A conservative PAC with East Coast money and a liberal PAC with West Coast money have reported electioneering expenses in Idaho legislative races, with a particular focus on candidate’s stance on the abortion initiative on the November ballot.
The conservative Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC has reported about $9,500 in independent expenditures on a west Boise race in District 15 between Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise, and Republican challenger Steve Keyser. Berch’s campaign has raised the most money of all legislative candidates this year with a total of $213,580. Keyser has raised $44,460.
The PAC, which has received $556,000 in contributions this cycle from the Northern Virginia-based Citizens Alliance Political Action Committee, has spent $4,736 in literature opposing Berch and an equal amount supporting Keyser. In the same filing it reported $8,298 in opposition to Proposition 1, the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act that would legalize abortion before fetus viability, and post-viability in cases of “medical emergency.”
Planned Parenthood Votes Idaho PAC last week reported a smaller amount of independent expenditures, $957, on 25 candidates running for the Legislature and another $246 in support of Proposition 1.
The PAC this election cycle received $40,000 from a federal Planned Parenthood Alliance PAC based in Seattle and $20,000 from Boise residents Katie and Scott Andrews.
Here’s the list of legislative candidates the Planned Parenthood Votes Idaho PAC is supporting and opposing:
| Support (All Democrats) | Oppose (All Republicans) |
| Sen. Melissa Wintrow | Sen. Dan Foreman |
| Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking | Rep. Dustin Manwaring |
| Sen. Carrie Semmelroth | Scott Herndon (D1 Senate) |
| Sen. Ron Taylor | |
| Sen. James Ruchti | |
| Rep. Ilana Rubel | |
| Rep. Soñia Galaviz | |
| Rep. John Gannon | |
| Rep. Anne Henderson Haws | |
| Rep. Monica Church | |
| Rep. Chris Mathias | |
| Rep. Megan Egbert | |
| Robin Weldy (D6 Senate) | |
| Trish Carter-Goodheart (D6 House A) | |
| Megan Woller (D16 House A) | |
| Karlie Easley (D22 Senate) | |
| Amanda Easley (D22 House B) | |
| Kevin Marsh (D26 House B) | |
| Mary Shea (D29 House A) | |
| Nate Roberts (D29 House B) | |
| Jan Brown (D33 Senate) | |
| Chance Marshall (D33 House A) |
