chair Rep. Necochea, but she had not commented by the time of publication.
Read the full letter here:
Dear Director DeLoof, Rep. Necochea, and Idaho Democratic Party Leadership,
As young Idaho progressives, we are writing to express our extreme disappointment and frustration with the Idaho Democratic Party's decision to invite Senator John Fetterman to be the keynote speaker at the Frank and Bethine Church Gala. As you know, Senator Fetterman has been a staunch champion of Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza. Besides refusing to call for a ceasefire and pledging full support for unconditional military aid to that country, Fetterman has taunted Palestinian-American families who have lost loved ones in Gaza, equated Palestinian children with Hamas terrorists, and publicly opposed a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which would finally afford Palestinians their right to self-determination and bring about long-lasting peace in the region.
Thanks to the investment in Idaho Young Democrats and in rural, younger, and more diverse candidates, Idaho Dems have made strong inroads in recent years with young voters and voters of color. Inviting a politician who has made Zionism his chief political identity for the past five months is a slap in the face to the organizers who made such gains possible and risks alienating these voters from the Party for years to come.
Aligning the Idaho Democratic Party with the Zionist politics of the right demonstrates that the Party no longer has the moral courage that Frank and Bethine Church once embodied. Frank spent his last days in the Senate seeking to undo our country's imperialist history and restore the tradition of limited American interference in foreign governments. Bethine served as the honorary co-chair of the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, the strongest reminder of the evils of the Holocaust west of Germany, and the president of the Center for Responsive Politics (now called OpenSecrets), which has worked to curtail the ballooning influence of special interest groups like AIPAC from U.S. politics. If Frank and Bethine truly stood on the principles their legend is associated with today, they would have been among the first to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and they would be appalled by Fetterman's actions and unabashed acceptance of hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the pro-Israel lobby.
Idaho Democrats will not win back a majority in Idaho's elections by appealing to the neoconservative, racist, and astroturfed politics of the right, with which Fetterman's Zionism is associated. Instead, we call on the Party to embrace the moral leadership of the new generation in U.S. politics and invest time and resources into the young and diverse voters that will save our state. Please, don't be complicit in this genocide. Don't grant Zionism a social license to operate in our great state. Don't disgrace the names of Frank and Bethine Church. Call for a ceasefire and rescind Senator Fetterman's invitation to the Frank and Bethine Church Gala. The future of the party and our state lies in your hands.
Sincerely,
Sujata Gandhi, 21, District 33
Inclusivity Chair, Idaho Young Democrats
Will Farkas, 21, District 17
President, Boise State University Young Democrats
Field Fellow (Former), Idaho Democratic Party
Bergen Kludt-Painter, 19, District 6
President, The University of Idaho Young Democrats
Field Fellow (Former), Idaho Democratic Party
Caroline Wyatt, 16, District 19
President, Boise High Young Democrats
Harmony Soto, 26, District 18
President (Former), Idaho Young Democrats
Eve Devitt, 18, District 19
Human rights activist
Student, Boise High School
Bryce Blankenship, 36, District 6
Council Member, Moscow City Council
Shiva Rajbhandari, 19, District 19
Trustee, Boise Independent School District
Ella Weber, 21, District 6
Political organizer
Member, The University of Idaho Young Democrats
Andrew Rojas, 17, District 18
Student Body President, Borah High School
Tyson Russell, 18, District 19
Student Body President, Boise High School
Vice President, Boise High Young Democrats
Claire Yoo, 19, District 32
President (Former), Idaho Young Democrats of Bonneville County
Yvonne Shen, 16, District 19
Co-founder and Executive Board Member, Idaho Asian American Pacific Islander Youth Alliance
Matthew Spall, 22, District 18
