I hope the candidates I spoke with remain involved after May 19. We need people like this serving as city councilors, county commissioners, and state legislators. We need individuals willing to invest the time and energy required to drive political change from within the Republican Party. These roles may not receive the same attention as governor or senator, but they are vitally important. Building a movement from the ground up requires people willing to serve wherever they are needed to advance conservative policy and protect the liberties we often take for granted.

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IFPC reads the Bible

Idaho Family Policy Center president Blaine Conzatti highlighted his organization’s participation (along with President Trump) in an event to read the entire Bible cover to cover:

The America Reads the Bible event shows that more and more American Christians are waking up to the fact that our nation was great only because the Bible was once at the heart of everything we did.

Let’s be praying that God revives us again—and that the Bible once again becomes the guidebook for all of life, including politics and government!

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Risch goes nuclear

Sen. Jim Risch sent a press release highlighting his exchange with Energy Secretary Chris Wright in the Senate recently, which promoted Idaho’s role in nuclear innovation:

Risch introduced the ARC Act in February 2026 to accelerate investment in and encourage completion of new commercial nuclear reactors by minimizing the risk of project cost overruns. The Idaho National Laboratory is on schedule to take three microreactors critical by July 4^th of this year, in compliance with the administration’s Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security executive order.

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Are you a Spotify listener? Subscribe to the Podcast of the Gem State Chronicle to hear most columns as podcasts. You can also find the podcast on YouTube, Apple, or your favorite player.

I’m continuing to work on some developing stories, including more research into where taxpayer funded healthcare grants are going, as well as some interesting candidates for county office. Stay tuned!

Thanks as always to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!

Feature image courtesy of Daniel Murphy.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche put it plainly: “The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence.”

The SPLC has long served to provide corporate media outlets, political figures, and even the FBI with cover for targeting those on the right who run afoul of progressive sensibilities, labeling them as extremist hate groups while portraying itself as a neutral arbiter. Conservatives have recognized this grift for years, especially after a gunman attacked the office of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., following that organization’s inclusion on the SPLC’s “hate map.”

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Watch Matt Walsh’s great breakdown of the affair here:

Gov. Little touts legislative achievements

Gov. Brad Little issued a press release today lauding the 2026 legislative session for accomplishing the goals of his Enduring Idaho plan:

The Governor’s ENDURING IDAHO plan is a balanced FY 2026 and FY 2027 budget that reflects Idaho’s long-standing commitment to fiscal responsibility and long-term stability. The Idaho Legislature stuck to his recommendations for thoughtful, measured spending adjustments that preserve Idaho’s financial strength and coveted AAA credit rating.

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Are you a Spotify listener? Subscribe to the Podcast of the Gem State Chronicle to hear most columns as podcasts. You can also find the podcast on YouTube, Apple, or your favorite player.

I’m continuing to work on some developing stories, including more research into where taxpayer funded healthcare grants are going, as well as some interesting candidates for county office. Stay tuned!

Thanks as always to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!

Matt Walsh:

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Narration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho voter guide.

This year seems to have taken it to a new level, though. It seems to me that political figures are tossing out endorsements like candy lately. I made a silly meme about it for Twitter this morning:

It can be hard to find the rhyme or reason to some endorsements, as I alluded to in my article on Saturday comparing dueling slates of candidates endorsed by Idaho Freedom PAC and IACI’s Idaho Prosperity Fund. Since then, Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC, the Idaho Majority Club, the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation PAC, the Idaho Fraternal Order of Police, the Professional Firefighters of Idaho, and many more groups have issued their recommendations.

Several Idaho GOP central committees have chosen to endorse candidates, led by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. Political figures such as Attorney General Raúl Labrador, House Speaker Mike Moyle, and Congressman Russ Fulcher have lent their names to campaigns as well.

What do you think? Do endorsements move the needle for you? When you’re researching candidates on your ballot, do endorsements carry a lot of weight? I’ve heard it said that endorsements gain you 50% of a candidate’s friends and 100% of their enemies. Is that a good deal for the candidate, the endorser, or both?

I’ll open up the comments on this one in case you want to share your thoughts.

Tim Oren’s analysis

Data analyst Tim Oren continued his series looking at the relationship of legislative factions to campaign contributions this morning:

If a group is acting in coordination they ought to display what the military calls ‘unity of effort’, that is, they should be moving towards a common objective. It turns out there’s a simple way to measure it in this case: Looking at contributions from all members of each of my donor groups, what percentage are in opposition to one another, that is, end up on two or more sides of a single primary race? If there is unity of effort, that number should be very low. I’ll set a cutoff of 10% to a call a donor group ‘real’ and worth analyzing as a collective effort.

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Congressman Fulcher on Secure Rural Schools

Congressman Russ Fulcher issued a press release about funding for the Secure Rural Schools program yesterday:

“Federal programs like SRS are vital to Idaho’s rural communities, where a significant portion of land is owned by the federal government. However, this funding has grown increasingly difficult to garner support for in the U.S. Congress, as states without vast federal landholdings often view this program as a subsidy,” said Congressman Fulcher.

