Ward-Engelking Joins Idaho Senate

In 2010, Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking lost her election by 7 votes. She persevered and, in 2012, became one of District 18′s representatives (the other being Rep. Phylis King). A couple weeks ago, she took her oath to fill the vacant Dist. 18 senate seat. Here is a good Q and A with her hometown weekly, The Boise Weekly:

Janie Ward-Engelking: Idaho’s Newest Senator

by George Prentice @georgepren

The political fortunes have changed dramatically for Janie Ward-Engelking. After losing Idaho House Seat 18A by a mere seven votes to Julie Ellsworth in 2010, Ward-Engelking, renewed her challenge for the House seat in 2012 after the district had been dramatically reshaped (BW, News, “Turning 18,” Sept. 4, 2012).

“Really hard work pays off,” said Ward-Engelking, who admitted to not celebrating her victory until hours after the last votes were counted on election night 2012.

“Everybody kept saying, ‘It’s good.’ But I just didn’t allow us to celebrate until about 7 the next morning,” she recalled.

And now, following only one year in the House, Ward-Engelking is one of only seven Democrats and six women in the 35-member Idaho Senate. She was sworn into the more exclusive club Jan. 6 after Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter appointed her to replace former Sen. Branden Durst, who resigned his post, citing “family needs.”

Read More at IdahoDems.org