{"id":12997,"date":"2023-02-05T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-05T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/?p=12997"},"modified":"2024-09-23T23:22:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T05:22:11","slug":"the-idaho-freedom-caucus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gemstatepatriot.com\/blog\/the-idaho-freedom-caucus\/","title":{"rendered":"The Idaho Freedom Caucus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bringing the battle for Freedom to the State<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got my right and my left mixed up,\u201d Tom Arkoosh remarked in his closing statement in the Attorney General\u2019s debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although he was referring to hand gestures he had made as a part of his statement (see clip below), no better words than his own could have captured the essence of Arkoosh\u2019s political campaign or the current political climate within Idaho generally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WATCH CLIP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/a>
Aroosh\u2019s left hand, which he confused with his right\u2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
\u2026.and his right hand, which he confused with his left.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At one point in the general election process, “Nearly 50 longtime Idaho Republicans<\/em>, including a former governor and dozens of other past and current officeholders [\u2026] endorsed the Democratic candidate [Arkoosh] for attorney general[.]\u201d – (East Idaho News: \u201cVarious Idaho Republicans supporting Democrat for Attorney General\u201d).<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arkoosh\u2019s political identity fluctuated no less than three times in 2022, the only consistency in his political activity being opposition to Raul Labrador, the eventual victor and Idaho\u2019s new Attorney General.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FREEDOM CAUCUS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labrador\u2019s political beliefs have been consistent both during his campaign and in the seven years leading up to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2015, Labrador founded the House Freedom Caucus alongside Ron DeSantis, Mark Meadows, and Jim Jordan. The organization has grown from its original membership to at least 46 members as of 2022, with some estimates placing its membership in the capital at 53 this year.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/a>
Raul Labrador, using force push against the Dark side.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And incidentally, Idaho welcomed its own version of the House Freedom Caucus in 2023, coinciding with Labrador\u2019s election as AG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Labrador and the State Freedom Caucus appear to be part of a larger conservative movement spreading across the state. Critical elections within the Republican Party itself saw the \u201cchanging of the guard\u201d and the installation of more consistently conservative figures, such as Dorothy Moon and Maria Nate, who also serves as Idaho Director for the State Freedom Caucus Network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MARIA NATE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are at war \u2013 and it shouldn\u2019t be [and isn\u2019t] with each other,\u201d Maria said in a speech at the Republican Convention. Her remarks earned a powerful ovation and a position in party leadership as Secretary, alongside the new Chair of the Idaho Republican Party, Dorothy Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/a>
Maria Olsen Nate, the new director of the Idaho State Freedom Caucus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now filling two roles within the conservative movement, Maria spoke on the currents of division within the state:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAcross the country there is a disconnect between establishment Republicans and true, conservative, liberty-minded Republicans,\u201d said Maria. \u201cThe same political discussions are happening in every state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maria was raised in a politically active family. Her father, Dennis Olsen, served as the Chair of the Republican Party from 1977 to 1985. Some of her earliest memories include helping her mother print and distribute the \u201cBonneville County Trumpeter\u201d to homes and voters in their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI grew up in a politically active family,\u201d says Maria, in reflection. \u201cDuring all my formative years, I was involved in the Republican Party. I learned a lot about politics from my parents and their example of activism – maybe it’s just built into my DNA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She seems to shrug the words off as a jest, but the explanation makes sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She and her husband, Ron Nate, have adopted expanding roles in the Idaho political scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ron served as a Representative in the State House for 3 terms before accepting a position at the Idaho Freedom Foundation last fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maria\u2019s resume includes significant experience in politics alongside her husband which placed her in the role of a political advisor, campaign manager, PR spokesperson, as well as a mother and wife, the titles with which she is perhaps most comfortable, although she is widely considered an expert of the Idaho political scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of people ask me, \u2018What does it mean to be a conservative now? What does that even mean anymore?\u2019 says Maria. \u201cIt’s a good question. A lot of people have begun to realize that over time, sitting officials tend to get less and less conservative. Some politicians get sucked into the culture of establishment politics, and they forget their conservative roots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Nates and many others in the state, the Freedom Caucus represents a solution to the erratic fluctuations within established Party leadership both at home and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Maria, Caucus members use the rules and procedures of the Senate and House to draw attention to problems in establishment politics. The individual members of the State Freedom Caucus act as \u201cthe conscience of the Republican Party,\u201d working to remind people of its original principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA group of strong, liberty-minded legislators can make a real impact in policy,\u201d claims Maria. \u201cThe establishment views them as competition and so they do their very best to marginalize them, but conservatives are starting to organize and group together. There is a lot of people pulling together for freedom in Idaho and the movement is growing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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