On an October evening in Kendrick, a small town southeast of Moscow, legislative candidates for District 6 debated before voters ahead of the November general election.
An hour into the discussion, candidates were asked about whether discrimination exists in Idaho. Trish Carter-Goodheart, a Democratic House candidate who is a member of the Nez Perce Tribe, said she thought it does. Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Viola, stood up and yelled at her about “liberal bulls—!” according to attendees previously interviewed by the Idaho Statesman.
“Why don’t you go back to where you came from?” the attendees recounted he said, before he stormed out of the town hall.
Carter-Goodheart released a statement condemning Foreman’s comments, which led to news coverage and local blowback. On Facebook, Foreman denied the characterization of the incident, calling it a lie and saying he had been “race-baited.”
The Idaho Republican Party also backed up Foreman and called the allegations “scurrilous.” Foreman did not respond to a request for comment.