Do you remember what it was like this time last summer? Not only were we still reeling from the assassination attempt on Donald Trump—the former and future President of the United States—but we were also staring down the barrel of a scheme to completely upend the way we conduct elections in Idaho.
The campaign for Prop 1 and ranked-choice voting was fierce. Big out-of-state groups poured millions into convincing Idaho voters to support this radical idea, and the corporate media was fully on board. I was proud to see Idaho Republicans rally in defense of our time-tested elections, and that unity and cooperation paid off when voters soundly rejected Prop 1 with a 70-30 margin.
In fact, that was the biggest defeat for ranked-choice voting in America. Leftist groups from across the country thought Idaho would be easy pickings for their agenda, but they thought wrong. Idaho voters are smarter than they gave us credit for. Turns out, all the big bucks in the world can’t beat good old-fashioned common sense.
The unity we forged during the fight against Prop 1 carried over into the 2025 legislative session. Republicans now hold 90 of the 105 seats in the Legislature, and those 90 span a wide range of the ideological spectrum. But I saw people who were once firmly at odds figure out how to work together, and the result was a legislative session packed with conservative policy victories. When Republicans unite, everybody wins.
We don’t need outside groups telling us how to run our state, no matter how principled they claim to be. We don’t need their money—we proved that with Prop 1. Idahoans are a fiercely independent people who don’t take kindly to outsiders telling us what to believe. We have enough smart and principled voices of our own, so we don’t need big-money outsiders throwing their weight around here.
Now, those same far-left groups are back with a new initiative aimed at bringing the barbaric practice of abortion back to Idaho. And once again, Republicans must stand united to protect the unborn. We can expect another wave of out-of-state money from national groups trying to change Idaho, but I believe they’ll meet the same fate.
As your Idaho GOP Chair for the past three years, I’ve seen incredible work by countless dedicated volunteers. In that time, we’ve unified the party, hosted a presidential caucus, defeated Prop 1, held a terrific convention in Coeur d’Alene, and helped send President Trump back to the White House.
This is a great time to be an Idahoan, and a great time to be a Republican. Let’s stay united, stay focused, and keep winning for faith, family, and freedom.
2 replies on “Op-Ed: When Republicans Unite, Idaho Wins”
Good article. One thing I want to see is that Republicans make certain that we have Primary Elections and NOT a caucus. That was a mistake last year that I don’t want repeated. I don’t think that the overall turnout was very good. Primaries are the easiest for people to vote at their polling places. Most people don’t want to spend a chunk of their Saturday at a caucus. They want to get in and out.
How do you see uniting happening when you ignore the tacky and unprofessional social media reps, Brandy and Lauren? Are they the IFC mouthpiece or is their X platform hosting IFC members by coincidence? Rep Scott, Sen Nichols, Sen Lenney, and others are not answering questions from constituents as to justify their connection with these two.
And how many resolutions from the 2024 summer and winter meetings were carried during the 2025 session?