On Friday, December 5, 2025, Nez Perce Democrats hosted a Zoom call with Kaylee Peterson, Democratic candidate for the US House in Idaho District 1. 25 people from the five counties making up the North-Central Idaho Democratic Coalition* attended the 90 minute call.
Here is a brief summary of the call.
Kaylee’s Campaign
Kaylee Peterson, a self-described “35-year-old, working class mom”, has been running against Representative Russ Fulcher in Idaho’s 1st Congressional District since 2022. Her platform, “Believe in Better”, focuses on government accountability, economic reform for working-class families, and improving daily life through practical legislation.
Kaylee emphasizes transparency, working with unions, and engaging with voters across the political spectrum, while avoiding corporate PAC money and special interests. She said she wants to make the political process more accessible and positive, focusing on individual policy needs rather than party labels. Kaylee pointed out her commitment to improving representation for Idaho’s large and diverse 1st Congressional District.
During the call, Kaylee talked about her background, her campaign platform, and the important issues she sees facing Idahoans. She answered questions during a Q&A session.
Voter Insights
Kaylee shared observations about the political landscape in Idaho, noting a growing enthusiasm among younger voters and a shift towards Democrats, particularly among unaffiliated voters. As an example, she described a successful house party that connected progressive voters in a traditionally red area.
Russ Fulcher Debate
Kaylee has challenged the incumbent, Russ Fulcher, to several debates, but to date he has chosen not to appear. During the next scheduled debate, on December 11 , Kaylee will use a cardboard cutout of Congressman Fulcher and clips of his statements to represent his point of view.
Kaylee criticized Fulcher for his extreme right-wing policies, lack of infrastructure funding, and prioritization of personal and political gains over district needs. She wants to hold Fulcher accountable by highlighting Fulcher’s actual policies and their effects on the community, using local voices and radio appearances to reach rural voters. She emphasized the need to counter misinformation. Her strategy is to focus on educating voters about Fulcher’s impact on local issues through a digital campaign that will target 50,000 unaffiliated voters. .
The Q&A Session covered a lot of ground
Here are a few of the topics covered during the Q&A portion of the call.
Housing Costs
In response to a question, Kaylee outlined her plans to address this issue, including legislation to ban sales of single-family homes to large investment firms and exploring tax incentives for affordable housing.
Public Lands
Kaylee discussed her campaign’s focus on public lands, emphasizing the importance of balancing environmental protection with economic interests. She highlighted the dangers of deregulation and the need for proper oversight of public lands, while also addressing the issue of corporate influence in politics and the concentration of wealth.
Dams
Several people asked questions and commented about the question of breaching dams. Comments reflected both sides of the topic. Kaylee indicated that this was a issue for which she did not yet have a solution, but would be investigating it further and seeking additional input from voters.
How Can We Help?
When asked how we can support her campaign, Kaylee offered several suggestions, including:
- Helping her improve her name recognition by promoting her social media – liking, following, and sharing her content with others. Facebook. Instagram.
- Organizing fundraising drives.
- Hosting house parties.
- Inviting new people to events.
- Sharing her information and messages at local events.
Wrapping Up
We enjoyed this opportunity to get reacquainted with Kaylee and look forward to supporting her campaign throughout 2026.
Find more information about Kaylee at https://kayleeforcongress.com/ .
* The North-Central Idaho Democratic Coalition is a collaboration of Democrats from Lewis, Idaho, Clearwater, Latah, and Nez Perce Counties sharing resources funded by an Innovation Grant from the Idaho Democratic Party. The coalition aims to gather information and inform the public about government actions affecting rural communities.
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