Financial Officer, Boise State University Young Democrats
Johnathon Morton, 22, District 6
Secretary, The University of Idaho Young Democrats
Tomas Garcia, 21, District 6
Field Fellow (Former), Idaho Democratic Party
Co-President (Former), Movimiento Activista Social
Social Chair (Former), The University of Idaho Young Democrats
Saumya Sarin, 19, District 11
President, Yote Politically Active Community College
Student, The College of Idaho
Ren Michaels, 24, District 19
Organizer, Boise to Palestine
Member, Friends of Idaho
Kimra Luna, 37, District 17
Founder, Idaho Abortion Rights
Annai Aguilera Gonzales, 20, District 6
Co-President, Movimiento Activista Social
Jacqueline Rubalcaba-Chairez, 20, District 6
Co-President, Movimiento Activista Social
Alexa Demara Benitez, 18, District 6
Vice President, Movimiento Activista Social
Andrea Morales, 18, District 6
Program Coordinator, Movimiento Activista Social
Alia Schmitt, 20, District 6
Member, Movimiento Activista Social
Erika Amaral, 18, District 6
Government Relations Intern, The University of Idaho McClure Center
Olivia Niemi, 21, District 6
Chief of Staff (Former), Associated Students University of Idaho
Will Waetje, 19, District 6
Member, The University of Idaho Young Democrats
David Berriochoa, 21, District 6
Member, The University of Idaho Young Democrats
Abbi Connell, 19, District 6
Member, The University of Idaho Young Democrats
Anya Zuercher, 19, District 6
Member, The University of Idaho Young Democrats
Scout Alford, 18, District 7
Member, Lewiston City Youth Leadership Council
Maggie Scanlan, 17, District 18
President, Bishop Kelly High Environmental Club
Emilia Anders, 17, District 16
Coordinator, Sunrise Movement Boise
Student, Boise High School
Sky Cambron, 17, District 18
President, Borah High Environmental Club
Lillie Young, 19, District 16
Field Fellow (Former), Idaho Democratic Party
Ruby Bollinger, 17, District 19
President, Positive Change Idaho
Ella Henry, 17, District 18
Vice President, Borah High Political Science Association
Quintin Robert, 17, District 19
Student Body Treasurer, Boise High School
Lily Saperston, 17, District 19
Senior Ambassador, Boise High School
Brody Tomlinson, 20, District 14
Student Body President (Former), Eagle High School
Catherine Brenner, 23, District 1
Organizer, Bonner County Democrats
Riya Kumar, 21, District 6
Organizer, Extinction Rebellion Palouse
Student, University of Idaho
Oluwaseyi Arogundade, 18, District 6
Editor, The University of Idaho Blot Magazine
Lauren Legarreta, 19, District 19
Board Member, The Eve Devitt Fund
Halley Hoellwarth, 20, District 14
2021 Ms. Teen Idaho Earth
Melia Zuercher, 17, District 6
Volunteer, BABE VOTE
Colby Bond, 16, District 21
Volunteer, BABE VOTE
Nick Koenig, 24, District 6
Student, The University of Idaho
Nicole Xiao, 19, District 6
Maitane Hollenbeck, 18, District 17
Amanda Thompson, 20, District 4
Student, Boise State University
Avi Rajbhandari, 16, District 19
Student, Boise High School
Asher Bruce, 18, District 11
Student, The College of Idaho
Hana Pfieffer, 20, District 11
Student, The College of Idaho
Keenan Roark, 22, District 19
Katherine Garman, 19, District 18
Grace Zhu, 22, District 18
Saloni Khetan, 20, District 6
Student, The University of Idaho
Max Breiling, 22, District 11
Student, The College of Idaho
Justin He, 18, District 18
Simeon Titmus, 19, District 18
Margo Harness, 22,
Student, The College of Idaho
Emma Combs, 18, District 19
Sidney Snider, 18, District 18
Raymond Rivera, 22, District 25
Student, The College of Southern Idaho
Hannah Amick, 18, District 5
Student, The University of Idaho
Aneesha Shrestha, 19, District 6
Student, The University of Idaho
Elizabeth Nadrich, 2, District 6
Student, The University of Idaho
Canyon Woodruff, 17, District 19
Student, Boise High School
Thomas Barrow, 21, District 19
Dylan Goldade, 32, District 16
Abi Stucky, 21, District 6
Student, The University of Idaho
Kinyon Keith, 21, District 7
Student, Lewis & Clark State College
Katherine Johnson, 22, District 5
Student, The University of Idaho
Ani Carnell, 20, District X
Student, Boise State University
Alyson Guerricabeitia, 21, District 19
Student, Boise State University
Luke Wallace, 21, District 19
Student, Boise State University
Noor Sodhi, 18, District 14
Student, Eagle High School
Sanshray Kukutla, 19, District 18
Hunter Marang, 21, District 11
Student, The College of Idaho
Lindsay Van Allen, 36, District 21