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Congressman Simpson on veterans’ healthcare

Congressman Mike Simpson sent a press release regarding a vote on appropriations for veterans’ healthcare and benefits:

“One of my top priorities in Congress is supporting our troops and veterans,” said Rep. Simpson. “By fully funding veterans’ health care programs and benefits, investing in mental health services, prioritizing funding for military family housing, and so much more, this legislation fulfills our promises to those who have sacrificed so greatly for our country. This is a must-pass bill each year to honor the brave men and women who have courageously served. I look forward to seeing this bill cross the finish line.”

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I’m heading to Boise High School for the Ada County GOP’s federal and statewide candidate forum this evening. Come hear the contenders for offices such as governor, congressman, and US senator share their visions for Idaho.

I’m working on a few developing stories, including more research into where taxpayer funded healthcare grants are going, as well as some interesting candidates for county office. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, have you bookmarked Primary Pulse yet? It’s your one-stop shop for information about your Republican legislative primary candidates. Unlike most voter guides, Primary Pulse is 100% unbiased. I don’t put my thumb on the scale in any fashion; I simply give you as much information as possible and trust you to make the best decision.

Thanks as always to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!

Can you guess how local print media reported the story?

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I wrote in The Hill today about the disconnect between Idaho’s local print media and our state’s conservative values:

The headline characterized House Bill 822, which prohibits teachers and counselors from socially transitioning children without parental consent, as “outing trans kids to parents,” entirely accepting the protesters’ premise that there are transgender schoolchildren who need protection from their bigoted and intolerant parents — and, further, that school bureaucrats both want and know what’s best for a child experiencing an uncomfortable period of life, whereas his or her parents presumptively do not.

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Attorney General Labrador takes aim at illicit drones

Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s weekly newsletter explained why Idaho needs federal authority to crack down on unauthorized drone drops at prisons:

Drone drops have become one of the most effective methods for smuggling contraband past perimeter security. The drugs that arrive this way fuel addiction, overdoses, and violence inside facilities. Smuggled weapons raise the risk of assaults on staff and other inmates. Contraband cell phones allow incarcerated individuals to run fraud schemes, intimidate witnesses, and continue directing criminal activity from behind bars.

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Secretary McGrane with voting resources

Secretary of State Phil McGrane reminded readers about all the resources available to help you prepare for next month’s primary election:

This May 19th Primary is a milestone. For the first time in a primary election, every registered voter in Idaho can look up their personalized sample ballot at VoteIdaho.gov in advance of Election Day. This sample ballot will show you every race and every candidate on your specific ballot, so there are no surprises when you step into the voting booth.

This year’s ballot includes everything from Idaho’s congressional delegation and statewide offices to legislative seats, county positions, and local district races, all the way down to precinct committeemen. What appears on your ballot depends on where you live and, importantly for this primary election, your party affiliation.

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Congressman Simpson’s busy week

Congressman Mike Simpson has been having too much fun in DC lately, hosting birds of prey and lauding tax cuts and federal appropriations:

It was a BIG week here in DC! We started the week off strong with Tax Day. Over 53 million filers claimed at least one of the Republicans’ new tax cuts. These tax cuts were a WIN for American working families, farmers, small businesses, and employees. In fact, if we had let the previous tax provisions expire, the average American family would have faced a tax hike of nearly $1,700.

(Folks often ask me why it’s proven so hard for anyone to challenge Congressman Simpson over the years. One word: Appropriations. Whatever your opinion on federal pork, there’s no denying that he brings home the bacon.)

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Regan’s big tent

KCRCC chairman Brent Regan explained that it’s not the moderates who have expanded the Republican Party in North Idaho, but conservatives:

In 2016, Kootenai County had 76,681 registered voters. Ten years later that number had grown by 33,718 to 110,399, a 44% increase. Republicans went from 40,065 (52% of voters) to 74,213, an 85% increase. Today, Republicans make up 67% of the total. In the last ten years, 94% of all new Kootenai County voters registered as Republican, and the Republican Party grew twice as fast as the overall number of registered voters.

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Have you bookmarked Primary Pulse yet? It’s your one-stop shop for information about your Republican legislative primary candidates. Unlike most voter guides, Primary Pulse is 100% unbiased. I don’t put my thumb on the scale in any fashion; I simply give you as much information as possible and trust you to make the best decision.

Thanks as always to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!

I was flabbergasted. No matter what criticisms one might have of President Trump—and there are many valid criticisms—it’s unreasonable to say that life under a Harris administration would be better by any metric. Trump closed the southern border, gutted USAID, wound down the federal Department of Education, cut taxes across the board, pardoned the January 6th political prisoners, stopped the Justice Department’s crackdown on free speech and persecution of pro-life activists, and has reduced the federal government to its smallest size since the 1960s.

Most importantly, the second Trump term has given Christian conservatives room to maneuver. Rather than spending every day fighting a defensive retreat against a government that’s been weaponized against us, we have space to gain ground at the state and local level. The Trump administration has been an ally with regard to reforming Medicaid and public education, as well as protecting girls and women’s spaces from the transgender lobby.

