Nicole LeFavour

Nicole LeFavour
Member of the Idaho Senate from the 19th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 December 2008
Preceded by	Mike Burkett
Member of the Idaho House of Representatives from the 19th district
In office December 2004 – December 2008
Preceded by	Ken Robison
Succeeded by	Brian Cronin
Personal details
Born	February 8, 1964 (1964-02-08) (age 47)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Carol Growhoski
Residence	Boise, Idaho
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley, University of Montana-Missoula, San Francisco State University
Profession	Public school teacher
Website	4idaho.org

Nicole LeFavour (born February 8, 1964) is an American politician and educator from Idaho, currently serving in the Idaho Senate. Elected to the Senate in 2008, she had previously served four years in the Idaho House of Representatives.

A Democrat, LeFavour was first elected to District 19's Seat B in the State House of Representatives in 2004, succeeding long-time Democratic incumbent Ken Robison, who retired. The 19th district, which she now represents in the Senate, is contained within Boise and includes the city's North End, East End, Downtown and Foothills neighborhoods. She won the three-way Democratic primary with more than 54 percent of the vote and went on to defeat her Republican opponent by more than two-to-one. In 2006, she ran unopposed for re-election.

Following Mike Burkett's announcement that he would be retiring from the Idaho Senate, LeFavour announced on March 8, 2008 her intent to run for the District 19 senate seat. She did not draw a primary election opponent but faced a Republican, Chuck Meissner, in the November general election.

LeFavour defeated Meissner with over 70 percent of the vote. Former Ada County Democratic Party chair Brian C. Cronin, whom LeFavour defeated in the 2004 primary, was elected to succeed her in the Idaho House.^[1]

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (B.A., 1986), the University of Montana-Missoula (M.F.A., 1990) and San Francisco State University (teaching credentials, 1998), LeFavour sat on the following House committees (2005-2006 session): Environment, Energy and Technology; Judiciary, Rules and Administration; and Revenue and Taxation. In the Senate she has served on both the Health and Welfare, and on the Commerce and Human Resources committees. She currently sits on the Senate's Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee,^[2] and was twice elected to Legislative Council by her peers.^[3]

A lesbian, her partner is Carol Growhoski. She was the first ever openly gay member of the Idaho Legislature; her election campaigns have won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.^[4] More recently she has made a personal "It Gets Better" video.^[5][6]

External links

• Campaign website
• Blog: Notes from the Floor
• Page at Project Vote Smart

References

1. ^ November 4, 2008 General Election Results Legislative Totals
2. ^ http://legislature.idaho.gov/senate/committees.cfm
3. ^ http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/lso/legislativecouncil.htm
4. ^ Nicole LeFavour: Idaho's First Lesbian Elected Official
5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WVW-y3dR6o
6. ^ http://notesfromthefloor.typepad.com/notes_from_the_floor/2010/11/making-sure-it-gets-better-in-idaho.html

Persondata
Name	Lefavour, Nicole
Alternative names
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Date of birth	1964-02-08
Place of birth
Date of death
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