By Idaho GOP Chairwoman Dorothy Moon
Don’t you love Election Day? I’ve always enjoyed watching the returns come in, digging into the numbers, and seeing what’s happening beneath the surface.
Like any sporting contest, every Election Day has winners and losers. I’ve been on both sides. Winning is certainly better than losing, but anyone willing to put their name on the ballot deserves credit for stepping up and taking part in the process.
Republicans lost a couple of big races this week. While it would have been great to hold Virginia and perhaps pick up New Jersey, both states went blue last year—so these results weren’t unexpected.
In New York City, a radical socialist defeated both a left-wing Democrat and a Republican for mayor. I wonder if our friends across the aisle realize what they’ve unleashed. We all know where ideas like rent control, prison abolition, and defunding the police lead—and it’s not pretty.
Here in Idaho, this month’s elections were officially nonpartisan, but I saw many strong conservative campaigns. Some, like Randy Westlund in Post Falls and Eric Phillips in Caldwell, won. Others, like Greg Cates in Pocatello and Jeff Alldridge in Idaho Falls, are headed to runoffs. My friend Lynn Bradescu fell short in Boise—where too many Republicans simply stayed home.
The truth is, for many Republicans, politics ranks below family, work, church, and community. That’s great, but we’ve got to do better in off-year elections. We should also consider reforms like consolidating elections every two years and making these races partisan.
Let’s be honest: there’s no such thing as a “nonpartisan” race anymore. Organizations across the spectrum—from the Kootenai County GOP to Conservation Voters for Idaho—released voter guides and spent money supporting their preferred candidates. It was obvious to anyone paying attention which way these supposedly nonpartisan candidates leaned.
It’s time for the Legislature to end the farce of nonpartisan elections. Let’s have every candidate lay their cards on the table for all to see. Candidates for mayor, city council, school board, highway district, and other local boards that make decisions on planning, property taxes, and community priorities should be free to affiliate with a party. Let those within the same party compete in a primary, so voters know exactly what they stand for and what they’ll bring to the job.
County commissions are partisan. County sheriffs are partisan. The attorney general and secretary of state are partisan offices. So why not mayors? Why not city council members? Why not school board trustees?
Local elections affect your daily life far more than the big races you watch on Fox News. We should do everything we can to engage as many citizens as possible, with full transparency.
The Idaho GOP will keep carrying the banner of faith, family, and freedom. We encourage all candidates to do the same, no matter how “nonpartisan” the race.
About Dorothy Moon
Dorothy Moon was elected to serve as the chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party in July of 2022, and reelected in 2024. Moon served three terms in the Idaho Legislature as State Representative for District 8. Moon’s career in public service has focused on the advancement of individual liberties and reducing the size and scope of government.
