Born in 1963, and raised on the family cattle ranch in Corral, Idaho, Joan is the daughter of Joe McCarter, former state chair of the Idaho Democratic Party. Growing up in a political household, Joan's first political experience was going door-to-door with her mom, Mercedes, for Senator Frank Church (her one and only political hero to this day) when she was four. Winning that one was probably why she stuck with Democratic politics all these years.

Joan has broad campaign experience and has been deeply involved in Democratic politics since childhood. She worked in both the district and Capitol Hill offices of then Congressman and now Senator Ron Wyden from 1987 until 1993. She then left politics to obtain a master’s degree in international studies from the University of Washington. After achieving the degree, she worked as a writer, editor, and instructional designer at the UW, before becoming a full-time writer and blogger as a fellow at Daily Kos.