Interview with Idaho Democratic gubernatorial candidate AJ Balukoff

SPOKANE, Wash. — Kxly4’s Derek Deis interviewed Idaho Democratic gubernatorial candidate Anthony Joseph “A.J.” Balukoff in studio Friday morning.

Balukoff recently officially launched his campaign to be the governor of Idaho. He kicked off his statewide tour Wednesday.

When Balukoff ran back in 2014, there were a couple of issues he found very important to Idaho. The first was education. And he doesn’t think that much has changed since then.

“We still find ourselves at the bottom of the barrel. In spite of increasing education funding a little bit, everyone else has increased it too. So we’re still at the bottom of the barrel.”

Another important issue? Healthcare.

“It is high we time we took the money off the table and provided health insurance to the 78,000 Idahoans who are working mothers and fathers, who are veterans, that currently do not have health insurance,” said Balukoff. “They don’t have a family doctor, so when something is wrong, they cannot go to the doctor, until it becomes a crisis.”

Idaho is traditionally a red state, but Balukoff believes the Democratic party in Idaho is gaining some momentum.

“I’m encouraged by what is happening in other traditionally red states,” said Balukoff. “I think in Idaho we’ve been under one party for 67 years. since 1961. And that party has led Idaho to the bottom in nearly every important measure. Our education system, our healthcare access, median household income. We’re at the bottom and I think Idahoans are beginning to realize where we’ve been taken by the party in charge, and they’re ready to look at the Democratic vision for the state.”

COPYRIGHT 2023 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.