Don\u2019t you love Election Day? I\u2019ve always enjoyed watching the returns come in, digging into the numbers, and seeing what\u2019s happening beneath the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like any sporting contest, every Election Day has winners and losers. I\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2014so these results weren\u2019t unexpected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019ve unleashed. We all know where ideas like rent control, prison abolition, and defunding the police lead\u2014and it\u2019s not pretty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here in Idaho, this month\u2019s 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\u2014where too many Republicans simply stayed home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The truth is, for many Republicans, politics ranks below family, work, church, and community. That\u2019s great, but we\u2019ve got to do better in off-year elections. We should also consider reforms like consolidating elections every two years and making these races partisan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s be honest: there\u2019s no such thing as a \u201cnonpartisan\u201d race anymore. Organizations across the spectrum\u2014from the Kootenai County GOP to Conservation Voters for Idaho\u2014released voter guides and spent money supporting their preferred candidates. It was obvious to anyone paying attention which way these supposedly nonpartisan candidates leaned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s time for the Legislature to end the farce of nonpartisan elections. Let\u2019s 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\u2019ll bring to the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Idaho GOP will keep carrying the banner of faith, family, and freedom. We encourage all candidates to do the same, no matter how \u201cnonpartisan\u201d the race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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