To me the USA is the land of promise, where people have the opportunity to rise above whatever circumstances, and not only survive, but thrive. I do not remember a time when I did not fully believe that was true- until the last several years.

I often viewed our USA- no matter what state, or time, or season- as a collective. My best illustration of THIS USA was right after 9/11.

I was in Charlottesville, VA at that time, and I remember the kindness and tenderness that we, as a nation, had for each other. I feel relatively fortunate to have been in a racially diverse area around a community who sought to draw together at that time. I remember the UVA vigil looking around the basketball stadium, surrounded by others of every race, religion, and experience I could imagine.

I remember closing my eyes to form a memory of that sacred time.

I thought to myself. This is who we are.

I was thinking of our entire country.

Who are the people of the USA that I experienced that day?

We were a people who reached back to those behind us to give a hand up to those who need it. We were a people who value history and are compelled to learn from the lessons of the past. We were a people who advocated for those less fortunate, under-served, and traditionally excluded.

We were a people who respected the soul and dignity of the people around us. We were a people who believed in honesty, integrity, truth, and compassion.

I do think that the optimist in me is what allowed me to escape very dire circumstances time and again.

I think about that moment a lot, because since then, I have regularly thought- with just as much emotion in regard to our country right now, “this is not who I am.”

Outside the district, often when I tell people I am running for legislature, and for district 14, I am met will an almost immediate dismissal. This has been especially problematic for fund-raising. It frustrates me because I. HAVE CHOSEN. TO RUN. In district 14.

I knew what I was up against, but I also know what I have been through in my life. I am going to tell you a story from my past.
I got myself up and ready for school for as long as I can remember after the first day of school in kindergarten. That meant I wore whatever, ate whatever… and since I was too short to see any mirror, I did not put any emphasis on my appearance. I never really thought twice about it until one day in first grade.

We were sitting in a circle, and my teacher- Mrs. Wallizer asked me- “Crystal, it’s your turn for show and tell. What did you bring to share with us today?” I had nothing, so I walked to my cubby, and decided my pink satin jacket with a roller skate decoration with REAL LACES would be what I talked about.

I walked out with my jacket, I proudly showed off the REAL LACES and… Wilber started laughing. When the teacher asked him what was so funny, he said “It’s SO DIRTY! And she’s so… POOR! She doesn’t have ANYTHING.”

I walked to the cubbies and cried. My teacher came to comfort me. That night I asked my dad what poor meant, and he told me. He also left the indelible impression on me that not only would I always be ashamed for it, but I would also never be anything but poor.

From that, I learned to focus my 6-year-old heart into not looking poor. I also promised myself I would not always be poor. When I asked my grandma how I could do that- she said, “get yourself an education.”

That is what I did. Access to a high-quality education is sacred ground to me. Education is life changing. I will fight HARD for our children to be able to get a free public education.

I have been one of the people, time and again, during my life that others underestimate. I don’t really take much time to think about them. However, among them- maybe one time out of 100, there is someone who sees me.

I don’t have to work to prove who I am, but I do everything I can to maintain their belief in me. That is why I am running like I can win with this seat. I believe I can.

It may take a few tries, but I am incredibly encouraged from those doors I knock at how many people who have voted republican in the past promise me that I have their vote.

We are fighting fascism. We are fighting extremism. We are fighting to fund public education. We are fighting against the religious right to keep the rights for women and people who can become pregnant intact. We are exposing the barbaric consequences of laws meant to keep every woman and child dependent upon a few men with abusive philosophies on what it means to be a man in Idaho.

We are the ones defending the lives of women who may die if a pregnancy continues. We are defending your daughters and granddaughters from having a forced birth of a child that results from sexual assault, rape or incest. How does one MOTHER a Child whose face haunts her?

We are fighting for teachers and librarians to be respected and paid fairly, and for students to have adequate funding. We remember our cafeteria workers, our para-professionals, our janitors and our wait staff. We ARE NOT BETTER than they are.

Every person should have the respect required to live a dignified life.

I am here to truly represent every voice, and every person who wants to pull away power from hypocritical factions that seek to control everyone in order that they might not be faced with the fact that they are no better than we are.

I am still in need of about $10000 to be able to get the signage and mailers out so that more in our district will know who I am. Our regular donors are tapped out. I am asking you to put me in touch with people who aligns with my vision so that I can fund the rest of my campaign and run like a winner. I need door-knocking help, and volunteers of all varieties.

