Labor Day isn’t a political gimmick to me. It’s personal. It’s the life I’ve lived, the work I’ve done, and the people who taught me its value. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌[link removed] [[link removed]]

Hey John,

I started working by the time I was eleven years old.

Not because anyone made me. But because that is what you do in an Idaho family, where nothing is handed to you, and the math only works if everyone pitches in. I have worked jobs where you count the hours until your shift is over, and jobs where you count the days until your check clears. From service and retail, to managing teams of fifty people. I’ve done gig work and office jobs, worked for corporations and myself. I know what an Idaho paycheck is up against because mine is up against it too. Right now, my beautiful family of four is rearranging our lives so I can give this campaign everything I’ve got, without collecting a paycheck.

Labor Day isn’t a political gimmick to me. It’s personal. It’s the life I’ve lived, the work I’ve done, and the people who taught me its value.

Idaho was built by the storied history of organized labor. From the miners who risked everything in the Silver Valley to provide for their families and protect their brothers to the loggers in our panhandle, to the trade unions who built our beautiful towns: Working class Idahoans have always organized to defend, protect, and provide for our communities.

It wasn’t so long ago that company owners hired Pinkerton agents to intimidate, brutalize, and suppress workers who dared to organize for better wages and safer working conditions. History has taught us a hard lesson: when corporations are left to put profits and shareholders above people, they will. Just research what they did to Frank Little in Butte, Montana in 1917.

The victories we celebrate today (weekends, the eight-hour workday, overtime pay, and safe job sites) weren’t handed to us by politicians in Washington or Boise. It was hard won by everyday people like you and me, standing together in solidarity. I am incredibly proud to stand here today as the only candidate in this race endorsed by Idaho firefighters, teachers, building trades, our Forest Service and federal employees, and labor unions representing thousands of hardworking Idaho families .

I can’t help but think about my husband on days like today. He is out the door before the sun is up and home after it sets, seven days a week most times, in snow and heat and whatever else Idaho weather throws at him. I’ve been with him for over 17 years, I can list the number of times he has missed work on one hand. He does not complain. He takes pride in his work. He will always show up. Millions of people in this district live exactly like that, and none of them have a representative in Congress who does the same.

Russ Fulcher has a ZERO percent rating with the AFL-CIO. Fulcher voted no when Congress tried to raise the minimum wage. He voted no on the PRO Act, choosing to block working people from organizing for fairer pay and safer jobs. He voted for the Republican budget that cuts Medicaid for Idaho families to pay for tax giveaways for billionaires, and he votes the way Donald Trump and the corporate lobbyists point, every single time.

And he still will not stand in a room full of working Idahoans and look us in the eye to explain any of it.

I will never take money from the same corporations that lobby to exploit our workers. I do not take a dime of Corporate PAC money . That is not a talking point. It is how we ensure that this campaign belongs to everyday, working-class Idahoans. From our local business owners, our farmers, our trade workers and everyone in between, this movement belongs to you.

We are funded by everyday Idahoans who pitch in $10 and $25 in between paychecks.

But here is the honest truth: Russ Fulcher’s corporate donors will outspend us. The only way we match them, keep our organizers on the ground, and reach the voters who will decide this race is if the people who this campaign is actually for chip in today.

If you have a few dollars to spare on this Labor Day, help us fund a campaign built to put our families, our labor, and our lands first.

Chip In: Take Our Government Back → [[link removed]] Become A Volunteer → [[link removed]]

And if money is tight, I understand that better than most politicians you will ever meet. Forward this to one person who works hard and thinks nobody in politics sees them. We do.

Enjoy the day off. You earned it, and somebody fought for it.

In solidarity,

Kaylee

Kaylee Peterson Signature [[link removed]]

Democratic Candidate for Idaho's 1st Congressional District

Kaylee Peterson for Congress
PO Box 302
Eagle, ID 83616
United States

Paid for by the Kaylee for Congress Committee

Tailored for the working families of Idaho.

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