On the night of October 1, at a “Meet Your Candidates” forum held at the VFW hall in Kendrick, Latah County, Idaho, incumbent Republican state Senator Dan Foreman yelled "go back to where you came from" at Democratic state house candidate Trish Carter-Goodheart before storming out.
However, Foreman—who was born in Illinois—lives where Carter-Goodheart "came from."
Carter-Goodheart is a member of the Nez Perce Tribe. And according to historical and anthropological records, the state of Idaho "encompasses the traditional home of the Kootenai, Coeur d’Alene, Nez Perce, Lemhi, Shoshone Bannock, and Shoshone Paiute tribes, from time immemorial."
Six Republican incumbents and their Democratic challengers were in attendance at the event. A member of the crowd asked a question about current legislation addressing discrimination in the state.
Candidates were each given two minutes to answer.
Republican state Representative Brandon Mitchell responded that discrimination doesn’t exist in Idaho and it’s more about people’s perceptions and sensitivities. Mitchell said he doesn’t see any discrimination.
When it was Carter-Goodheart’s turn, she rebutted Mitchell's and several similar comments from Republicans suggesting discrimination is a non-issue in Idaho.
Carter-Goodheart began to respond, saying:
"You know, just because this isn't your lived experience does not mean that discrimination and racism don't exist today."
"And these are, you know, very real experiences of so many Idahoans, and it's not an Idaho issue. It's a national and even global issue."
She also gave verifiable examples to support her viewpoint.
Carter-Goodheart noted Idaho's hate crime laws are weak, the neo-nazi group Aryan Nations made northern Idaho its home base for years, and she was the only candidate there who was a person of color.
Her response set Foreman off.
He stood and—over Carter-Goodheart who hadn't finished her two minutes—yelled:
"I’m so sick and tired of this liberal bullsh*t."
Then speaking directly to Carter-Goodheart, Foreman shouted at her:
"Why don’t you go back to where you came from?"
Carter-Goodheart said in a statement to the media:
"[Foreman] shot out of his seat and moved his chair in a really dramatic fashion and saw to the back of the room and started picking and locking up his things—and he was all the while saying expletives the entire time—and it was awful."
The Democratic candidate shared a statement on her social media as well.
Trish Carter-Goodheart for Idaho/Facebook
Carter-Goodheart said Foreman's rage left her shaken and thinking about her personal security at future public events. It also forced her and her husband to address the outburst with their two young children, Avery and Lavender, who were in attendance.
In an interview Friday, the Democratic candidate shared:
"Having conversations about racism with an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old is not something me and my husband Dane were prepared for."
"They’ve never seen a grown adult man have a meltdown like that. They were scared. I was scared."
Foreman's fellow Republican—state Representative Lori McCann—said in an official statement that her own recollection of the incident matched Carter-Goodheart's.
McCann told The Lewiston Tribune:
"Her statement is accurate."
GOP candidate McCann added:
"[Carter-Goodheart] leaned over to me and said, 'Where am I supposed to go?'."
Foreman refused to respond to media requests for comment.
Instead, he took to his Facebook page to not only not apologize for his inappropriate outburst, but to blame everyone else for his behavior. He doubled down on his claim that discrimination doesn’t exist and anyone who points out acts of bigotry is "race-baiting."
The 71-year-old Foreman—a retired police officer—also exploited the opportunity to spread his Christian nationalist, misogynist, homophobic and transphobic "values."
Dan Foreman for Idaho Senate/Facebook
In a second Facebook post, Foreman mimicked his party's presidential candidate, even invoking Donald Trump's name.
Foreman blamed the media for the backlash he's facing for his bigoted statements. He also claimed to be the real victim—another trick from the MAGA playbook—with an account of the evening's events that even his fellow Republicans didn't corroborate.
He also further denigrated the Indigenous peoples of North America by claiming they don’t exist.
Dan Foreman for Idaho Senate/Facebook
But Foreman found few supporters on Facebook if the reactions to his posts are any indication.
The overwhelming majority were mocking or negative and only a handful positive.
As for forum attendees, Carter-Goodheart said they were very upset and, thankfully, no one publicly supported Foreman's outburst.
Carter-Goodheart told KTVB News:
"It's very ironic. I'm a very proud member of the Nez Perce tribe here in Northern Idaho."
She added the forum was taking place not just on her ancestral Nez Perce homelands, but also the place she and her family are from—unlike the Illinois-born Foreman.
"The real irony in it is where this forum was taking place in Kendrick, Idaho—literal miles, just within miles—we have lots of land that are being leased out to family farms."
"This is exactly where I'm from. I was like, in my mind, I was thinking, I was like, yeah, this is exactly where I can belong."
Carter-Goodheart told the Associated Press:
"It was like slow motion. I just remember thinking, ‘Go back to where you came from’? That’s within miles of where this forum is taking place. We have literal plots of land that are being leased out to family farms nearby."
Kendrick, Idaho is located on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest where the Nez Perce Tribe has verifiably lived for more than 11,500 years. The northern edge of their reservation is less than 10 miles from where the forum was held.
The Democratic candidate added she hasn't heard from Foreman since the voters' forum.
She stated she still hopes for a phone call and an apology or an opportunity to have a discussion with Foreman to acknowledge people are experiencing racism in Idaho.
Seemingly addressing Foreman, Carter-Goodheart said:
"Whether you realized or did it with malice or intent, the fact that you know you offended somebody or hurt or harmed, you can say sorry, and that's good because healing happens after that."
"But yeah, that's not what happened."
Republican leadership in Latah County, and at the Idaho state level, and nationally have been conspicuously silent about Foreman's latest public outburst.
Foreman has a documented history of anger issues when dealing with opposing views.
In September 2017, Latah County Sheriff’s Office bodycam caught Foreman screaming at a voter who dared express their opinion.
Foreman yelled:
"I'm tired of people like you keep walking up and putting out this nonsense. That's what it is. This guy says I'm not doing my job, lecturing me on the card."
"Why don't you take a hike? Liberal nuttard. Yeah, go ahead. Don't vote for me because you didn't. Yeah, you're a liberal nut."
In 2018, Foreman shouted at a group of university students attending a scheduled meeting with him at his state senate office when he disliked their questions. The offending questions were the stated purpose of their appointment, but Foreman's rant was about a different topic.
This unhinged outburst was also caught on video.
Carter-Goodheart acknowledged and thanked Republican Representative McCann, Democratic candidate Kathy Dawes, and Democratic Moscow City Councilwoman and candidate Julia Parker for standing with her and supporting her on Tuesday night.
Parker told The Lewiston Tribune:
"He started yelling at [Carter-Goodheart]. ... I stood up and faced [Foreman] and tried to defuse what was going on."
Across social media, Foreman was denounced for his unhinged behavior and his public Facebook posts about it.
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In her social media statement, Carter-Goodheart wrote:
"What happened last night was a reminder of why this election matters."
"I am a proud member of the Nez Perce tribe, fighting to represent the land my family has lived on for generations."
"People like Dan Foreman do not represent our diverse community, and I will continue to stand against the hatred and racism they spread."
"Our state deserves better. Our community deserves better. We deserve better."
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