I am so grateful for your conversations, your help and your support. I am incredibly motivated, and it will carry me though November 8. Thank you.

On the evening of September 18, 2020, Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. I had dread in my heart in that moment.

We got the vote only 100 years ago

Roe v wade was only 49 years ago

The equal rights amendment? It STILL has never passed. We do not have one.

When the supreme court leak took place early this summer, I remembered when RBG died. This is what we all feared would happen that night.

We are taking away safe and affordable access to abortion. We have lost our constitutional right to safe, private health care and why? Do not believe for a moment this is about babies. And here is where I am going to talk a bit more:
This is about women- not as people- but as the providers of a domestic supply of infants. This is about MEN controlling US with THEIR religious beliefs. This is about taking away rights, freedoms, peace of mind, and well-being of women and people who can become pregnant in order to make us dependent on them for everything.

This is not about babies and children. If it was, we would see funded pre-k-12, Free breakfast and lunch would be universal, we would have paid maternity and paternity leave, higher minimum wages, affordable housing and childcare, non predatory property taxes, schools that were not overcrowded and teachers who were not underpaid. They would be DOING something to get the 1.3 billion dollar surplus to those most-vulnerable in our population. But they will not AND YOU KNOW IT.

We must push back. If this situation existed with the Democrats in power, I would not align with democrats. But the democrats are NOT doing this to Idaho. It is not the democrats. That is the message I want you to take with you today. This is NOT because of the democrats.

I think we have a lot to learn in what we share, and much less to learn by the things on what we disagree.

Do not feed the trolls. Do not engage with them. When they go low, WE go high.

My goal is to focus on the areas that concern most of us and to move forward in unity with my colleagues- with dignity and professionalism.

We are better together.

How can you help us be in a position to help you:

WE HAVE 97 days

Let US put a yard sign in your yard. It will give your neighbors courage.

Host a gathering so that WE can talk to your friends and neighbors. Donate to OUR campaigns. This request is incredibly urgent. The extremists put tons of money into the campaigns of their favorite candidates. WE are NOT their favorites.

Please request an absentee ballot and when it arrives fill it out as soon as you get it and return it. Like and share my posts on social media. Follow my colleagues and do the same for them.

Please vote for the democrats on your ticket- the candidates running are excellent. We are ALL working so hard to win your votes. Please encourage your loved ones to do the same thing.

DO not vote for anyone who is not working to earn it because they assume they don’t have to.

We are here for you. We want success for your children.

We need to pull a KANSAS on IDAHO!

Here we are in our collective daze, wearily picking up our armor, we must resist, we must go back into battle. Our sisters are packing their bags to leave, our mothers sit frozen and crying, our grandmothers are rolling over in their graves. We’ve never had to worry about this in our lifetime. We never had to worry about this for our children. There is a quiet across the nation, there’s a somberness on the streets and in the coffee shops. Today we grieve and gather our combined strength. We all know that women can ‘sync – up’, we will sync up like the world has never seen before. We have been gaslit at a federal level, our grandmothers fought to claim our God-given rights, today we are robbed of our birthright.

One of our mothers called in tears to apologize for her generation taking away our freedom, undoing the work of our grandmothers.

Two of us have mothers who have never crawled out from under the weight of teenage motherhood.

One of us had to stand before a judge and get permission to end an unviable and dangerous, early pregnancy allowing her to escape a horrifically violent relationship.

These stories are not unique. We are everywoman and we will never stop standing together demanding recognition of our humanity, our rights, our freedoms. We will never stop acknowledging our sisters of color who’ve been oppressed in this way for centuries before us and are disproportionately impacted by this decision. This is systemic, federal control and overreach. This is the government in our beds, bathrooms, doctors offices and inside our bodies. This is them grabbing us by the pussy.

We must stop dehumanizing women. We have inalienable rights. It is our birthright to be in control of our own bodies and to make our own decisions. Without women there are no babies, no Supreme Court Justices, no legislators, or fathers. We are the mothers of humanity. Be careful, oppressing the mothers of humanity. Now more than ever we will stand up, engage, and show up. We will not be complacent, we will not allow this kind of brute dominance to go unchecked and without resistance. We will fight and help our sisters. We will continue to make our choices and take care of ourselves, as we always have. You will not stop us, you are simply making us angry and our righteous anger will drive us.

