Joshua Sanchez walked into a chamber of commerce meeting last fall as a teenager curious about his community.

He walked out wondering whether people like him have a place in Idaho politics.

Now 19, Sanchez is among Idaho’s youngest elected partisan officials — a role he didn’t expect until he met former Nampa mayoral candidate Eric Myricks at the chamber meeting.

Sanchez later told Myricks that he made him feel welcome and accepted for who he was. The encounter sparked Sanchez’s political volunteer work. Months later, after helping with Myricks’ campaign, he was appointed to fill a vacant precinct captain seat with the Canyon County Democratic Party. He then won election to the position in May’s Democratic primary.

Sanchez now plays several roles in politics, including vice chairman of the District 12 Democratic Party and state committeeman and communications chairman for the CCDP.

From farmworker to education advocate

For Sanchez, politics is not just about elections — it’s about representing communities that he feels have been overlooked.

As a first-generation Mexican American, Sanchez says he understands what it feels like to be misrepresented.

Beginning around age 7, he occasionally accompanied his parents to work in the fields when no one could watch him and his siblings.

He also helped clean newly painted homes and large buildings when growing up.

His family’s financial situation had begun to improve, but COVID-19 sent them back. During the pandemic, Sanchez helped care for his younger siblings while his parents and older brother worked.

“We had to keep working through the lockdown,” Sanchez said. “I couldn’t do online school because I would come home really tired.”

He left high school at 16 and later earned a GED and enrolled at the College of Western Idaho. He hopes to eventually earn a master’s degree in political science.

Education has become a priority. He wants to advocate for Hispanic students and families who face challenges he once endured.

Class sizes are one area he hopes to help improve. There were around 40 kids per class in his high school, he said, leading him to feel overwhelmed and overlooked at times. Those are some of the reasons he dropped out.

“I would always ask for help on work, and they would basically tell me to read my book,” he said of educators who were too busy or overwhelmed to help students one by one. 

Sanchez believes issues like this stem from the state’s budget priorities and fiscal management.

Connecting with Hispanic voters 

Ahead of the May primary election, Sanchez estimates knocking on 200 doors in neighborhoods with large Hispanic populations.

“I just wanted to focus on them,” he said, “especially because I speak Spanish and had similar experiences growing up.”

Many Latino voters become disengaged because they feel political parties only seek support during election season, he said. Others are unfamiliar with how local government works and don’t realize how much city councils and school boards influence their lives.

Beyond door-knocking, he leans into relationship-based mobilization, recruiting volunteers to help with political communications and content creation.

Sanchez also helps organize community-centered events, such as barbecues, county fairs and voter-engagement gatherings.

CCDP Chair Becky Mitchell said Sanchez’s efforts have tripled the volunteer rate within the party.

“All of a sudden, he had a team of four people and has one person doing drone footage and another doing video,” Mitchell said. “It’s been really inspiring to see what he’s started for us.”

‘He takes any challenge’

Mitchell met Sanchez through local party meetings and immediately noticed his willingness and work ethic.

“What I love about Joshua is that he takes on any challenge that comes his way,” Mitchell said. “He looks for opportunities to get involved in the community.”

Sanchez’s age is not a weakness, she said. “I didn’t look at Joshua and think of his limitation. Instead, I looked at the youthful perspective he is bringing to the table.”

Growing up in a social media age has helped Sanchez elevate CCDP’s communications. The local party is expanding its outreach to the Hispanic demographic and 18- to 24-year-olds, which calls for a multimedia approach.

Mitchell pointed to a recent social media campaign from Sanchez featuring the party’s donkey mascot. Community members could suggest names for the donkey and follow its appearances at events.

“It gave us this unifying identity to come around that is very relatable,” Mitchell said.

Sanchez hopes to continue building his influence in local politics before expanding statewide or nationally. He hopes that experience will eventually lead to roles in international organizations, such as the United Nations.