Idaho senator tells Native American candidate to go back to where she came from, storms out of public event

A bipartisan forum in a small Latah County community took a turn when incumbent Republican Senate leader Dan Foreman stormed out of the event after a racist outburst against a Native American candidate.

On Tuesday, local Democratic and Republican officials organized a “Meet Your Candidates” forum in the northern Idaho town of Kendrick. Three candidates from each party vying for seats in the 6th District – one Senate and two House seats – answered questions from viewers.

When asked if there was discrimination in Idaho, conservative Senator Dan Foreman said no.

In one Statement released on WednesdayDemocratic candidate for House Seat A and member of the Nez Perce tribe, Trish Carter-Goodheart, said she pushed back on that idea when it was her turn to speak, citing her own experiences and the History of White Supremacy Groups in Northern Idaho.

“Just because someone hasn’t personally experienced discrimination doesn’t mean discrimination doesn’t exist. Racism and discrimination are real problems here in Idaho, as anyone familiar with our state’s history knows,” the statement said. “I highlighted our weak hate crimes laws and mentioned the presence of the Aryan Nations in northern Idaho as indisputable evidence of this reality.”

Foreman stood and angrily interjected, using a profanity to criticize what he described as the liberal bias of the response, according to the news release and those in attendance at the forum.

Carter-Goodheart said he then told her to go back to where she came from and stormed off in a heated manner. An organizer and two other panelists confirmed Carter-Goodheart's account, adding that Foreman appeared very excited.

Carter-Goodheart is running for House representative and is not running against the senator. Her opponent, Republican Representative Lori McCann, was also present at the forum. In an email, she said she had read Carter-Goodheart's statement “and found it to be an accurate depiction of what transpired in Kendrick's case.”

Foreman has a history of angrily confronting people in public and shouting profanities.

He did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.

Indigenous peoples, including the Nez Perce Tribe, have lived in the Columbia River Basin for thousands of years. Foreman was born in Lake Forest, Illinois.