This CHOICE flies in the face of the majority of Americans, it violates the rights and freedoms of all women and as candidates and leaders, it now drives our work. Once again, we are pulled away from the everyday issues that are knocking down our doors, in order to re-address this longstanding and fundamental right that is necessary and in the best interest of all people. We are being oppressed because we are powerful! Do not forget it. We are coming for your seats, your titles, your power. We are organizing and strategizing and we will not be stopped.

Here we are in our collective daze, wearily picking up our armor, we must resist, we must go back into battle. Our sisters are packing their bags to leave, our mothers sit frozen and crying, our grandmothers are rolling over in their graves. We’ve never had to worry about this in our lifetime. We never had to worry about this for our children. There is a quiet across the nation, there’s a somberness on the streets and in the coffee shops. Today we grieve and gather our combined strength. We all know that women can ‘sync – up’, we will sync up like the world has never seen before. We have been gaslit at a federal level, our grandmothers fought to claim our God-given rights, today we are robbed of our birthright.

One of our mothers called in tears to apologize for her generation taking away our freedom, undoing the work of our grandmothers.

Two of us have mothers who have never crawled out from under the weight of teenage motherhood.

One of us had to stand before a judge and get permission to end an unviable and dangerous, early pregnancy allowing her to escape a horrifically violent relationship.

These stories are not unique. We are everywoman and we will never stop standing together demanding recognition of our humanity, our rights, our freedoms. We will never stop acknowledging our sisters of color who’ve been oppressed in this way for centuries before us and are disproportionately impacted by this decision. This is systemic, federal control and overreach. This is the government in our beds, bathrooms, doctors offices and inside our bodies. This is them grabbing us by the pussy.

We must stop dehumanizing women. We have inalienable rights. It is our birthright to be in control of our own bodies and to make our own decisions. Without women there are no babies, no Supreme Court Justices, no legislators, or fathers. We are the mothers of humanity. Be careful, oppressing the mothers of humanity. Now more than ever we will stand up, engage, and show up. We will not be complacent, we will not allow this kind of brute dominance to go unchecked and without resistance. We will fight and help our sisters. We will continue to make our choices and take care of ourselves, as we always have. You will not stop us, you are simply making us angry and our righteous anger will drive us.

This CHOICE flies in the face of the majority of Americans, it violates the rights and freedoms of all women and as candidates and leaders, it now drives our work. Once again, we are pulled away from the everyday issues that are knocking down our doors, in order to re-address this longstanding and fundamental right that is necessary and in the best interest of all people. We are being oppressed because we are powerful! Do not forget it. We are coming for your seats, your titles, your power. We are organizing and strategizing and we will not be stopped.

Here is what is interesting though, about pioneer neurons: At some points they turn, at other points they move actively toward a source of chemical. At yet other places, this same chemical, is repulsive to the pioneer.

The little pioneer continues, onward, forward, minding the surroundings, paying attention to all the signs, signals and cues provided by the growing embryo which changes at a remarkable rate,

The pioneer neuron’s leading edge of its growth cone continuously samples and then responds to the environment until at last, it reaches its target, often a very long distance from its birth. Then it dies.

But all is not lost, later generations of neurons are able to follow the invisible (and poorly understood “tracks”) of the pioneers, reaching the target in remarkable time, following the “steps” of one which made the ultimate sacrifice to provide a plan, and easier way for later generations. The only thing the later generations have to do is follow the signs.

I precisely remember looking around the darkened classroom at my classmates to see if anyone else was as in awe as I was! NO! They weren’t, but I was inspired by the embryo just the same. That phenomenon STILL reaches me to my core.
Why? Its because of the potential.

I am Crystal Ivie. I am running for state representivie in District 14, for seat A. I realized you don’t know much at all about me, so tonight, I am here to tell you about myself and what I have to offer District 14 of Idaho.

I am not from here- but I am here to stay. I was born in Kansas. My parents were incredibly poor. I am the oldest of five children. I am also the only girl. I have two younger brothers who are young enough that I was regularly the one taking care of
them. To me, school was my only real escape from a lot of abuse, a volatile family, and a lack of warmth in the winter, and food. School was my safe place, and from a young age, my teachers often pulled me aside to tell me that I was special- my intellect stood out, my ability to catch on to a new subject, quick, and my potential for success in life, great. I am a person who wants to prove those who believe in me right. So, after a lot of things in life, my drive to keep working, keep moving forward, keep trying to accomplish my goals was driven by the echoes in my mind of every person who has cheered me on and believed in me.