The only area in which a Harris presidency would be advantageous to conservatives is with regard to fundraising, which is the cynical answer to the statement that began my thought process here. The Obama years saw great growth in the conservative movement, as numerous organizations coalesced and gained money and influence due to the backlash against his progressive policies. Yet all the fundraising and organization can’t make up for the fact that the Obama era was a disaster for America. Obamacare still plagues us to this day, while gay marriage, DACA, and even Cash for Clunkers continue to negatively impact society.

You win by winning, not by losing. You’d think this would be common sense, but apparently not.

On the one hand, there is a sense among many conservatives that the war is lost and we must regroup by purging all remnants of leftism and statism from our movement, at which point we can make a counterattack. This view, often called accelerationism, presumes that if things get bad enough, then the vast majority of people will wake up and join our crusade.

Tell that to the Russians in 1917, the Germans in 1933, or the Chinese in 1949. Hoping that your enemies win so that the people will finally “wake up” is a fatalistic fallacy that almost always leads to long term disaster.

On the other hand, some people and organizations are wedded to the short term view that they are our nation’s only salvation, believing that anything that helps their fundraising must be a good thing. They would see our country burn to the ground so long as they can rule over the ashes. This might be even worse. I say you should ignore these sorts of cynics in the same manner as the accelerationist doomers.

The truth is that God gave each one of us a limited time on this earth to accomplish whatever we can in our own spheres of influence. Our job is not to stand by and let things get worse and worse, hoping for a miraculous uprising or even the rapture.

One of the last pictures posted on social media by Nampa mayor Rick Hogaboam before his untimely passing was a display on his desk with city memorabilia, a picture of his family, and a timer counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds left in his tenure.

“Make every day count,” it said. Hogaboam surely wanted to remind himself that every moment he was in office was a chance to do some good for his community. His timer was, sadly, much shorter than he imagined.

The Gospel of John records our Lord Jesus Christ saying, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” Whatever time we’ve been given—whether it’s five more days or fifty more years—is time to do good for our community and our posterity. We don’t know what challenges the future holds, so we must do what we can today.

Farmers know they must make hay while the sun shines, because rain will surely come again. We don’t know what the future holds, and gambling everything on a losing bet is a fool’s errand. J.R.R. Tolkien understood the assignment:

It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.

Our assignment is to do the best we can to bequeath a better world to our children than the one we received. Little by little, day by day, we reclaim the land for good. We won’t be the generation that lost our civilization forever. Instead, at the end of all things, I hope we can look back on our time as Ronald Reagan did when he left office in 1989:

My friends: We did it. We weren’t just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all.

Feature image by Microsoft Copilot.

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Since both IFF and IACI maintain legislative scorecards, I thought it would be interesting to see where endorsed incumbents land on these metrics. Of IFPAC’s nine endorsed incumbents, all but one are members of the Gang of 8 Caucus. The average IFF Freedom Index score among these nine is 95.6%, while the average Spending Index score is 96.3%. That makes sense.

Looking at challengers, the average Freedom Index score of the opponents of IFPAC-endorsed candidates is 54.6%, while the average Spending Index score is 20.4%. Again, this makes sense. IFPAC is clearly prioritizing incumbents who score highest on the Freedom and Spending Indices, while targeting those who score lowest.

Turning to IPF endorsements, the average IACI score for endorsed incumbents is 63, with a wide range—from Sens. Lori Den Hartog and Jim Woodward at 83 down to Rep. Joe Palmer at 37. Palmer is unopposed, in any case. IPF also endorsed Sens. Josh Keyser and Van Burtenshaw, who each scored 42, and Sen. Kelly Anthon at 46. Burtenshaw and Anthon are also unopposed, with the former chairing the Senate Resources & Environment Committee, while the latter is the president pro tempore. Keyser, meanwhile, is in a three-way race in District 20.

The average IACI score of incumbents facing IPF-endorsed challengers is 55.7, only slightly lower than the average for IPF-endorsed incumbents. These scores range from Sen. Dan Foreman, who is being challenged by Rep. McCann and scored just 33, to Sens. Josh Kohl and Glenneda Zuiderveld, who each scored 75. IPF nevertheless endorsed their respective challengers, Brent Reinke and Casey Swensen.

It seems that IACI/IPF is endorsing on something less substantial than their own scorecard this year. Perhaps this is a case where endorsements are more about who you dislike rather than who you like. The average Freedom Index score for incumbents with IPF-endorsed challengers is 90.2%. Flipping that calculation around, the average IACI score for incumbents with IFPAC-endorsed challengers is 65, which is ironically higher than the average score for IPF-endorsed incumbents.

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Op-ed from Dorothy Moon

Idaho GOP chairwoman Dorothy Moon used her weekly column to push back on the notion among Democrats that we need to be more like blue states:

According to the Tax Foundation, Idaho ranks 9th in the nation for tax competitiveness—how attractive a state is for doing business. By contrast, our neighbors California, Oregon, and Washington rank 48th, 35th, and 45th, respectively.

