Winter Meeting 2026
Rules, resolutions, and good times
Idaho GOP meetings are always fun. Beyond the business, they’re a chance to put all the people we’ve interacted with online for the past six months into the same room and see what happens. I enjoy meeting friends and allies, as well as opponents—and even the haters.
The Idaho GOP State Central Committee comes together twice a year; our last meeting was in June in Pocatello. The committee deliberates over rule changes, resolutions, and other business. In even-numbered years, this meeting is superseded by the Idaho GOP State Convention.
Subcommittees met to debate rules and resolutions on Friday evening, presenting their findings to the full committee on Saturday morning. The Rules Committee, chaired by KCRCC Chairman Brent Regan, narrowed proposals down to five items for consideration, mostly minor tweaks. All passed on the floor this morning without debate.
Rule 2026-06 was perhaps the most interesting, as it adds nonattendance to the list of ways a precinct committeeman can be removed from office. Missing four consecutive county committee meetings without an excuse will now cause the seat to be vacated.
Kootenai and Ada counties, among others, have recently put similar rules in place. Ada County allows PCs to be counted as present if their alternate attends in their place. Critics contend that such attendance rules are not lawful, as Idaho Code defines the position of precinct committeeman but does not provide for removal by the body.
However, it’s a fairly basic tenet of parliamentary procedure that a body has the ability to control its own membership. The Legislature has procedures to expel a member, while smaller bodies—such as school boards—can automatically remove a trustee for nonattendance. According to the bylaws of the Eagle Public Library Board of Trustees, on which I currently serve, missing three consecutive meetings is tantamount to resignation.
Ultimately, it may be up to a judge to decide how the various laws, bylaws, and rules work together in this case. If an elected PC were to sue following removal for nonattendance, we would get a definitive answer to the question.
The Resolutions Committee, chaired by Scott Herndon, narrowed more than thirty proposals down to eighteen to present in the general session. Of those, three were pulled for additional debate.
Resolution 2026-01, presented by Sen. Phil Hart, called for legislation allowing lawmakers to hire aides to assist with legislation, research, and communication. Readers may recall that Hart has argued the legislative branch is severely outweighed by the executive, and that additional pay and legislative aides would help bring the branches back into balance.
Sen. Christy Zito, who like Hart is also a member of the State Central Committee, divided the resolution from the report and argued against it, saying that adding legislative aides was a clear-cut case of growing government. She warned this was one step toward a full-time Legislature.
Ultimately, the resolution was handily defeated.
Canyon County Chairman Chris Trakel divided Resolution 2026-09, which called for legislation to prohibit foreign entities from owning certain types of property in Idaho. He sought to add a line exempting Indian tribes from the prohibition. The amendment was accepted, and the resolution was adopted.
Cody Crandall of Benewah County divided Resolution 2026-10, which called for legislation to hold employers who hire illegal aliens accountable under the law. He was concerned about references to the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, which he believed constituted an endorsement of amnesty. Andrew Mickelsen, chairman of Idaho GOP Region 10, argued against the resolution, saying the Trump administration was making positive moves on immigration enforcement and that additional state-level action would be untenable for businesses.
Mickelsen’s family owns several farms in eastern Idaho, one of which was the subject of an ICE raid last year that picked up an illegal alien previously charged with domestic violence. Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, Andrew’s mother, made a speech on the House floor several sessions ago in which she said illegal aliens are involved in every aspect of food production in Idaho—a point Herndon alluded to when he spoke in favor of the resolution.
Resolution 2026-10 passed with slight amendments.
The remaining resolutions presented by the committee passed without discussion, which surprised me, as I expected several to draw more attention. Resolution 2026-04 calls for further consolidation of elections to eliminate low-turnout options such as May elections in odd-numbered years. Resolution 2026-17 calls for a constitutional amendment to eliminate income and property taxes in favor of a flat sales tax. Resolution 2026-23 calls for a posthumous pardon of Randy Weaver and for murder charges to be brought against Lon Horiuchi, the FBI sniper who shot and killed Vicki Weaver during the Ruby Ridge standoff in 1992.
Chairwoman Dorothy Moon will present the full list of resolutions to the Legislature on Monday at 11:00am in the Lincoln Auditorium.
The Idaho GOP also presented its annual Hall of Fame awards, given to those who go above and beyond in service to the Republican cause. Members of the State Central Committee submit nominations, which are reviewed by a committee headed by Vice Chairs Mark Fuller and Viki Purdy.
This year’s winners were:
Outstanding Precinct Committeeman: Terri Seymour
Outstanding Republican Worker: Cheryl Hurd
Outstanding Republican County or District Chair: John Crowder
Outstanding Republican Administrative Official: Treasurer Julie Ellsworth
Outstanding Republican Legislator: Rep. Josh Tanner
Most Valuable Person: Chairwoman Dorothy Moon
Lifetime Achievement Award: Howard Rynearson
Ellsworth later regaled attendees at lunch with the story of how her “Spuddy Buddies” became involved in Idaho’s America 250 celebrations. It made eating potatoes for lunch somewhat awkward—I hope they didn’t mind.
We also heard from numerous elected officials throughout the day. Sen. Jim Risch and Congressman Russ Fulcher dropped in from Washington, DC to share updates. Risch read a letter to the Idaho GOP from President Donald Trump endorsing his reelection, while Fulcher delivered an impression of the president that was the highlight of the morning.
Additional remarks came from Secretary of State Phil McGrane, Controller Brandon Woolf, Superintendent Debbie Critchfield, and Attorney General Raúl Labrador. Idaho Young Republicans President Tyler Kelly announced that the Young Republicans Federation will host a national meeting in Idaho this coming November.
In just a few minutes, I’ll head back into town for the Winter Western Gala—one more fun event to cap off the weekend. Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, and then the 2026 legislative session begins on Monday. It’s going to be an incredible ride.
Feature image by Daniel Murphy.
Re: “Resolution 2026-09, which called for legislation to prohibit foreign entities from owning certain types of property in Idaho. He sought to add a line exempting Indian tribes from the prohibition. The amendment was accepted, and the resolution was adopted.”
This resolution amendment exempting Indian tribes is due to a misunderstanding. There’s a difference between what the Law actually is, and the way that Indians market what they think the law should be from their perspective.
In the United States, under law, all Indians are US citizens, which means they cannot be foreign entities. You can’t have a group US citizens and then have their“tribe“ be a foreign entity.
The marketing scam is that Indians are “independent nations from time immemorial,” but tribal independence, seen in the U.S. Constitution in the commerce clause, has been completely supplanted by congressional control. All Indian nations are creatures of the US Congress today. Indian tribes are no longer a foreign entity.
There are many ways to illustrate this legal fact, but it looks like the IDGOP bought the marketing from the Indians instead of the reality of U.S. law.
Re: “Critics contend that such attendance rules are not lawful, as Idaho Code defines the position of precinct committeeman but does not provide for removal by the body.”
This highlights the two approaches to Law. The Benthamites want everything you’re allowed to do to be spelled out in law, and if it’s not spelled out in law, then you don’t get to do it. The freedom fighters argue the opposite: that if the law does not speak to it, then you are free to do it.
Idaho law is more like the latter, which is why a judge would uphold it a legal challenge.