My children’s lives in no way resemble the life that I had, and the lives that my brothers had growing up. The reason for that comes down to a drive to get as educated as possible, to always be willing to learn more and do better, and to put in the work that is required when hard things come up. In short, I have learned that we can do hard things. What is best about this is that there are a lot of amazing people who have also done hard things.

Their stories inspire me, their friendship gives me reason to believe in the vision of making things better, and the future of my children and the children I have come to know keep me absolutely convinced that the hard work is worth it. I have been utterly gobsmacked at the idea that higher education should not be pursued because once a person is subjected to thoughts, ideas, culture outside their own that they change their philosophy to be more accepting, desirous of progress, and more invested in equality for all people. I say- that is a GREAT point, and people should keep making it.

There have been many instances in my life where I wanted to just give up, stop trying, and said “well, at least I tried,” but one thing that I have is a TENACITY to keep working, keep doing the things that bring me closer to my goals, and to strive for what it is that will make my life- and the lives of those I love- better. I have given it a lot of thought, and have looked inward to what has worked for me in the past to defy circumstances and rise above. I look toward pioneers.

What I am most compelled by is being a state that does not invest in its children at the level that it should. In addition, the outrageous burden of property taxes- especially to those who own their home outright but whose tax burden is excessive. Also, the preferential treatment of the wealthy and busineses on the backs of the less wealthy, and downright underserved, and disadvantaged populations. Dr Amos Wilson said, “If you want to understand any problem in America, you need to look at who profits from that problem, not to suffers from that problem.” Amen

The intentional bullying of teachers, scientists, physicians, librarians, Child Protective Services, those with autoimmune disease, parents who want to keep their infants or young children alive and trans populations speaks loudly to my soul.

The predation allowed on those who need to rent their homes. The refusal to allow women to make choices in regard to their own bodies. The financial incentives given to perpetrators of sexual crimes that result in unwanted pregnancy. A system by which, petulant behavior is not dissuaded in any fashion, and that excuses bad behavior that is even celebrated to the tune of liberal donations of large sums of cash.

I am tired of hearing things like “Conservatives who believe in Faith, Freedom and Family” and here is why. Language matters.
What is being conserved?

Faith is seeing light in your heart when all your eyes see is darkness” this is a quote by Barbara Johnson. I agree with that. No faction has the monopoly on faith. Freedom is freedom for all people- freedom to have your hair that grows out of your head to not be considered controversial, freedom to vote despite your work hours, or ability to drive. Freedom for all people, not just those who look like you and have the same opinions as you.

Family is those who love you and build you up with and without common ancestry. Pro life? Family Values? Show me. I am in the community volunteering 30 hours a week of my time to offer high quality STEM education to underserved and disadvantaged children. Those who claim pro-life and pro-family loudest: are. Not. there.

So, will raise the American flag as a patriot.

I will see your faith, freedom, and family and also raise you a “TRUTH, TENACITY and TIME”

Truth based on reliable information- lies should NEVER win an election.

Tenacity to get back up, learn to do better and keep working for those who believe in me

And Time: the one most-precious thing that I can give to you. That is what I promise to you.

Often, politics in Idaho has made me angry, but I think Brene Brown is right when she says about anger “great motivator, terrible life companion.” I am MOTIVATED to do something. I am here to step into the area, where I am likely to get my butt kicked. This arena is sacred ground to me. The arena has always been worth it.

In short, what I have seen is a lot of scenarios in our state that the trend has been to bully the most vulnerable in order to benefit the elite. I have been the target of bullies before, and what I can tell you, from my own personal experience is that the tactic is unacceptable and aimed at destroying a person’s self-worth. The reason why I think I have a chance in this race is that I know what many people, no matter if they consider themselves an R or D, Independent or unaffiliated are TIRED of seeing the bullying, of not listening to logic, of denying peer-reviewed, evidence-based trends… and those are the people I want to talk to. I am tired of division. I am tired of being constantly on-guard.

I want your help to meet people, to talk to them, and approach this race with logic, empathy and the love that has been poured out to me from people like you.

Here is to the pioneers of democracy in Idaho people like: Frank Church, Cecil Andrus, John Evans, Steve Berch, Ilana Rubel, Chris Matthias, Lauren Necochea, Phyllis King, and Ann Pasley-Stuart.

This is going to take a lot of cooperation and effort. I need your help to do it. Please consider supporting me- not only with your dollars, which my campaign needs, but also in getting conversations started over lunch, introduce me to those that can teach me, inspire me, help me to win Legislative seat 14-A.

Thank you