Some on the other side might argue that this is a bad thing—that we should be taxed more, not less. After all, someone has to pay for all those government programs our friends on the other side want to fund. But what exactly are West Coast residents getting in return for those higher taxes?

Idaho enjoys a much lower cost of living than our neighbors to the west, along with much lower crime rates. Unemployment is also lower here—around 3.7%, compared to 4–5% on the West Coast. It’s no surprise that people are flocking to the Gem State while leaving states like California behind.

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Chris Cargill lauds tax cuts

Chris Cargill, president of Mountain States Policy Center, explained how decreasing tax rates have led to more revenue for the government:

There’s an important distinction that often gets lost in tax debates. Government revenue isn’t determined by tax rates alone. It’s determined by tax rates and economic activity.

Idaho reduced the first part of that equation. But the second part—the size of the economy and the amount of taxable income—grew substantially.

More people moved to Idaho. More businesses expanded or relocated. Wages increased. Investment followed.

The result? A larger tax base—big enough to generate significantly more revenue even at lower rates.

This shouldn’t be controversial, but in policy debates, it often is.

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Birds invade Congress

Congressman Mike Simpson issued a press release explaining a birds of prey roundtable he hosted at the Capitol this week:

“Idaho has taken the lead in species recovery, particularly in preserving birds of prey, with many thanks to The Peregrine Fund. It has changed the paradigm of endangered species recovery and has continuously built on its successful track record of effective endangered species management. As a longtime advocate for preserving these beautiful birds, I was thrilled a fellow Idahoan, Chris Parish, could join for this informative and exciting briefing, and for numerous of my colleagues to see the beauty of exotic birds,” said Rep. Simpson.

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Have you bookmarked Primary Pulse yet? It’s your one-stop shop for information about your Republican legislative primary candidates.

Thanks as always to sponsors New Saint Andrews College, Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!

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Justices typically retire partway through their term, at which point the governor appoints a replacement from a list supplied by the Idaho Judicial Council. This week, Chief Justice Richard Bevan announced he would retire later this year, which gives us a great opportunity to discuss and debate the current system:

Perhaps Chief Justice Bevan’s impending retirement will attract enough public attention to motivate lawmakers to seriously tackle this issue in 2027. I’m not sure what the ideal solution is, but let’s start the debate now and work toward a system that makes our judicial branch accountable to the people while preserving the highest standards for those entrusted with these decisions.

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Attorney General Labrador calls out false advertising

Attorney General Raúl Labrador issued a press release today calling out deceptive campaign mailers from a group calling itself Idaho Values First:

“Idahoans are being deliberately misled.

“A political organization calling itself ‘Idaho Values First’ is running ads that falsely claim certain legislators voted against funding for my office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. That claim is misleading and flatly untrue.

“The ads refer to an across-the-board 5% budget cut that affected every state agency, not a targeted vote against my office or ICAC. HB971 was the budget enhancement bill that partially restored my office’s funding, including all resources that support the ICAC Unit. The legislators these ads attack voted for the enhancement bill.

“These ads are attempting to manipulate voters, not inform them. If it were about accountability, the legislators who voted against HB971 would be targeted by these ads, yet they are not.

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Senator Risch lauds tax cuts

Sen. Jim Risch posted a short opinion piece lauding Republican-led tax cuts:

This Tax Day, Idahoans can expect to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks.

I was proud to help my Republican colleagues pass the Working Families Tax Cuts Act last year.

This legislation delivered the largest-ever tax cut to working-class households in U.S. history and will save the average Idahoan $3,517 in federal taxes this year.

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Primary Pulse

Remember to bookmark Primary Pulse, your one-stop shop for information about Republican candidates for the Legislature. The real election is in May, and your vote needs to count!

Thanks as always to sponsors New Saint Andrews College, Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!

One of the many things your taxes pay for is data centers—at least indirectly, through tax credits and exemptions. There’s been a lot of talk about data centers recently so I decided to do a brief dive into how they work, their history, and what they mean for Idaho:

The debate over data centers is about more than water or electricity—it’s about governance. Local governments control land use, but the impacts of large data centers extend far beyond county lines, affecting regional power systems and shared water resources. As projects grow in size, states like Idaho are beginning to assert more control over how those resources are used, even as local communities remain the front line for approval and opposition.

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Senator Risch lauds lower taxes

Sen. Jim Risch sent out a short piece for Tax Day:

This legislation delivered the largest-ever tax cut to working-class households in U.S. history and will save the average Idahoan $3,517 in federal taxes this year.

We eliminated taxes on tips and overtime, expanded the Child Tax Credit, made the small business tax deduction permanent, and provided relief for seniors on Social Security.

We aren’t done yet. I’ll continue working to lower taxes for Idaho families and scrutinize every federal budget to ensure our taxpayer dollars are used responsibly.

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It’s been a pretty quiet week other than that. I’ll keep you posted with newsletters, op-eds, local voices, and press releases. There some interesting threads I’m pulling following my article last week on tax dollars for HIV+ illegal aliens, so stay tuned for that.

