I recently saw a bumper sticker on a car in McCall which read: “Don’t change Idaho, let Idaho change you.” It seemed like a plea from a long-time Idahoan to the thousands of people who have moved here to respect our state’s historic values and culture.
Unfortunately, it might be time to admit that this plea is too late. We just might have already lost the state many of us have known and loved. Many of the signs are there.
Anyone who has lived in Idaho for a long time senses the visible change going on. The roads are choked with cars, especially in the fastest growing cities. Waiting for traffic lights to change, one notices many cars with Texas, California, Washington, and Oregon license plates. Drivers seem more impatient, and more likely to hit the horn for no reason at all.
Land is being gobbled up for subdivisions previously used for farming and grazing. Apartments are springing up everywhere. Young families are experiencing ticket shock trying to buy their first house, prices driven up by newcomers who sold their house in Orange County or King County for a premium and pay cash for a new one in Idaho.
In mountain towns like McCall, which used to be considered the “real” Idaho get-away town, the second homes are getting larger and fancier. Subdivisions now dot places like Long Valley and Teton Valley.
There are other signs of change as well — in our politics and culture. Our politics have moved from our historic conservatism to a kind of radicalism that is hardly recognizable. The biggest spenders on lobbying and political campaigns are not from Idaho, but from out-of-state billionaires. Once there was a consensus that public education was a fundamental value — now our schools are threatened by privatization. In northern Idaho survivalists are building the “American Redoubt,” a highly armed last refuge against what they consider the coming Armageddon. A movement is afoot by a Christian nationalist church to take over the city of Moscow.
For years, a public policy survey by Boise State University has documented these changes. Last week BSU’s 11th annual survey confirms again that those who have moved into Idaho over the past 10 years are much more “conservative” — 53% — than those who have lived here 20 years or more — 41.9%. Only 17.1% of newcomers identify as “liberal” while 26.9% of longtime Idahoans identify as liberal.
And while Donald Trump’s approval ratings are tanking, including in Republican states, the president’s popularity in Idaho has not slipped. Depending upon which report you read, Idahoans approve of Trump by 58% to 66%. This despite the president attacking our country’s longest and most loyal allies, coddling dictators like Vladimir Putin, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and declaring revengeful wars on any state that didn’t vote for him.
Another troubling sign that we have entered a new political era is personified by two of our political leaders who, until Trump came along, represented Idaho’s best conservative, common-sense political values – Gov. Brad Little and Congressman Mike Simpson. Both Little and Simpson have enjoyed much bi-partisan support over the years. In 2018, when Little faced a tough three-way race for the GOP nomination, many Democrats and Independents registered Republican to vote for him and raised money for his campaign.
But in his latest State of the State address, Little wrapped himself around President Trump, praising him no less than 17 times. In 2025, Little signed a bill that would begin privatizing education in Idaho after Trump endorsed it, even though for years the governor said public education was his top priority. Last week he endorsed the federal voucher tax-credit promoted by Trump which will further privatize our Idaho schools. Now he talks about “education freedom,” more than how to improve Idaho’s poorly funded schools.
Little embraced the president so much in his State of the State that you’d think he was running for a position in the Trump cabinet instead of a third term as Idaho’s governor.
Then there is Mike Simpson who also enjoyed bipartisan support throughout his political career. Last week Simpson issued a guest opinion with a quote at the top in bold face that read: “Across the country, including in Idaho, left-wing agitators have taken to the streets to defend child sex offenders, drug traffickers, murderers, and other violent criminals, simply because they oppose a president who is actually enforcing the law. Let me repeat: these individuals are not protesters. They are agitators.”
I don’t know about the people in Minneapolis, but here in Idaho I’ve seen grandmothers and grandfathers, young couples pushing strollers, students, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, businessmen and women, cowboys on horses and patriotic Idahoans protesting the authoritarian actions of our president who as recently as last week said we need a “dictator” in America. If you don’t believe it, watch the video.
These Idahoans, and millions of people like them, are exercising their constitutional right and duty as Americans to protest the actions of their government, just as Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers expected them to do if they believed their government had lost its way.
They are not agitators – they are patriots.
The real agitators are those who are moving our country toward authoritarianism and away from democracy and the ones who are silently complicit.
I have been close to Idaho politics for more than a half century. I cannot imagine the great political leaders I’ve known personally, whether Republican or Democrat, would believe that moving toward authoritarianism and embracing a would-be dictator, conducting a war against our closest allies and our own people, would be what it means to be a patriotic American. But that is exactly what many of our Idaho political leaders are doing today.
Although Idaho has always been conservative, it has historically been the kind of conservatism that believes in education, community, and live-and-let live. It has been a state that wants to tax people only to the extent that it can provide the necessary services people want, especially education. But they always believed taxation was necessary for the sake of our state, its economy, and people, even enacting the sales tax in 1965 to support public schools.
I’m sure the newcomers have moved here for many reasons which would be familiar to long-time Idahoans. Many probably moved here because of Idaho’s friendly people. Many probably moved here because of our public lands, where everyone can roam free. Many probably moved here because Idahoans hold an authentic faith, are devoted to family, community, and, most of all, to the golden rule, love your neighbor as yourself.
These are the Idaho values that we should not change. These are the values that can unite Idahoans regardless of political affiliation. These are the values that our political leaders could and should reflect. But they will only reflect them if the people – natives and newcomers alike – demand it.
“It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment,” said Cicero, the Roman statesman who was one of the greatest influences on George Washington and our founding fathers.
It might not be too late, after all, to keep Idaho, Idaho. But it will require great reflection, strong character, and sound democratic judgment.
Rod Gramer is an Idaho native, long-time journalist and advocate for public education.
