Who is Todd Achilles?
Daily Digest 7/9/26
Reinventing oneself?
Former Democratic state representative Todd Achilles is running an independent campaign for United States Senate, branding himself as a common sense alternative to the two party system. Problem is, he can’t escape his legislative voting record:
To his credit, Todd Achilles doesn’t come across as a dweeb like Tim Walz, as effete as James Talarico, and he doesn’t appear to have the sordid past of Graham Platner. He’s a U.S. Army veteran, a technology professional, a policy wonk, and a husband and father. Yet there is one problem for his independent campaign for the U.S. Senate, and that is his voting record.
You might have received a text message from the Achilles campaign attempting to imply that he is actually more conservative than Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican incumbent. One citizen was even told that Achilles is conservative and a former Republican.
This rhetoric doesn’t match his record. Having served parts of two terms in the Idaho House of Representatives as a Democrat, Achilles can’t hide his true positions. A small sampling of his votes in the Legislature illustrates the point:
He voted against House Bill 32, prohibiting mask mandates by government agencies.
He voted against House Bill 93, the Parental Choice Tax Credit.
He voted against House Bill 98, which would prohibit taxpayer subsidies for teacher’s unions. This policy was eventually enacted in 2026 as House Bill 516.
He voted against House Bill 135, which would bar illegal aliens from taxpayer-funded welfare programs.
He voted against House Bill 668, which would prevent taxpayer dollars from supporting transgender surgeries.
He voted against House Bill 710, requiring public and school libraries to stop allowing children access to obscene materials.
He voted against House Bill 753, which would have set the most basic level of enforcement against illegal aliens. He voted against similar legislation, House Bill 83, in 2025.
He voted against Senate Bill 1198, prohibiting state colleges and universities from requiring DEI programs for students or staff.
He voted against Senate Bill 1210, the Medical Freedom Act.
In short, despite Todd Achilles attempting to portray himself as an independent alternative to the two-party system, he is very much a creature of Democratic ideology. His donations over the past two years have gone almost exclusively to Democrats at the state level, though he did donate to liberal Republicans Sean Coletti and Lori McCann, along with a few others. His national donations have gone almost exclusively to Democrats as well. Finally, as chairman of Veterans for Idaho Voters, Achilles was one of the prime movers behind the ranked-choice voting initiative, which Idahoans defeated in 2024 by a 70-30 margin.
Defending women’s sports
Outside of Rep. Barbara Ehardt, who sponsored the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act of 2020, nobody has fought harder on this issue than Attorney General Raúl Labrador. He wrote an op-ed looking back on the case today:
In 2020, Idaho became the first state in the nation to enact such a law. Five former Idaho attorneys general, Republicans and Democrats alike, urged Governor Brad Little to veto it, warning that it was constitutionally vulnerable. Even the Attorney General at the time wrote an opinion agreeing with his predecessors.
The Governor signed it anyway. Two weeks later, the ACLU sued, and within months a federal district court blocked the law before a single season had been played. That injunction remained in place for years as the case worked its way through the federal courts.
When I ran for Attorney General in 2022, defending this law was one of my central commitments. I believed Idaho could make a stronger constitutional case than it had, and more importantly, I believed the unfairness of allowing biological males to compete on girls’ teams deserved an Attorney General willing to fight all the way to the Supreme Court.
After taking office in January 2023, we made that fight a priority.
Press releases
Podcast
For those who prefer to listen rather than read, I’ve converted today’s article into a podcast. Listen, subscribe, and leave a 5-star review on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast content.
You can also listen right here on Substack:
7/9/26: Who Is Todd Achilles, Anyway?
Todd Achilles is running for the Senate as a common-sense alternative to the two-party system. But his voting record tells a different story.
Video of the day
Former Virginia state legislator and all-around great commentator Nick Freitas explained why Tucker Carlson’s dreams of a third party are doomed to failure, delved into the concept of ideology, and debunked the idea of “horseshoe theory”:
As always, thank you to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and New Saint Andrews College. Thank you also to all the paid subscribers who make it possible for me to do what I do, as well as all the readers who are constantly encouraging me to keep it up. I appreciate you!
Thank you, Brian, for the voting record....