June 4, 2026
Idaho’s Red Mirage: 10 Reasons the State Isn’t Truly Conservative
By: Honor Idaho President Greg Pruett
Idaho is the greatest state to live in if you ask me. But it isn’t the conservative stronghold many people moving here assume it is. And frankly, many native Idahoans don’t quite understand the political dynamics shaping our state today. They see the Republican registration numbers and assume that means conservative governance.
I’m here with some bad news: Idaho is not nearly as conservative as it looks on paper. But here’s the good news: Honor Idaho is fighting every day to make it the conservative state voters believe it should be.
Here are 10 reasons Idaho isn’t as conservative as you think.
1. Supermajority in Name Only
Republicans hold roughly 85% of the seats in the Legislature, yet conservatives must fight tooth and nail to pass even basic reforms. This year’s push for illegal immigration legislation went nowhere, not because Idahoans opposed it, but because special interests and weak‑kneed leaders in the Capitol refused to act for the conservative electorate and instead worked for their special interest cohorts. A supermajority means nothing if it won’t use its power.
2. Committees and their Chairs are Built to Block Conservative Bills
The biggest roadblock to conservative policy isn’t Democrats, it’s Republican committee chairs and how their committees are formed.
Senate State Affairs Chairman Jim Guthrie blocked illegal immigration reform and solid pro‑gun bills this session. While blocking conservative legislation, Guthrie made sure to support liberal ideas such as men in women’s sports and bathrooms. Other chairs quietly killed conservative legislation at the request of liberal lobbyists. Idaho’s committee system is where conservative ideas go to die.
3. Liberal Elites Run the Show
Powerbrokers wield enormous influence in the Capitol, and too many lawmakers, including the governor, defer to them. When a chairman like Dan Foreman blocks a bill to stop taxpayer dollars from flowing to liberal unions, you have to ask: Why is a supposedly conservative Legislature listening to unions at all? Agencies and special interests often have more sway than the voters.
4. Local Governments Lean Left
Idaho’s cities, school boards, and judicial races are labeled “nonpartisan,” but the ideology is purely partisan. Without party labels, voters often elect left‑leaning officials who push progressive policies on education, zoning, and spending. The left has quietly built power at the local level while voters assume everything is conservative.
Democrats know they can’t win statewide, so they hide in nonpartisan races. Former Idaho Democratic Party Chair Evangeline Beechler openly admitted Democrats love city elections because they can hide their affiliation. Party labels matter; they tell voters how someone will govern. Idaho must stop letting ideology hide behind the word “nonpartisan.”
5. We are Spending Like Democrats
Idaho’s budget has exploded over the last five years. It has grown by more than 50% in that time. Yes, Idaho is growing, but government growth is far outpacing our population growth and inflation. The fact is, Idaho’s lawmakers love to spend your money.
You don’t have to look any further than their refusal to repeal Medicaid expansion, one of our largest expenditures in the state budget. And while expansion came thanks to a far-left group’s ballot initiative, the Republican Legislature continues to fund it year after year.
6. Lobbyists and Special Interests Dominate
A handful of lobbyists fight for liberty, but many are there to protect corporate interests, expand government power, or secure taxpayer funding for their organizations. For instance, during the 2026 session, lawmakers fought to protect Idaho Power from being held accountable. Legislation like that is dangerous when you see what has happened in states like California and Hawaii, where power companies have been neglectful, and people have lost their homes as a result.
These lobbyists for these big corporations have money, access, and influence, and they use all three to steer lawmakers. Too many legislators listen to lobbyists before they listen to you.
7. Idaho’s Liberal Media Shapes the Narrative
Idaho’s mainstream media leans so far left you’d think we were already California. They amplify progressive Republicans, attack conservatives, and frame conservative legislation as “extreme.” Meanwhile, Idaho lacks strong conservative media outlets to keep voters informed. When the media tilts left, public perception tilts with it.
8. Liberal Republicans Still Run the Show
Democrats figured out long ago that the easiest way to influence Idaho politics is to run as Republicans. The establishment embraces these left‑leaning Republicans because it helps them maintain moderate control. The result? A Legislature filled with people who campaign as conservatives but govern like centrists.
9. Republican Officials Capitulate to the Left
Too often, Republicans in the legislature, who ran as conservatives, and the governor himself, capitulate to the left. They are either afraid of the liberal organizations and lobbyists, or they themselves are far more liberal than what they campaigned on.
For instance, Sen. Jim Guthrie killed a solid pro-gun school carry bill several years ago at the behest of Moms Demand Action, an anti-Second Amendment organization. Then, to make matters worse, Guthrie proposed his own version of a “school carry” bill that was so bad, Moms Demand Action and radical left lawmakers like Sen. Melissa Wintrow (Boise) supported the bill!
But perhaps an even more glaring example is when Governor Little called the legislature back into session to dump nearly half a billion dollars into our failing education system. All because leftists from Reclaim Idaho were going to put an education initiative on the ballot. Little and the legislature caved to his demands.
10. The Primary System Isn’t Working
Between crossover voting and poor vetting of candidates, Idaho’s Republican primary often elevates progressive Republicans. The result is a Legislature that doesn’t reflect the values of Idaho’s conservative voters. We either find a way to dramatically increase primary turnout or consider a different system, like a caucus, that better reflects the will of actual Republicans.
The Bottom Line
Idaho isn’t a conservative state; it’s a state with a conservative brand and a political class that knows how to use it. The voters are conservative. The culture is conservative. But the system? Not even close.
You don’t have to look much further than states like Florida, which has a far less Republican majority, and you see leadership on conservative issues. You see a lot more conservative issues being pushed in what is supposed to be a less conservative state.
Honor Idaho is committed to changing that and restoring the conservative leadership Idahoans expect and deserve.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on HonorIdaho.com, and is republished here with the author’s permission.