Thanks as always to sponsors New Saint Andrews College, Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!

You can subscribe for free to receive these regular digests, or support my work and get occasional bonus material. I would love to promote your small business as well, so reach out and we’ll talk.

Congressman Simpson’s Newsletter

Congressman Mike Simpson’s weekly newsletter covered a congressional art competition, nuclear innovation in Idaho, and more.

Tim Oren’s Analysis

Data analyst Tim Oren continues his work mapping legislative factions during the session to the primary election, looking at how money correlates with political positions:

I used the data behind my House voting map to find out which votes had the greatest effect in separating the ‘RINO’ cluster (#2 in last week’s map) from the ‘Swing’ cluster (#3). Those were, in order: H951, HJM18, H700, H660, HJR9 and S1247 – all of them getting ‘ayes’ on average from the Swing group, and ‘nays’ on average from the RINOs.

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Mean Girls

I’ve compared Idaho politics to the 2004 film starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams in the past. This week, contributor Brian Parsons did the same thing:

In our recent mayoral election, this was on full display as the mean girls brought the full quiver of labels and hurled their pejoratives at the uninitiated Greg Cates, who was lured into the Kafka trap. This is how the Kafka trap works… any acknowledgment of the insult is an admission of guilt. And acknowledge it they did. The mean girl politics weren’t limited to any one party or the extremes of Pocatello either; it was fully deployed by the good old boys of the genteel class, who had hoped to maintain control by proxy.

Mean girl politics is as much a Pocatello staple as potatoes. My response remains to encourage people to start talking again. Social Media is toxic, but if you take a moment to sit down and talk to people, you will find you have more in common than you think. Given our failure to do so, I’d like to correct the record on some of the latest targets:

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I’m still analyzing the recent legislation session, including how many bills died in each committee as well as why the governor vetoed House Bill 978 following sine die. Stay tuned, and subscribe for regular updates that give you the tools you need to be more engaged in Idaho politics. Make sure you’ve bookmarked the Primary Pulse at the Gem State Chronicle for information about your Republican candidates for the Legislature.

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Narration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, iLuvIdaho, and New Saint Andrews College.

District 31 House

Rep. Rod Furniss had a fairly quiet session, and mostly supported budget cuts in JFAC, compared to past years in which he supported red flag…

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There is much work still to be done, especially regarding immigration, but the last two years have seen significant progress. Now, voters will return to the polls in preparation for the 69th Legislature, and the question is whether we can build on these successes or if opposing forces will win back lost ground. As you surely know, the real Election Day in Idaho is in May, not November.

As a paid supporter of the Gem State Chronicle, you are already giving of yourself to further the cause of freedom, liberty, and traditional values in Idaho. I wanted to put together a preview of the 2026 Republican legislative primary so you can direct your finite resources in a way that has the most impact possible.

Before we begin, remember to visit and bookmark Idaho Insider, especially the Legislature page, which has information on all 105 lawmakers from the current session. Also visit and bookmark the Primary Pulse, which has information and links for all the Republican primary candidates.

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Medicaid—especially Medicaid Expansion—remains the elephant in the room. Many components of the state budget are negotiable. JFAC can trim here, adjust there, and find ways to save money. But Medicaid consists of obligations that must be paid. Once individuals are enrolled in the program, Idaho has limited flexibility. While Gov. Brad Little reduced provider reimbursement rates by 4% last year, increases in enrollment, drug costs, or other factors require the state to simply pay more.

The DOGE Task Force recommended repealing Medicaid Expansion last year, but the Legislature appeared reluctant to take up the issue. Rep. Jordan Redman introduced a bill to carry out that recommendation, but it did not receive a full hearing. Instead of repealing Expansion—which provides subsidized healthcare for able-bodied, working-age adults—Gov. Little and JFAC trimmed around the edges of other programs, including reductions affecting disabled individuals, the mentally ill, and other vulnerable populations.

Labrador Letter

Attorney General Labrador shared his office’s work defending firearm manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits designed to bankrupt them:

We joined because law-abiding citizens across Idaho and our law enforcement officers purchase firearms from these manufacturers. If these lawsuits drive these companies out of business, it makes it harder for law abiding Idahoans to legally purchase firearms they have the right to own to protect their families and communities.

Highlights from the Secretary of State

Secretary McGrane explained what voter fraud is, what it isn’t, and how his office works to ensure secure elections in Idaho:

My responsibility is not to speculate, but to examine the facts. Voter fraud does exist. It is also rare, detectable, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in Idaho. My primary duty is to ensure that elections are conducted lawfully, that voting is accessible to eligible United States citizens, and that results are secure and accurate. Voters in Idaho can have confidence in their elections.

Primary Pulse

Primary Pulse is your one-stop shop for information about our Republican legislative candidates. Scroll the list to find your district, and click to zoom in to see photos, contact info, website links, Sunshine reports, and more!

On the docket

I plan to write a comprehensive primary preview next week, and paid subscribers will see it first. Sign up now—free subscribers get this daily digest, paid subscribers support my work and get early previews and other occasional perks.

