Independent gubernatorial candidate Jana Kemp believes her campaign for the governor’s office is similar to the recent Fiesta Bowl win by the Boise State Broncos because she feels that just as the Broncos went into the game as an underdog and came out a winner, she too can pull off a huge upset in different type of game.
Kemp, a businesswoman and former state legislator, formally announced her gubernatorial candidacy at the Nampa Civic Center on Tuesday. Kemp, formerly a Republican, declared as independent because she believes the “political party infighting and cross-fighting is not serving…the people of Idaho.” The forty-four year old Garden City resident said as governor, she will “focus on five key areas—jobs, education, energy, fairness, and responsibility.”
On jobs, Kemp said she wants to “empower individual companies large and small by lowering corporate taxes and creating a business-friendly environment” in Idaho. She also said, concerning education, she will protect education budgets from being raided to cover other expenses and she encourages early childhood education. On energy, Kemp seeks an “energy-independent Idaho” through “renewable energy, energy from public lands, and nuclear energy as well.”
Kemp, on fairness, said she is in favor of “giving Idaho homeowners a 7-year rolling average of home valuations for property tax assessments,” which Kemp believes will ensure “taxes don’t go up when housing values go down.” Lastly, on responsibility, Kemp said she wants the government to “live within its means,” and “be efficient.”
Kemp will be the first candidate on the ballot for the November 2 general election in Idaho. As an independent candidate, Kemp is required to gather at least one-thousand verifiable signatures to have her name appear on the ballot, a task which she has reportedly completed. Unlike party-affiliated candidates, Kemp will not face a May primary, though is it is expected she will not be the only Independent in the race. Former Senatorial candidate and farmer Pro Life is expected to join the race in upcoming months.
Though she faces a long-shot bid to win the election, Kemp remains optimistic about her chances to come out on top. In a press release issued in conjunction with her announcement, Kemp points to a Rassmussen poll from September 2009 which says that sixty-percent of Americans “believe neither Republican nor Democratic political leaders have an understanding of what is needed today.” Kemp hopes “the national sentiment toward getting rid from either party will lend itself, in Idaho, for people not voting for either party.”
You can read IdahoReporter.com’s first story on Jana Kemp here.
