Huckleberries interviews Luke Malek

• Huckleberries: First, congratulations on your big win. How will it affect you going forward?
• Luke Malek: We made a decision about how we were going to run this campaign. We ran the campaign no differently than how I serve in the Legislature. We don’t pander to those who are demanding my obedience. I listen to every perspective I can possibly get and I make the best decision I possibly can for my constituents. All the campaign did was highlight the way that I represent the people of North Idaho. And I think that’s why I was successful.

• Huckleberries: Are you surprised re: how much you were attacked by the Idaho Freedom Foundation and its allies?
• Malek: No. I’m a major threat to their business model. If the voters understand the facts and understand how decisions in state government affect their lives and understand just how well the state Legislature does in representing the diverse needs of Idahoans, the Freedom Foundation has no voice.

• Huckleberries: Do you see a swing back from the Hard Right occurring in the Idaho Panhandle? Or is this just a blip?
• Malek: I want to move away from the rhetoric that says one group is more conservative than the other. I’m conservative. The Idaho Legislature is conservative. The people who were attacking me aren’t conservative. They simply want obedience. I think northern Idaho and Idaho will stay conservative. But I think the voters are going to demand facts like they did in this last election.

• Huckleberries: Do you think the Idaho Freedom Foundation has as much influence in the Idaho Legislature today as it did before the Tuesday GOP primary election?
• Malek: What is difficult for most people from northern Idaho who follow the Legislature to understand is that the Idaho Freedom Foundation hasn’t had a tangible effect on nearly any policy since I’ve been in the Legislature (4 years). They’re noisy. But they have no power. Their noise serves one purpose — to raise more money for the Idaho Freedom Foundation.

• Huckleberries: What is going to be your focus in the 2017 Legislature?
  Malek: I’m going to continue to focus on things that matter to people of North Idaho — education, jobs, public safety, health care.

• Huckleberries: What do you think life will be like as a Coeur d’Alene delegation going forward with Republican Paul Amador or Democrat Tom Hearn serving alongside you and not Kathy Sims?
• Malek: I’m confident that Paul will be the next representative for District 4B. What Paul was successful in doing was helping families understand how much state government affects their lives. Having someone down there that understands the importance of what happens in our classrooms in North Idaho is a very exciting prospect for me.