Two weeks before the primary election last May, sixteen Idaho legislators announced in an open letter that they were withdrawing from the Hazlitt Coalition, a network of conservative state legislators sponsored by Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). The withdrawal was prompted by concerns that YAL was ignoring Idaho legislators and imposing their own will on state primary races.
YAL’s PAC, Make Liberty Win, spent a lot of money attacking in Idaho’s primaries. According to Idaho Education News, Make Liberty Win spent more than $703,000 on primary races. Their top target, House Speaker Mike Moyle, survived, while Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Winder became the first Senate leader to lose a primary race. However, they also sent out a blatantly dishonest mailer about Rep. Julianne Young, who ended up losing by a mere two votes.
Last week, seven Republican primary winners — five freshman, one incumbent, and one returning veteran — visited Orlando, Florida for YAL’s invitation-only 2024 National Convention. Speakers included Congressman Chip Roy of Texas, former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, former congressman Ron Paul of Texas, libertarian comedian Dave Smith, and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Some Republican activists have accused YAL of working for drug legalization in Idaho, however none of Idaho legislators and candidates who attended have publicly supported such a policy. The focus of the convention appeared to be advancing freedom by pushing back on encroaching government. Ramaswamy said “We don’t want to replace the left-wing nanny state with a right-wing nanny state. We want to *dismantle* the nanny state,” while Cong. Roy was even more direct: “Keep the government the hell out of our lives.”
YAL COO Sean Themea told attendees that staying out of politics is not an option. “If we are going to make liberty win and take this country back, we have to engage in the political process, whether we like it or not.”
The 2024 Republican primary saw a net gain for self described liberty conservatives in the Legislature, so expectations for the 2025 session are high.
