Longtime Boise Democrat will be done with the Idaho Capitol. What happens to her seat?

Idaho’s longest-serving Democratic lawmaker is retiring after the upcoming legislative session, opening a seat that represents Southwest Boise and the Bench.

Rep. Sue Chew, D-Boise, announced Wednesday that she will not seek reelection after her ninth term expires next year.

Chew, 65, said she’s retiring because she’s been a legislator four or five times longer than an average lawmaker – her last year will be her 18th – and an “over-the-top awesome” candidate has emerged to potentially fill her seat. Chew hopes to dedicate more time to community groups, like the Idaho Women’s Network, she told the Idaho Statesman by phone.

“Eighteen years, it’s probably about time,” she said.

Chew touts work on ‘good Samaritan’ law

Chew, a pharmacist who lives on the Bench, said one of the highlights of her career was co-sponsoring anti-bullying legislation. The 2015 bill strengthened school administrators’ ability to intervene when bullying occurs.

“That was big,” Chew said. “That came because students got excited, jumped in, did something way beyond my ability or thought process and got so many other students involved.”

Chew also recalled an update to Idaho’s “good Samaritan” law, which she helped enact in 2018. The bill provided legal protections for someone reporting a drug overdose to emergency services. The legislation was inspired by an incident in which Boise teens left a friend who had overdosed on a freezing sidewalk and fled when emergency services arrived, Chew said. The teen who overdosed survived, but “it was close,” Chew said.

“That’s why the push for a good Samaritan bill came forward,” she said. “It came from the community for something really relevant. It worked with all of our partners, including the prosecutors.”

In a news release announcing Chew’s retirement, Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, also from District 17, and House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, praised her advocacy and service for residents of the Boise Bench.

“It has been my great honor to serve with Rep. Sue Chew for nine years,” Rubel said in the release. “She sets the example for compassion and dedication in a public servant.”

As a legislator, Chew is self-effacing, rarely participating in Statehouse debates. That’s because much of the substantive work of a lawmaker happens in “low-stimuli” settings, off-camera, when an elected official can focus on more substantive conversations, she said.

“That’s when we can actually have a chance to recognize where our hearts are similar and be able to forge the kinds of things that we need to do,” Chew said.

The Legislature has grown less civil in recent years, Chew said, and she hopes lawmakers and advocates will better seek out varied opinions on an issue before pushing a policy change.

“With good legislation, I find that it’s made much more powerful with a diversity of voices,” she said. “Willingness to listen to each other is important and, I would say, is a prerequisite before you start running your bill, before you start testifying. Can you do your homework?”

Chew endorses teacher as successor

Chew’s retirement announcement comes nearly a year before the next primary election, and she’s already endorsed a successor.

Natalie MacLachlan, a middle school theater teacher, last year ran as a Democrat for a House seat in District 22, which covers southwest Ada County, from Boise to the eastern edge of Nampa. Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, handily won the two-way race.

MacLachlan has since moved to District 17. Chew said she’s been impressed with the MacLachlan’s ability to quickly analyze legislation in a way that connects with people on social media.

“She’s able to really listen to people, have two ears, one mouth, and be able to speak with her heart and her mind to really engage people,” Chew said. “She’s a door-knocker, an old time door-knocker like I am. But also, she has that 21st century grasp of technology.”

Democrats have controlled all three legislative seats in District 17 since Chew’s 2006 election.

“It is such an honor to be endorsed to fill this seat and entrusted with the work Sue is so passionate about,” MacLachlan said in a news release. “I am committed to being a voice for everyday Idahoans and striving to make this state more safe, fair and affordable for all of us.”