Lauren Necochea (née Smith) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served in the Idaho House of Representatives since 2019. She represents the 19th district, which includes a portion of Boise, the state capital. Since 2022, she has served as chair of the Idaho Democratic Party.[1]
Early life and education
Necochea was born Lauren Bentley Smith in Boise, Idaho to Dr. Michael Smith and Susan Smith.[2] Her father is a dentist and her mother founded the Idaho Women's Charitable Foundation.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Pomona College and a Master of Arts in public affairs from Princeton University.[3] Necochea was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship.
Career
After earning her master's degree, Necochea worked as a program evaluator for the Baltimore City Health Department.[4] She later returned to Boise. She worked as the director of the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy and Idaho Voices for Children.[5] Necochea was on the steering committee for the Idahoans for Healthcare campaign, which supported the 2018 Proposition 2 campaign to expand Medicaid in Idaho.[1]
Political career
In December 2019, Necochea was appointed to the Idaho House of Representatives by Governor Brad Little, succeeding Mat Erpelding, who resigned from the House to take a lobbying position.[6][7] She was elected in the 2020 and 2022 House of Representatives elections.
In March 2022, she was elected chair of the Idaho Democratic Party, replacing acting chair Deborah Silver.[1] Necochea announced February 2024 that she will not run for re-election and focus on being chair of the Idaho Democratic Party.[8]
Personal life
In 2006, she married Alejandro José Necochea, a Yale School of Medicine-educate internal physician.[2] Necochea lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband and two daughters.[9]
References
- ^ a b c Lords, Christina (2022-03-13). "Idaho Democratic Party elects Necochea as new chairwoman". Idaho Capital Sun. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ a b "Lauren Smith, Alejandro Necochea". The New York Times. 2006-07-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Gov. Little appoints Necochea to replace Rep. Erpelding in state House". Idaho Press. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ^ Barton, Janet (2019-03-25). "Lauren Necochea | Director of the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy". Idaho Healthcare Summit. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ^ "Gov. Little appoints Lauren Necochea to District 19 House seat". ktvb.com. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ^ Barnhill, Frankie. "Meet Lauren Necochea, Idaho's Newest Lawmaker". www.boisestatepublicradio.org. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ^ "Idaho governor appoints new House lawmaker for Boise area". AP NEWS. 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ^ https://x.com/NecocheaforID/status/1755830000421585222?s=20.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Betsy, Posted by (23 December 2019). "Little appoints Necochea to Erpelding's District 19 House seat". Idaho Press. Retrieved 2020-09-06.