I released a statement in my capacity as chairman of the District 14 GOP, having carried a resolution supporting this legislation at the Winter Meeting in January:

Conservative Idahoans appreciate and support our teachers. What we do not appreciate are organizations that use taxpayer dollars to advance an agenda contrary to the values of faith, family, and freedom that so many of us share.

I appreciate the many legislators who worked to advance this policy—especially Representative Judy Boyle, who carried the original legislation, and Senator Brian Lenney, who took the necessary steps to preserve it as the session neared its end—as well as the Idaho GOP for getting behind it and Gov. Little for signing it into law. I also want to recognize Maxford Nelsen of the Freedom Foundation, whose tireless work on this issue was indispensable, along with the many others who contributed their time and effort to turn this idea into reality.

Like President Trump’s dismantling of USAID, this bill is an important step in reclaiming our government, our schools, and our culture from the radical left. I played only a minuscule part in this. Thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially all who contacted the governor’s office over the past week asking him to sign this bill.

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Op-ed from Dorothy Moon:

Idaho GOP chairwoman Dorothy Moon took a look at the 2026 session, noting some wins but reminding us that there is more work yet to be done:

Never forget that your elected lawmakers don’t work for the governor, they don’t work for lobbyists, and they don’t work for the party—they work for you, the people of Idaho. Now that the session is done, it’s time for you to decide who will represent you next year. Check out the Integrity in Affiliation forms on our website to see which candidates support the grassroots Idaho GOP platform, then go make your voice heard at the ballot box.

Press release from Gov. Little:

The governor did veto one more bill before signing everything left on his desk today. He used a line-item veto on H978, restoring nearly $500,000 in cuts to DHW:

Governor Brad Little line-item vetoed House Bill 978 today, restoring funding the Legislature cut for graduate medical education.

House Bill 978 stripped funding for eight current medical residents right in the middle of their committed three-year medical residency.

The veto reinforces Governor Little’s commitment to increasing the number of physicians in Idaho to improve accessibility and affordability of healthcare.

On the docket:

I put together an article on the budget today, but I decided to push it back to Saturday after news of the governor signing H516. With the deadline for March campaign finance reports passing by today, I plan to take a look at how the legislative races are shaping up with just over a month to go until the primary. Paid subscribers can expect a comprehensive primary election preview, with information you can use to get the most bang for your donation buck. Make sure to subscribe today so you don’t miss it!

Feature image courtesy of the American Land Title Association.

Gov. Brad Little issued a press release this morning explaining why he vetoed five bills last night. I wrote a short article explaining what each bill aimed to do and why the governor chose to reject them.

Gov. Little maintains his record of vetoing at least one bill in every session since taking office in 2019. Thirty-three bills remain on the governor’s desk, most of which have a signing deadline of Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. MT.

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Local Voices:

Senate candidate John Crowder says the attacks on Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld and her husband Tom’s business are a new low in Idaho politics:

This is our Spartacus moment. I’m honored to be able to stand in support of Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld and her husband, Tom. I invite you to join me in expressing your public support for this warrior for the people of Idaho.

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Op-ed:

Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke expressed his disappointment with the way in which the Legislature cut budgets across the board:

What concerns me is not the size of the cuts. It’s the method and reason for the cuts.

When you apply a uniform percentage reduction to every agency in state government, you are making a choice to avoid making choices. You are saying that a dollar spent on aquifer recharge is as expendable as a dollar spent on administrative overhead. You are saying that a classroom in Caldwell and a redundant program nobody can explain deserve the same treatment. That is not fiscal conservatism, it is fiscal avoidance dressed up as discipline.

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In other news:

This discussion between Nick Solheim of American Moment and Noah Wall of the State Leadership Institute might be the most important hour you spend this week. He explains why red states like Idaho still have left-leaning governance, why it’s so hard to tackle issues such as immigration enforcement, and what we can do to fix it. Expect a full article on his ideas in the near future.

Read the full article: https://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/04/law-enforcers-or-law-makers/

Subscribe to the Gem State Chronicle: https://newsletter.gemstatechronicle.com/subscribe

Narration by ElevenLabs. Thank you sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, iLuvIdaho, and New Saint Andrews College.

Is law enforcement acting as a necessary check on the Legislature, or blurring the separation of powers? I asked that question in today’s column:

Numerous days during the legislative session featured a familiar sight: law enforcement officers in full uniform testifying against legislation related to illegal immigration. Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue and Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford, due to their proximity to the Capitol, were often found standing before committees urging a “no” vote on the latest immigration bill.

County sheriffs did not claim to be speaking in their official capacity; rather, they represented the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association. Police officers appeared on behalf of organizations such as the Idaho Fraternal Order of Police. Yet standing there in uniform, wearing their sidearms—the very image of law enforcement—surely had an effect on members of the committee.

