Christine Edwards Allred grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a family with Idaho roots. Christine’s great grandmother was a long-time Rigby resident who raised her sons, including Christine’s grandfather, in a home that still stands. Growing up, Christine spent many weekends in Fish Haven on the shores of Bear Lake.
Christine and Keith met at UCLA where Christine earned a Ph.D. in American Literature with a specialty in literature of the American West. Their first conversation was about the West—their shared western roots, Keith’s ranching background, the difficulty of being westerners away from home, and their desire to return. They married in 1994.
In 2002, the birth of their first daughter prompted their path home. Christine resigned her teaching position to focus on Anna. Both she and Keith recognized just how important it would be to raise their family among family and within the western way of life both of them have loved. They moved back to Idaho in 2003 where, the following year, their son, Dan, and, three years later, a second daughter, Cate, were born.
For the last seven years, Christine has balanced the demands and joys of being a mom with work as a policy writer. When Keith organized The Common Interest—a citizens’ group that works to put practical solutions ahead of partisan and special interest politics in the Idaho Legislature—Christine began to write for that organization. She has enjoyed the breadth of topics The Common Interest considers—telephone deregulation, education funding, school facilities’ funding, property tax relief, private property protections, overcrowded prisons, and transportation funding—as well as the effectiveness of its efforts.
Last November, Christine became an enthusiastic supporter of Keith’s candidacy for governor. She believes that his practical, problem-solving approach and his determination to put the interests of everyday Idahoans ahead of partisan and special interests will best serve Idaho families.