‘Our guns are loaded’: Stanley state lawmaker will chair Idaho Republican Party

A hard-right Stanley lawmaker and former secretary of state candidate in the GOP primary will instead chair the Idaho Republican Party.

Republican delegates elected Rep. Dorothy Moon to the party’s top position at the Idaho GOP State Convention on Saturday. Moon said Idaho was once a “bastion of freedom” but has since been surpassed by other states.

“We have to make sure, with the Democrats coming at us in full force, that we have our barriers are up,” Moon said. “Our guns are loaded and ready to keep this state free.”

Moon, a Missouri native, is a three-term House member. She’s a former teacher who co-owns a gold mining company.

Moon this year unsuccessfully ran for Idaho secretary of state, narrowly losing to Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane for the Republican nomination. She was one of two Republican candidates who said Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election and cast doubt on past election results in Idaho.

Moon’s run to chair the party drew some controversy within the party.

State Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, who also unsuccessfully ran for secretary of state, in a Friday statement blasted Moon for her previous statements supporting Aaron von Ehlinger. Von Ehlinger was a former lawmaker who resigned after he was accused of raping a legislative intern last year. He was convicted of rape in April.

Moon defeated Idaho GOP Chair Tom Luna, who sought a second term after winning election in 2020.

Luna told delegates he fulfilled his pre-election promises on fundraising and registering voters. Since 2020, the party raised $2.7 million and recruited about 160,000 new Idaho Republicans.

“We kept those promises and I will keep my promises going forward,” he said. “If I am reelected, we will continue to raise a lot of money. We will continue to register record numbers of conservative voters. We will continue to modernize our tools and the technology that we use. And we will continue to win.”

The chair is the administrative supervisor of the Idaho Republican Party and presides at all meetings, according to the party rules.

Moon wants to modernize Idaho GOP Party

Party fundraising has “stagnated,” Moon said, and as party chair, she vowed to build a “first-rate fundraising billing apparatus” to counter the “well-bankrolled Democrat party.”

The Idaho GOP also would diversify its outreach services, Moon said, by building social media followings on TikTok and Instagram.

“We have to modernize the party and reach out to our younger voters,” Moon said.

Moon criticized the convention’s venue, College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, which posted signs that firearms were not allowed in campus buildings.

“You won’t catch me hosting a convention at a location that strips visitors of their Second Amendment rights,” Moon said to applause.

Brent Regan, Kootenai County GOP chairman, nominated Moon for chair. Regan criticized the federal government’s handling of immigration and economic policy and claimed children are being indoctrinated in schools.

“We hate being told what to do,” Regan said. “‘Wear the mask, take the jab, use these pronouns, bake the cake.’ … We need a fighter who will lead by example, while giving counties and legislative districts the latitude to fight in a way that’s effective for them.”

At Regan’s request, delegates were required to show photo identification to vote. Delegates were initially expected to show convention badges before voting. Photo identification was required to receive the badges.

Pizza stunt draws families from homeless shelter

Before Luna hosted an event with supporters Thursday, someone distributed at a local homeless shelter fliers that Luna was handing out pizza “for the benefit of the needy in the Magic Valley.”

When families arrived at the hotel, where the event was taking place, they didn’t find food, and were “confused and embarrassed,” said a statement from Luna’s supporters.

“We can’t allow this behavior to be tolerated,” Luna said in a statement provided to the Idaho Statesman. “My heart goes out to those families and children in need who showed up at our event. I hope, I ask every Republican to stand up for what is right and not reward this kind of behavior.”

Moon told the Statesman on Friday that she was not aware of the fliers, and on Saturday she condemned the “dirty trick” in a speech to delegates.

“We will never treat hardworking Idahoans with anything less than full respect,” she said.

Top Idaho Republican officials elected

Daniel Silver, who chairs the Idaho Young Republicans, defeated Machele Hamilton in her reelection bid for first vice chair.

Mark Fuller, chair of the Bonneville County GOP, was elected second vice chair for the state party. Current second vice chair, Mike Matthews, was not reelected.

Steve Bender, Region 4 committee secretary in Ada County, was elected state treasurer over current treasurer Stephen Parrott, who sought reelection.

Maria Nate, a Madison County Republican and the wife of Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, was elected state party secretary. Nate defeated Gem County resident Caleb Hoobery.