The Idaho Republican Party is getting a big gift from an outgoing, far-right political leader in the panhandle.
On Saturday, the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee voted to give half of its bank account – about $64,000 – to its counterparts at the state level. It said in a Facebook post the money will be used to defeat a ballot initiative to restore abortion rights in Idaho.
As first reported by the Coeur d’Alene Press, the gift comes after moderates made gains in last week’s precinct elections, including toppling Chairman Brent Regan.
Regan has long led the county’s central committee. These groups play a crucial role in any political party’s grassroots fundraising and candidate recruitment efforts.
He’s also chairman of the Idaho Freedom Foundation board of directors, an influential lobbying group that advocates for far-right policies.
Boise State Political Science Professor Jaclyn Kettler said these kinds of tactics happen in states across the country from time to time.
“Current officeholders or leadership will kind of take actions potentially to reduce the power or possible influence of those that may come after them,” Kettler said.
But she said there are also important reasons for local political groups to send money to their respective state-level organizations.
Kettler said her own research has found state parties to generally be more efficient with spending political dollars and getting their candidates elected.
Those reasons include getting bulk discounts with vendors on advertising and potentially having a better understanding of competitive regions in a given state.
“There are important reasons for why county parties will transfer money to the state party, but again, here I think there’s some questions on is that really just what’s going on,” she said.
Two years ago, another GOP committee in Bonneville County sent all but $100 to the state party after its far-right leaders were ousted.
In addition to cutting its bank account in half, the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee also voted to close some of its social media accounts, which Kettler said could limit the reach of new committee members moving forward.
Control over the KCRCC is up in the air, with a leadership vote set for Thursday night in Coeur d’Alene.
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