Julia Parker (Idaho)

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Julia Parker

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Kettering Fairmont High School

Bachelor's

University of Toledo, 1990

Ph.D

Michigan State University, 1994

Personal

Birthplace

Kettering, Ohio

Religion

Unitarian Universalist

Profession

Nurse

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Julia Parker (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Idaho State Senate to represent District 6. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Parker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Julia Parker was born in Kettering, Ohio. She earned a high school diploma from Kettering Fairmont High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Toledo in 1990, and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1994. Her career experience includes working as a nurse.

Elections

2024

See also: Idaho State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Idaho State Senate District 6

Incumbent Dan Foreman defeated Julia Parker in the general election for Idaho State Senate District 6 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Foreman (R)	53.3	14,837
		Julia Parker (D)	46.7	12,986

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,823
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 6

Julia Parker advanced from the Democratic primary for Idaho State Senate District 6 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julia Parker	100.0	1,086

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,086
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 6

Incumbent Dan Foreman defeated Robert Blair in the Republican primary for Idaho State Senate District 6 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Foreman	53.2	3,396
		Robert Blair	46.8	2,983

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,379
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Parker in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Julia Parker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Parker's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Julia Parker works to be of service to her community as a nurse, a volunteer, a council member and a mother. She will be the compassionate and knowledgeable state senator that we deserve. Julia will fight for our personal freedoms including our reproductive rights, support strong public schools, and programs that support Idaho citizens.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Focus on important issues that reflect real problems for Idahoans and oppose unnecessary legislation that wastes taxpayers' money and legislators time
• Keep government out of our personal, medical decisions. Support reproductive and personal freedoms. End draconian anti-abortion laws that put women in danger and is causing our medical providers to flee the state.
• Provide a more equitable tax structure that helps Idaho's working families. End the grocery tax and change the home owners exemption to reflect the rising cost of homes in Idaho.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Community schools, public colleges and universities. Workforce, career and technical training. Ending the rise of Christian Nationalism and bringing reasonable government back to Idaho. Protecting reproductive rights. Conserving our agricultural land and natural resources. Working to increase the availability of affordable housing. Providing a more equitable tax structure that eliminates the grocery tax and protects individual home owners.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My grandfather was an elected official in Ohio. He was an old-fashioned Republican, was kind to everyone, was a great listener and a gentleman.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Idaho Constitution

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Accountability

Compassion
Willingness to learn
Willingness to listen and have an open mind

Responsibility

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Compassion, pragmatism and being a good problem-solver -- all important qualities in a nurse (and an elected official)

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To be a leader who stands up for my state and my constituents.

To be able to talk with and work with anyone for the good of the state.
To research, learn and contemplate the nature of legislation and the consequences of laws and budgets.

To wisely allocate money to projects that help the state.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to bring reasonableness back to Idaho politics. I know it is a tall order, but we have to start somewhere. People are tired of politics, divisiveness and non-sense. I hope to restore a little faith back into voters.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember watching moon landings on TV while my mom did my unruly hair. I don't know which one it was though.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Clerk at a health food store was my first real paid job. I helped on my grandfather's small farm, and babysat before I was legally allowed to work.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Winter by Rick Bass -- because it is peaceful and beautiful.

The Unsettling of America or The Peace of Wild Things or really anything by Wendall Berry -- same as above
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy -- beautiful and tragic
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese -- because I just finished it and it was a great epic tale
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson - beautifully told history of migration of African Americans in the US

So... if you can't tell yet, I like to read but I won't go on.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road... seriously...I was running an 1/2 marathon and it would not stop. If you don't know this song, I strongly encourage you not to look it up. If it gets stuck in your head, I don't want to be responsible.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

It hasn't always been easy to make ends meet. I had my first child when I was very young and that set my life on a path that was difficult. Now, with all our kids grown and flown, I see that most families have trouble making it financially.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The governor and the legislature are two branches of government who work separately but should have the best interests of Idahoans in mind.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Providing education and training for future generations of Idahoans.

Protecting our natural resources and agricultural resources not only for their ecological value but also for the way of life they afford.
Increasing investment in infrastructure so that businesses and people thrive.

Keeping outside Christian nationalists and extremism at bay to make sure that everyone feels welcome in Idaho, that we abide by our constitution and we continue to grow economically and socially.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

It has been my experience in city government that experience helps. My 3 years on city council has helped me understand how elected officials can operate in ways that are collegial and that are in the best interests of the community.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, it is crucial to get work done

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

In my Idaho district, I would say former State Representatives Shirley Ringo and Tom Trail.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No

Tell us your favorite joke.

I don't think that would be prudent!

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Repeal the tax on groceries. Repeal the total abortion ban. Increase equitable funding for our community public schools.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Idaho Education Association, Idaho Firefighters Association, Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, Conservation Voters of Idaho

What committees interest you?

Health and Welfare
JFAC

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Idaho's sunshine laws are valuable to understanding the use of funds in the state.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I believe the Open Primaries initiative could benefit Idaho by decreasing partisanship and extremism in our state.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Julia Parker campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Idaho State Senate District 6	Lost general	$113,639	$101,672
Grand total			$113,639	$101,672
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

2024 Elections

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Idaho State Senate District 6

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Idaho State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Lori Den Hartog

Minority Leader:Melissa Wintrow

Senators

District 1

Jim Woodward (R)

District 2

Phil Hart (R)

District 3

Doug Okuniewicz (R)

District 4

Ben Toews (R)

District 5

Carl Bjerke (R)

District 6

Dan Foreman (R)

District 7

Cindy Carlson (R)

District 8

Christy Zito (R)

District 9

Brandon Shippy (R)

District 10

Tammy Nichols (R)

District 11

Camille Blaylock (R)

District 12

Ben Adams (R)

District 13

Brian Lenney (R)

District 14

C. Scott Grow (R)

District 15

Codi Galloway (R)

District 16

Alison Rabe (D)

District 17

Carrie Semmelroth (D)

District 18

Janie Ward-Engelking (D)

District 19

Melissa Wintrow (D)

District 20

Josh Keyser (R)

District 21

Treg Bernt (R)

District 22

Lori Den Hartog (R)

District 23

Todd Lakey (R)

District 24

Glenneda Zuiderveld (R)

District 25

Josh Kohl (R)

District 26

Ron Taylor (D)

District 27

Kelly Anthon (R)

District 28

Jim Guthrie (R)

District 29

James Ruchti (D)

District 30

Julie VanOrden (R)

District 31

Van Burtenshaw (R)

District 32

Kevin Cook (R)

District 33

David Lent (R)

District 34

Doug Ricks (R)

District 35

Mark Harris (R)

Republican Party (29)

Democratic Party (6)