Raul Labrador for Governor: Champion of Conservative Values

Idaho must always defend the Second Amendment rights of our citizens. That is why I believe it is time to enact Stand Your Ground legislation in Idaho. Idaho should provide solid legal protection to people who must resort to deadly force in the protection of lives and property. As governor, I’ll support and promote legislation protecting law-abiding citizens who stand their ground, or use force without retreating, in defense of themselves, their families and their fellow Idahoans.

It is wrong to use taxpayer dollars to fund abortion clinics. As governor, I’ll work with the Legislature to stop state Medicaid dollars from reimbursing abortion clinics. Additionally, as governor, I’ll require abortion clinics in Idaho to be subject to the same stringent health inspections and medical certifications as hospitals and require each facility, including the doctors and staff that work there, to be medically qualified to provide the services offered at their facility.

All people have a fundamental God-given right to worship in accordance with one’s own beliefs. Our Constitution is designed to prevent the government from hindering the free exercise of religion. As governor, I will always protect the right of individuals, professionals, and private businesses to be free from government interference with their religious beliefs and will oppose legislation that puts Idahoans at risk of civil action for exercising their religious beliefs.

Strong families improve our communities, our state and our nation. As governor, I’ll actively look for ways to strengthen healthy families and foster policies that result in resilient communities. I will also actively look for an opportunity to challenge the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision that interfered with our state sovereignty and took away states’ ability to define marriage.

Laws that deny people the right of due process must be repealed. In Idaho, it’s possible to have your property seized by law enforcement even if you’ve never been charged or convicted of a crime. This is known as civil asset forfeiture. As governor, I will be a strong supporter of law enforcement efforts to bring criminals to justice but seizing property without charging someone with a crime or securing a conviction isn’t justice. Idahoans deserve better, and I will work to reform civil asset forfeiture as other states have done.

Too often our criminal justice system does a poor job of balancing an individual’s criminal punishment with their constitutional rights. I believe the punishment should fit the crime. However, we have a responsibility to exercise an abundance of caution when we seek to take away a person’s freedom. One-size-fits-all prison sentences can lead to low level, non-violent offenders becoming lifelong criminals instead of being rehabilitated and returning to society as productive citizens. As governor, I’ll work with the Legislature to reform Idaho’s mandatory minimum sentencing requirements and improve the states’ substance abuse policies. We must make certain that sentences fit the crimes while also giving judges greater discretion when determining sentences.