Terri Pickens said she has seen a shift in Idaho values. 

"We used to be able to rely on taking care of our neighbors [without the] Legislature letting us down in the governor's office," said Pickens, who is running for governor as a Democrat in the Nov. 3 general election. 

It was that thought that prompted her campaign. 

"I just finally had enough of the lack of concern about what actually matters to Idahoans," said Pickens 

The fourth-generation Idahoan said that current Idaho Governor, Brad Little, and the Republican-dominated Legislature are more concerned with fighting culture wars than they are with defending fundamental freedoms and personal liberties — an issue Pickens said has deterred her daughter from living in the state. 

"We have really forgotten the working class in this state," said Pickens, who's primary concern is Idaho's affordability problem. 

Pickens argued that large tax breaks to the wealthy few doesn't benefit citizens in the middle or lower tiers, hurting bottom income owners in the state who are losing Idaho's child tax credit. 

"Now, those families are paying more, and they don't have the money to pay more," said Pickens. 

Pickens said Idaho's affordability problem is divided into two prongs: housing affordability and the general cost of living. 

By allowing large corporations to purchase affordable housing through hedge funds, Pickens said the state has "priced out" individuals who otherwise would have been able to buy their first home. 

To help offset the affordability crisis, Pickens seeks to eliminate the tax on groceries and restore services that were stripped after the governor signed a $450 million tax relief package into law. 

That tax break eliminated revenue that provided services for everybody in the middle, including fully funded public education and fully funded access to Medicaid, said Pickens. 

"By taking all of the funding away for that, it pushes that cost onto the taxpayers, and we're already paying enough." said Pickens. "We need to restore that funding, so it makes it easier for families in Idaho to be able to sustain life here." 

Other issues Pickens intends to tackle are restoring faith in the Idaho Land Board, prohibiting the selling of public lands and protecting women's rights to reproductive healthcare. 

Born and raised in eastern Idaho, Pickens earned her bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Southern California before returning home to earn her law degree from the University of Idaho College of Law in 1998. 

As a lawyer, Pickens has had decades of experience in advocacy and navigating the political process — skills she said have primed her to take on the position as governor. 

Pickens said as a certified mediator, she is equipped with the ability to bring balance to a decision, one with "more concern for Idahoans, and less concern for their own special interests." 

"I also know how laws apply in the real world," said Pickens. "If I'm going to be head of the executive branch in charge of signing bills into law and that govern how this state is going to operate, I want to know that it's practical, that they've thought through the consequences." 

Ultimately, the biggest motivator for Pickens is bringing back the Idaho values she says citizens care deeply about. 

"If Idaho isn't what it was to me for my whole life, for my kids, then I can either leave or change it," said Pickens. "I chose to change it."