OPINION: Idaho in the Crosshairs

By Brent Regan

Idaho is one of the most reliably Republican states in the nation, a bastion of conservative values where the GOP has dominated politics for decades. From its rural landscapes to its small-town ethos, Idaho’s political identity is rooted in principles like limited government, individual liberty, and traditional values. Here in Kootenai County the Republicans have a supermajority with over 67% of voters affiliating Republican while less than 9% claim to be Democrats.

The Democrat party has become a victim of its own policies. Embracing identity politics and DEI has left them with a fractured party and no clear leaders. However, there is a strategy by Democrats to “take over” Idaho politics—not by openly running as Democrats, but by covertly running candidates as Republicans and by registering as Republicans to facilitate and promote “their” candidates.

The notion that Democrats would attempt to infiltrate Idaho’s Republican Party by running candidates under the GOP banner seems like a plot straight out of a political thriller. The strategy involves Democrats posing as Republicans to win primaries and secure elected positions, thereby shifting Idaho’s policies leftward from within.

Skeptics of the infiltration theory might also argue that it overstates the Democratic Party’s ambition in Idaho. Nationally, Democrats have largely written off deep-red states like Idaho, focusing instead on swing states where their resources can yield greater returns. The idea of diverting significant effort to a long-shot strategy in a state where Republicans hold supermajorities in the legislature and every major statewide office seems like a misallocation of resources.

But then there is Colorado, a formerly deep red state that was flipped blue as described in the 2014 documentary ‘Rocky Mountain Heist.’ Also, the importation of millions of illegal aliens deployed to red and swing states to turn them blue. The Democrats play a long game.

From a strategic standpoint, Democrats would likely find it more effective to focus on building their own party’s infrastructure in Idaho rather than attempting a risky infiltration scheme. The state’s growing urban areas, like Boise and its suburbs, have shown signs of becoming more competitive, with Democrats occasionally winning local races or narrowing margins in statewide contests. Investing in voter outreach, candidate recruitment, and grassroots organizing would be a more straightforward path to influence than a covert operation that risks alienating voters and damaging credibility.

But Democrats seem unable or unwilling to offer candidates that appeal to the voters and Democrat credibility is at an all-time low due to the disastrous Biden Administration. Even the mainstream media, the propaganda engine of the liberal elite, is turning on the Democrats, using them as scapegoats to mask their culpability in deceiving Americans about Biden’s fitness to serve.

Democrats are without a strong leader and direction. They are desperate and that desperation is fertile ground for political extremism and chaos. There is a national effort to disrupt Republican Town Halls and to bring ‘political action’ to the streets, including violence. Given the extremes they are willing to go, posing as Republicans seems a mild act.

Democrats would call the infiltration theory absurd, and they would be right, except for the fact that it is true and we are already seeing it unfold. In Bonner County, Jim Woodward won an Idaho Senate seat running as a Republican yet his voting record puts him clearly in the Democrat camp. A former associate who served with Woodward in the military describes him as a liberal Democrat. In 2024 a Republican candidate for the Idaho Senate was only months before the treasurer for the local Democrat Party. During this latest election a candidate who previously ran for the Idaho House of Representatives as a Democrat changed their affiliation to Republican weeks before filing to be a candidate for the local Community Library District, a so called “non-partisan” office.

A significant fraction of the electorate will vote party lines when they are otherwise unfamiliar with a candidate. With a dozen or more races to consider, the typical voter may not have the time or resources to research every one and must rely on recommendation from trusted sources like friends or family or simply vote their party.

You can’t make good decisions without good information, which is why your local official Republican Party, the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC) puts considerable effort into recruiting, interviewing, vetting and recommending candidates for office. The KCRCC publishes a Voter Guide with information about all the candidates that participate so the voter can make a good decision.

The KCRCC efforts to inform the voter frustrate the “Republicans In Name Only” (RINO) efforts to deceive the voters and so the KCRCC becomes the focus of attacks designed to discredit our recommendations. If you can’t argue the facts, attack the organization.

The KCRCC doesn’t tell you how to vote. We don’t interfere with the electoral process. What we do is to provide you with more and better information about the candidates and provide our recommendations which you are free to follow or not. To preserve Idaho as a bastion of conservative values all we need to do is expose the truth and have faith that you will do the right thing.

It’s just common sense.