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Local Voice - Todd Hoffman

Chronicle reader and data analyst Todd Hoffman of Coeur d’Alene applied some game theory to the Legislature, using a recent scandal with the Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner as an example:

In the case of the legislature, there may be some logical rationale behind the outcomes when cases are viewed in their entirety. Lawmakers may face rewards or penalties invisible to the public, such as backdoor campaign support from special interests or pressure from key leadership figures behind closed doors. Viewed in light of all factors, the outcomes match behaviors predicted by Nash’s equilibrium. Legislators know that election cycles are long, and accountability can be diffused. An unpopular decision is a calculated trade-off made in self-interest.

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Parental Choice Tax Credit update

The Idaho State Tax Commission issued a statement today that award notifications were being sent to families that applied for the Parental Choice Tax Credit:

The Idaho State Tax Commission has started sending award notifications to parents who applied for the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit program. The award notifications will appear in their TAP accounts under Messages, and parents will also receive an email saying they have a notification in TAP.

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Thank you to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Keller Williams Realty, Money Metals, New Saint Andrews College, and just this week, the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Thank you especially to who all who support the Chronicle through paid subscriptions. Together, we are building a platform for the long-term future of Idaho!

The Beatles experienced this same conundrum in 1967 when they released “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” as a double A-side—both singles competed for radio airplay, and neither reached number one.

So this week, I’m trying something new. Instead of sending my column as a Substack email, I’ll be sending a daily digest of what I’ve posted on the Chronicle. Most days, that will include my column, along with press releases, newsletters, op-eds, and my new feature, Local Voices.

I also plan to send more special emails for paid subscribers. As always, I appreciate your support!

In case you missed it

Are Idaho taxpayers paying to treat HIV-positive illegal aliens? The answer appears to be yes:

Are taxpayers responsible for treating sick people throughout the entire world—or only those who manage to cross our border, with or without legal status?

Is this purely about altruism, or is there also a financial incentive? Treating HIV-positive patients with taxpayer dollars appears to be a significant enterprise. As noted, Full Circle Health has received nearly $100 million in taxpayer funds since 2020. According to its latest IRS 990 filing filing, Dr. Epperly earned $515,430 in 2024 as CEO, while Dr. Davids earned $287,309 as a program director.

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Local voices - Brian Parsons

Brian Parsons takes the Legislature to task for not fixing what he sees as a structural problem with Medicaid in Idaho:

With 105 Idaho legislators from all corners of the state and 31% of Idaho’s kids on Medicaid, it’s statistically impossible that none of these legislators are touched by it, either having been enrollees, or their kids or grandkids having been or currently being enrolled. Yet there is this disdain for doctors who accept it. They didn’t create it. They don’t particularly like it. Politicians leave them with no choice but to accept it, and leave it impossible to accept.

In the Pocatello region, there are 7000 kids on Medicaid. In Idaho Falls, 10,000 kids are on Medicaid. These are the two largest pediatric markets in Southeast Idaho. Should doctors refuse it, 17,000 kids lose medical care. Should they accept it, they’re reviled by their own representatives as government dependents.

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Local voices - Tim Oren

With sine die accomplished, analyst Tim Oren has completed his project to map factions within the House and the Senate, and shares a sneak peek of how donations correlate with votes:

For this week, I’ll focus again on the most divisive issue of the session: illegal immigration. The Senate, through a combination of procedural skullduggery, insider conspiracy, or incompetence – take your pick – avoided going on record with a floor vote with any migrant-adjacent measure. Not so the House, that had four measures with a bearing on illegal immigration come to a full floor vote: H659, H660, H700 and H704.

That’s four opportunities for House members to show their positions and for me to look for emerging patterns. My first stab at it proved interesting: I simply added up the number of ‘ayes’ on those measure from both House members for each district, and laid the results out on an Idaho map:

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Press release - AG Labrador

Attorney General Raúl Labrador is taking aim at the practice of using drones to drop contraband into prisons:

Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a multistate effort to combat the alarming rise in drones that are illegally dropping contraband into prisons, including narcotics, weapons, cell phones and other items. This is a major public safety threat impacting correctional facilities across the country, and it is fueling broader crime both inside and outside of prison walls.

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Thanks again for your support. I plan to have another column out tomorrow. Remember to visit the Primary Pulse for information about the candidates running in the Republican legislative primary. Election Day in Idaho is in May, not November, so make sure to vote!

The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare (DHW) participates in the federal Ryan White Program, which distributes federal tax dollars to “cities, counties, states, and local community-based organizations to provide HIV care, treatment, and essential services to more than 600,000 people.” These are the eligibility requirements according to DHW:

1. HIV-positive

2. Idaho resident

3. Have income at or below 500 percent of the Federal Poverty Level

4. Not insured or underinsured for medications and HIV monitoring labs

5. Not an inmate of state or federal Corrections system

The primary plaintiff in the 2025 lawsuit was Dr. Abby Davids, program director at the Boise Family Medicine Residency of Full Circle Health. According to her bio, Dr. Davids’ expertise includes “LGBTQ and gender affirming care,” “care of newly arrived Americans,” “planetary health,” and “health equity.”

