Paulette Jordan

Paulette Jordan (born c. 1980, Coeur d'Alene) is an American politician, a Democratic Party member of the Idaho House of Representatives, representing Latah and Benewah counties. She previously served on the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council, its sovereign government. First elected to the state house in 2014, Jordan was re-elected in 2016, in a majority-Republican state in a year when Republicans took control of Congress and maintained a super majority in the state house. She was the only Democrat elected from northern Idaho.

Paulette Jordan was born into a ranching and farming family in northern Idaho. She is an enrolled citizen of the federally recognized Coeur d'Alene tribe, which is based on the reservation of the same name. She also has Sinkiuse (known as the Moses–Columbia Band of the Colville Confederacy), Nez Perce, and Yakama–Palus ancestry.

Jordan attended Gonzaga Preparatory before going to the University of Washington, where she graduated. While in Seattle, she held a variety of leadership roles in community activism and became involved in local city politics, also serving as an Advisor to the President of the University.

After returning to the reservation, Jordan ran for and was elected to the Tribal Council. From this position, she became the co-chair of gaming for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), an organization founded in 1953 so that tribes could act in concert on mutual interests. She is also a Senior Executive Board representative, Finance Chair and Energy Initiative Chair for the National Indian Gaming Association, serving her third consecutive term. She also owns timber and farmland in northern Idaho.

In 2012, Jordan ran against Cindy Agidius (R) for an open seat in the legislature. Her district includes about 50,000 residents, of whom one percent are Native American. Within its counties of Latah and Benewah are the University of Idaho and the Coeur d'Alene Reservation, respectively.

Jordan supported Medicaid expansion and improvement in funding for education. If elected, she would have been the only Native American to serve in the legislature, but she was defeated. When Jordan ran again against Agidius in 2014, she won the general election by a large margin in one of Idaho's most competitive districts, a significant success in an off-year in a majority-Republican state. She was the second enrolled Coeur d'Alene woman to serve in the state legislature after Jeanne Givens, elected in 1982.

Jordan serves on the State Affairs Committee, the Business Committee, and the Energy, Environment and Technology Committee. In addition, Jordan was selected for the Legislative Council, which oversees management of the Capitol and permanent staff. It is made up of the president pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the majority and minority leaders of each house, and four senators and four representatives—two from each party.

Jordan ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for her district in May 2016 and defeated her Republican opponent at the fall election. The state legislature is 84% Republican in representation, a super majority. Jordan is the only Democrat to win a seat from districts north of Boise.