Catching Up
Daily Digest 5/30/26
It’s been a busy week. Idaho GOP county and district committees (79 in total) held their reorganization meetings over the past three days, and I have been working behind the scenes to collect information on the new officers and convention delegates for the state party. I also held my own reorganization meeting in District 14 last night where I was reelected chair by acclimation. I’m looking forward to another two years of recruiting volunteers, hosting events, supporting Republican candidates, and promoting conservative values. District 14 is an amazing place, and I’m proud to play my part.
MAGA Moon
Idaho GOP chairwoman Dorothy Moon argues that recent election results show that Republican voters trust President Trump, and want candidates who will carry out his agenda to make America great again:
There are still a few lonely holdouts in politics who believe we can return to a pre-2015 normal once President Trump leaves the scene. They desperately want to go back to a Republican Party full of beautiful losers who agreed with the other party’s definition of “progress,” only at a slower pace. They want to do to MAGA what they did to the Tea Party—co-opt it into the establishment.
Folks, that’s just not going to happen.
Labrador versus fraudsters
America is waking up to the reality and stunning scope of welfare fraud in this country. Vice President J.D. Vance’s task force has already identified hundreds of millions of tax dollars that have been stolen from the American people, and Attorney General Raúl Labrador is on the case:
This ought to be one issue that doesn’t divide along party lines. Every dollar stolen by a provider billing for services never rendered is a dollar that doesn’t reach a disabled adult, a low-income family, or a child with nowhere else to turn. Fraud doesn’t just cost taxpayers. It hollows out the programs that vulnerable people depend on.
That’s why I was at the White House this week with Vice President JD Vance, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Fraud Task Force Executive Director Scott Brady, joined by attorneys general from across the country. My office has been taking on Medicaid fraud for years. I went to report on our results and to ask the Administration for more tools to get the job done.
McGrane on election integrity
Secretary of State Phil McGrane used his weekly newsletter to explain how his office ensures election integrity in Idaho. I took a lot of heat for a tweet last week expressing my confidence in Idaho’s elections, but many critics don’t seem to pay close attention to how the system actually works.
Post-election audits may not receive the same attention as election night results, but they are one of the most important parts of the process. They demonstrate that election integrity is not simply something we claim; it is something my office and every clerk in our 44 counties are working to guarantee. That commitment to accuracy, transparency, and accountability is how public trust is earned and maintained.
One man’s take on the KCRCC
Regular guest contributor Todd Hoffman explains what he believes happened in Kootenai County this month:
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.
Press releases
Rufo and Lomez broke down the Texas election results on their show this week, and it’s worth your time to understand where national politics is going:
As always, stay tuned for more! I’m heading out to join the Idaho Young Republicans for their Great American BBQ at Storey Park in Meridian. Stop by for food, games, and Republican fellowship!
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Just a slight correction to Mr. Hoffman's article about Kootenai County.
Not to take away from the many accomplishments of Mr. Regan during his chairmanship, including cementing the conservative majority through several elections, but the rout of the KCRCC corporatist majority actually occurred in 2012--four years prior to Mr. Regan's election to the KCRCC chairmanship--in a grassroots, county-wide campaign led by Mr. Bob Peterson. As memory serves, Mr. Neil Oliver was elected chairman following the rout and served two terms as chairman before deciding not to run again, leaving the position open for Mr. Regan to take the reins.