Full Circle Health was originally founded in 1975 as the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho (FMRI). The longtime president and CEO of FMRI/Full Circle Health is Dr. Ted Epperly, who served as the resident physician on the Central District Board of Health from 2006 to 2021. In that capacity, Dr. Epperly advised the board to impose mask mandates in the Treasure Valley. Ada County Commissioners Ryan Davidson and Rod Beck declined to support him for an additional term in 2021, appointing Dr. Ryan Cole to the board instead.

According to records at Transparent Idaho, FMRI/Full Circle Health has received nearly $100 million in taxpayer-funded payments since 2020, including state and federal subgrants, prescriptions, and various medical services.

All of this raises an obvious question: How many illegal aliens with HIV are having their treatments covered by Idaho taxpayers?

Full Circle Health’s website says:

The Wellness Center at the Full Circle Health is a Ryan White grant recipient clinic that provides comprehensive, interdisciplinary medical care to more than 800 individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Idaho and Eastern Oregon.

DHW’s dashboard shows 290 Idaho residents as having “newly diagnosed HIV infection” since 2020:

That still doesn’t answer how many illegal aliens are part of this group. There must be at least one; otherwise, there would be no basis for a lawsuit. The complaint notes that Full Circle Health treats “approximately 890 HIV+ patients” and adds that Dr. Davids sees about 100 of those herself.

It continues:

Of the more than 890 HIV+ patients, approximately 175 are immigrants with a variety of immigration statuses. The clinic serves approximately 45 HIV+ patients who are currently undocumented. The clinic serves around an additional 20 patients whose immigration statuses put them at risk of failing H.B. 135’s verification requirements. They are at risk because the statute does not say whether their status would be considered “lawfully present” and/or because they lack a social security number. These uncertain statuses include patients with pending applications for asylum who have an employment authorization document (“EAD”), which is a temporary work permit, patients who are DACA recipients (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), and patients who have a student visa but no work permit. Consequently, more than 60 patients at the clinic risk losing access to HIV medication because of H.B. 135.

Of these patients, Dr. Davids personally cares for approximately 10. If H.B. 135’s verification requirements go into effect, she will lose the ability to provide comprehensive HIV care for these patients, which represent about 10% of her patients with HIV. The clinic’s patients include heterosexual men and women, including people who are pregnant and people from the LGBTQ+ community. One of her recent patients is a pregnant woman who is undocumented and living with HIV.

All of this came to a head in the final days of the 2026 legislative session. An enhancement budget for public health services which became House Bill 978 included language requiring DHW to draft a report on the immigration status of individuals utilizing part of the $478,700 in federal grants appropriated for HIV prevention and treatment:

The Department of Health and Welfare shall compile a report from the public health districts to submit to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee by December 31, 2026, on the documented immigration status of individuals utilizing HIV prevention services through the HIV Prevention and Surveillance Program. The format and content of this report will be determined in consultation with the Budget and Policy Analysis Division of the Legislative Services Office.

Rep. Josh Tanner, co-chair of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC), explained during debate that this language was a direct response to Judge Brailsford’s injunction, as well as an uptick in HIV cases, particularly in eastern Idaho. Democratic Sen. Melissa Wintrow interrupted the chair as he called for a vote, stating that “disease knows no immigration status.”

So the answer to the question posed in the article title is yes: taxpayers are funding treatment for HIV-positive illegal aliens. Sen. Wintrow is, of course, correct that diseases do not respect citizenship, but her argument raises broader questions. Are taxpayers responsible for treating sick people throughout the entire world—or only those who manage to cross our border, with or without legal status?

Is this purely about altruism, or is there also a financial incentive? Treating HIV-positive patients with taxpayer dollars appears to be a significant enterprise. As noted, Full Circle Health has received nearly $100 million in taxpayer funds since 2020. According to its latest IRS 990 filing filing, Dr. Epperly earned $515,430 in 2024 as CEO, while Dr. Davids earned $287,309 as a program director.

In her 2007 book on the Great Depression, The Forgotten Man, Amity Shlaes argued that the true “forgotten man” was neither the impoverished recipient of government aid nor the wealthy beneficiary of government influence, but the taxpayer—the person whose labor funds both. Today, lower- and middle-class Idahoans are paying for HIV treatment of illegal aliens—people who shouldn’t even be here—as well as subsidizing the six figure salary for Dr. Abby Davids, who sued our state for having the audacity to say that welfare benefits should serve American citizens.

The past century has seen increasing government intrusion into the healthcare market, to the point where not only patients but the entire industry have become dependent on taxpayer-funded programs. Even modest attempts to roll back that system—whether by restricting benefits to legal residents or repealing Medicaid expansion—are met with fierce resistance from those who have come to rely on the status quo.

Not only does our welfare system continue to grow, squeezing taxpayers more each year, it also creates opportunities for fraud and abuse, as we have seen in Minnesota and California over the past few months.

Fixing this situation—restoring the proper priorities for our government—will require untangling a Gordian Knot of state and federal regulations. It’s also a reminder that immigration policy affects everything in our society, including healthcare costs, housing, taxes and spending, and more. The DHW report mandated by H978 will be one more tool at our disposal as we head into the new legislative session this coming January.