Hayden Paulsen won the race for Seat 1 of Pocatello City Council on Tuesday amidst a packed ballot of five contenders. Paulsen is the first out, gay candidate to run for Pocatello City Council and win. He secured his victory with a plurality of the vote at just over 45%.
Paulsen announced his campaign in the Spring of this year, writing on his campaign Facebook page: “When I saw extremism in local politics, I knew I had to get involved. After talking to over 1000 Pocatello citizens, I’m committed to making our community a place where young people want to live and start families. Let’s work together to build a brighter future for our community.”
This win is monumental in Pocatello, a city that has often seen tight margins when it comes to the affirmation of queer rights. In February of 2014, the city upheld their non-discrimination ordinance by public vote by a margin of 80 votes. In February of this year, national cultural wars surrounding library access led to local drag story time group Reading Time with the Queens to discontinue their use of the public space for the safety of the families who attend.
Though Paulsen did not promote himself publicly as a gay candidate, the Bannock County Democrats frequently mentioned this aspect of Paulsen’s identity during campaign opportunities and within progressive circles. It is unclear as to whether this had a part in ensuring his victory over progressive latecomer Rainbow Maldonado, who garnered only 27% of the vote.
Paulsen said this on his Facebook page late Tuesday night: “thank you to every voter and volunteer. we couldn’t have done this without you. grassroots movements aren’t possible without our collective effort. glad to represent you all”
Other city council victories included incumbent Brent Nichols winning his Seat 2 race over Craig Yadon, a known anti-LGBTQ figure and owner of Purpose Tea, as well as incumbent Corey L. Mangum winning re-election for Seat 3 as the only Black person on city council.
You can read more about Paulsen on his website: https://www.haydenforpocatello.com/
