Background
Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact Idaho
Nicole LeFavour talks with volunteers at a campaign event in Burley, Idaho.
State Sen. Nicole LeFavour lost her bid for Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District seat by more than 65 percent.
Nicole LeFavour, a Democrat, was trying to unseat Rep. Mike Simpson.
Still, she remains upbeat about her campaign effort. “Everything that we wanted to have happen and more went well,” says LeFavour. “And I built a campaign and had staff that did more than I ever thought was possible and that is an amazing feeling.”
Since 2004, LeFavour has served as a representative in the Idaho Legislature, and then as a state senator. She represents parts of Boise.
LeFavour was born in Colorado, but grew up in Custer County in Central Idaho. She worked in the Frank Church Wilderness as a ranger and firefighter. She received her degree in cognitive science from UC Berkeley in 1987, and went on to earn her Masters of Fine Arts in writing at the University of Montana. LeFavour moved to Boise in 1990 and worked for the Snake River Alliance for two years. She was a reporter for the Boise Weekly, and later opened a graphic design business.
In 2004 LeFavour won the historically Democratic 19th district seat in the Idaho House of Representatives. During her tenure LeFavour was critical of Idaho budgets that cut spending and taxes, citing the jobs that were lost through these cuts. She was a proponent of improving the state’s mental health programs, and received an award in 2008 from the Idaho State Planning Council on Mental Health.
LeFavour proposed amending Idaho’s Human Rights Act to include a clause around discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The campaign, known as Add the Words, did not make it out of committee.
LeFavour is the only openly gay legislator in Idaho. She contributed to the international “It Gets Better” campaign with a personal video.
