A Republican State Senator reportedly told a Native American candidate, “Go back to where you came from,” in a heated exchange before storming out of an Idaho forum.
Trish Carter-Goodheart, a Democratic candidate for the House District 6 seat and member of the Nez Perce Tribe, said she was “met with hateful, racist remarks” from State Senator Dan Foreman at the bipartisan forum in the north-Idaho town of Kendrick on Monday night.
Tensions rose when a question was asked about a state bill addressing discrimination, and candidates were given two minutes to answer. When Carter-Goodheart responded, she pushed back on comments made earlier that suggested discrimination is not a major issue in the state.
“I calmly pointed out that just because someone hasn’t personally experienced discrimination doesn’t mean it’s not happening,” Carter-Goodheart explained in a statement posted on Facebook . “That’s when Sen. Foreman lost all control,” she said. “His words to me: ‘I’m so sick and tired of this liberal b*******! Why don’t you go back to where you came from?!’”