There are currently almost 260,000 independent or unaffiliated voters in Idaho. Every one of them can cast their vote on the Republican ticket in the May 19 primary election. All they have to do is change their registration from “Unaffiliated” to “Republican.” They can do it from now until election day. On election day, May 19, they merely tell the election officials that they wish to register as a Republican. They should not take “no” for an answer because some officials are unaware of this fact.
Idaho has about 630,000 registered Republicans at present. Voter turnout for Idaho’s recent primary elections averages around 30%.That means there will probably be about 189,000 Republicans voting in the primary election this year. As many as half of Idaho Republicans are the traditional, reasonable variety, who have little regard for the extreme culture war variety. If a significant number of unaffiliated voters register to vote in the GOP primary, they could help the traditional Republicans break the stranglehold that culture warriors hold over our legislative offices.
In the 2024 primary election, culture warrior extremists beat a number of reasonable Republicans in close, low-turnout Senate races. In Legislative District 6, extremist Dan Foreman beat Robert Blair with a vote of 3,396 to 2,983 with a turnout of just 23% of registered voters. In District 9, culture warrior Brandon Shippy defeated Scott Syme, an excellent legislator, by a vote of 4,404 to 4,114 with a 22.2% voter turnout. District 13 saw Brian Lenney beating an outstanding public servant, Jeff Agenbroad, by 2,695 to 2,154 with a turnout of 19%. In District 20, Josh Keyser, an Idaho newcomer, used an ugly campaign to defeat Chuck Winder, a distinguished Idahoan, by 3,208 to 2,926–a turnout of 17.6%. Culture war extremist Josh Kohl used a nasty campaign in District 25 to beat Linda Hartgen, a dedicated public servant, by 3,008 to 1,761– a 23.9% turnout.
Unaffiliated voters have it within their power to elect enough Senators and Representatives to put a stop to the divisive politics that have been the hallmark of the culture warriors. The extremists continually raise fake issues to stir up fear and anger in order to tar their opponents and harvest votes. Independents need to step forward to participate in the Republican primary because that is where most of our leaders are elected. In today’s Idaho, the person who wins the Republican primary is all-too-often the one who prevails in the general election.
With regard to those running in the May 19 primary, there are a number of sources where all voters can find out about the candidates competing for legislative positions. In my estimation, the best source is the very comprehensive Take Back Idaho Voter Guide. It can be found at https://idahovoters.com/. The Guide does not endorse candidates. Rather, it contains detailed legislative profiles, candidate histories, and key news stories, plus insights into candidate’s campaign finances and affiliations. It provides an in-depth, even-handed view of candidates. It is an indispensable guide for voters.
A new source of voter information has been produced by Neighbors Organized for Voice and Action (NOVA). The group has prepared an Affordability Index, which rates sitting legislators on a number of votes on bills pertaining to affordability in the 2026 legislative session. It can be found at–https://www.novaidaho.org/2026-affordability-index. The NOVA index provides pertinent information but does not endorse candidates.
Another place where information about candidates can be found is the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Idaho Index. It can be found at https://index.idahofreedom.org/. The index rates legislators on a variety of extremist legislation and spending issues. The higher the rating on the freedom index, the more extreme the legislator is. Legislators with the highest ratings on the spending index are those who have voted to starve or kill important state programs–public education, Medicaid, child care, higher education and a wide variety of other state services. The top-rated legislators are folks who delight in culture warfare and destruction of government. They include Senators Christy Zito, Glenneda Zuiderveld and Josh Kohl and Representatives Lucas Cayler, David Leavitt and Clint Hostetler. It provides voters a rogues gallery of those to avoid at all costs.
Unaffiliated voters can and should exercise their lawful right to vote in the May 19 Republican primary. A relatively small fraction of Idaho’s 200,000 independent voters could return Idaho to the time when responsive, responsible governing was the hallmark of the Gem State, instead of the divisive, culture war hellscape it has become. The future of Idaho is in your hands, independents, please stand up and speak out with your vote on May 19.
