The Real RINOs Among Us
I’ve said many times that I’m not a fan of the term “RINO”—Republican in name only. It’s deployed far too often during intraparty disputes to describe Republicans who disagree on any number of issues. If you ask some activists, not only is Gov. Brad Little a RINO, but so are House Speaker Mike Moyle, Sen. Brandon Shippy, and even Rep. Heather Scott. One disagreement is often all it takes to earn the RINO label.
There has always been a degree of ideological variety within the Republican Party. While that degree is shrinking, there is still room within the GOP for debate over the best tax rate, the role and scope of government, and how best to manage temperance and morality. Where I believe the RINO label is useful, however, is in identifying current or former Republican elected officials who publicly undermine the party’s own nominees.
A few weeks ago, in writing about Ronald Reagan’s Eleventh Commandment, I said that the primary was the time for Republicans to fight each other, but once the voters have spoken, it’s time to unite against the left. Unfortunately, some Idaho Republicans didn’t get the memo. Over the past few weeks, six current or former elected officials have publicly endorsed candidates running against Republican nominees:
Former Secretary of State Ben Ysursa endorsed Kelceymarie Warner, a candidate for Ada County commissioner running against incumbent Republican Ryan Davidson.
Outgoing state Sen. Jim Woodward endorsed independent candidate Steve Johnson, who is running against Republican Scott Herndon. Herndon defeated Woodward in the May Republican primary.
Former attorneys general Jim Jones and Lawrence Wasden endorsed Democrat Lori Hickman, who is running against incumbent Republican Raúl Labrador. Labrador defeated Wasden in the 2022 primary.
Former state Reps. Scott Syme and Julie Yamamoto endorsed independent candidate (and former Democratic legislator) Todd Achilles for U.S. Senate, running against incumbent Republican Jim Risch.
To be clear, everyone has the right of conscience. Every person, no matter their affiliation or past position, can support whomever they want. However, Idaho Republicans have the right, and I would say the responsibility, to enforce consequences for these decisions. A current or former Republican elected official who has been through the primary process themselves and counted on Republican support in the general election should see their career in the Republican Party come to an end if they endorse a candidate running against a Republican nominee. No more invitations to speak at Lincoln Day Dinners. No more positions of honor at Republican Party events. No more appointments to Republican boards or committees. And, above all, no more song-and-dance routines in which they play the part of “token Republican” for the left-wing news media.
Because that is what a lot of these endorsements are about. They’re meant to add impact to a campaign by having a known Republican endorse an independent or a Democrat, making voters believe that there must be something exceptionally wrong with the Republican nominee. Jim Jones has made a new career over the past few years as the token Republican supporting Democratic candidates or causes, and he, Syme, and Ysursa all endorsed Democrat Tom Arkoosh against Labrador in 2022. This most recent round of endorsements doesn’t really carry the weight they might have wanted. Were these six Republicans motivated by political concerns, or has it always been personal?
Ysursa, Woodward, Jones, Wasden, Syme, and Yamamoto each benefited from Idaho GOP support in the past, and presumably at the time they expected Republicans to unite behind them following the primary. While having once won office as a Republican certainly doesn’t obligate someone to forever support Republicans in the future, actively opposing a Republican nominee shows that they are no longer part of the team and should not be treated as such. It also calls into question how much they really believed what they said while on the campaign trail themselves. Were these Republicans really as pro-life, pro-gun, anti-tax, and anti-regulation as they once claimed? Or was it always about political power, first and foremost, with ideology merely a costume for the campaign?
At the 2025 Idaho GOP Winter Meeting, the state central committee voted to censure a Republican precinct committeeman who had taken a leading role in campaigning for ranked choice voting, contrary to the party’s position. As a member of the state central committee, I voted in favor of the censure, despite knowing it was merely words, because I felt it was important for the party to establish ground rules for those who carry its banner. An NFL team would be well within its rights to discipline a player or coach who gave material support to its opponents, such as sharing its playbook or even just expressing support. Nations at war exact harsh justice against those who give aid and comfort to the enemy. Partisan politics falls somewhere between those two examples, and I think it’s appropriate for a party to establish consequences for campaigning against its own nominees.
After all, the primary is how we as a party select our champions. Ysursa, Woodward, Jones, Wasden, Syme, and Yamamoto aren’t just opposing Republican nominees; they are spitting in the faces of the Republican voters who chose those nominees. They’re essentially saying that the primary process is pointless, that it’s only useful to them if it results in their favored outcomes. An organization cannot survive if it allows such treachery to become routine.
In the privacy of the polling place, your vote is your vote. If you don’t believe that the Republican nominee is the right man or woman for the job, then you have every right to vote for someone else or leave that race blank. But that’s a far cry from former Republican elected officials who enjoyed the support of the Republican infrastructure when they were on the ballot are today using their cachet to campaign against Republican nominees. To me, that is the definition of a RINO—a Republican in name only—someone who uses the party label when it suits them but then stabs the party in the back the moment it doesn’t.
Feature image created with ChatGPT.
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Instead of relying on endorsements from former elected officials who could have an axe to grind, each voter should make an effort to get to know candidates personally or speak with regular citizens who do. Read the candidates' writings, not just their X and Facebook posts or mailers. Pay less attention to a candidate's funding and more to that person's substance. And for sure, ignore lies, smears, and misinformation coming from rival candidates.
If you vote with your emotions instead of your conscience and critical thinking skills, you could make a mistake at the ballot box that hurts everyone.
P.S. It's A-OK to choose a candidate outside "your" party if you think that candidate will do the best job for your family and for other Idahoans.
Off with their heads. They are sore losers and some have lost their position because they went against the party platform and constituents wishes to start with. I agree, they do not get a seat at the table for the public back stabbing they are committing.