By Todd Hoffman
In Idaho, the primary is the election — no Democrat has won a county or state office in Kootenai County in recent memory. But this cycle’s results reveal something more significant than a typical partisan outcome: a tectonic shift in the county’s Republican power structure.
Conservative candidates Jane Sauter and Scott Herndon won back legislative seats in the Panhandle, and District 4 incumbent Elaine Price fended off a challenge from her left. But the precinct races told a different story. Brent Regan — ten-year chair of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC) and Idaho Freedom Foundation board member — lost his precinct seat, ending his chairmanship.
The emerging North Idaho Republicans (NIR) faction picked up several committee seats, and four unaffiliated candidates won as well. The committee’s ideological center moved noticeably left.
How Kootenai Got Here
To appreciate the magnitude, some history is necessary. North Idaho’s political tradition was once decidedly corporatist — chamber-of-commerce Republicans focused on pulling state money and regulatory favors back to local allies. Issues like gun rights barely registered. One legislator, Shawn Keough, even moonlighted as a paid corporate lobbyist while in office.
Beneath the surface, a strong Ron Paul-style conservative base had always existed. As the region grew through the 2000s, that base found its voice. The Obama years accelerated the shift, and by 2014 Kootenai County was the only county Butch Otter lost in the Republican gubernatorial primary — to Russ Fulcher.
The old guard didn’t adapt. In 2016, incumbent KCRCC leadership was swept out in a clean slate of precinct races. Brent Regan was elected chair, and the committee was remade.
The Regan Era
Under Regan, the KCRCC built an aggressive vetting and endorsement apparatus that reshaped the county’s political landscape. Center-left legislators lost their seats or retired, replaced by candidates well to their right. The committee pushed into nominally nonpartisan races — library boards, North Idaho College’s board of trustees, and city councils — igniting high-profile fights over library content, college leadership, and meeting agendas. Several incidents drew national press coverage.
The coalition drew heavily from the county’s growing evangelical community, whose church leaders were openly organized as a voting bloc. Republicans routinely hit 70% margins countywide — among the highest in the state.
But cracks formed. Many KCRCC-backed candidates proved unsophisticated once in office. The bench was loyal but thin. The evangelical coalition weathered public embarrassments. The core membership was aging, with little new blood. Meanwhile, rapid growth in the Coeur d’Alene metro brought a more left-leaning demographic.
The NIR Counterattack
NIR — a PAC built from the old pre-Regan guard — spent years quietly building a war chest. Their 2024 precinct push yielded a few seats but limited influence. This cycle, they came back better funded and better organized, toppling Regan and flipping enough seats to take control.
The battle for committee leadership was swift. Former Post Falls Mayor Ron Jacobson defeated sitting District 4 Senator Ben Toews 63-9. Toews had run on a joint ticket with John Padula — pastor of a prominent evangelical church who also runs a rehab and rehousing business, and who carries a prior felony record that drew sustained press attention during his primary for a seat on the county commission.
The Toews-Padula pairing was further complicated by Toews’ sponsorship of SB 1278, a bill to exempt religious land from zoning and permitting — making the alliance look transactional.
What It Means
Kootenai County remains well to the right of Idaho’s statewide average. But the grassroots realignment is a leading indicator: shifting demographics, an exhausted coalition, and a well-funded opposition have cracked a decade of conservative consolidation. More changes are coming.
About Todd Hoffman
Todd Hoffman is a data scientist specializing in user behavior, pricing and experimentation, with a strong foundation in machine learning and product strategy. He lives in Coeur d'Alene.
