Attorney General Raul Labrador recently accused Eric Smallwood, the Chairman of the Twin Falls School Board, of breaking the law. In a letter dated April 23, 2026, Labrador accused Smallwood of being a lawbreaker for urging school employees at a January 5 meeting to help public education by voting in the May 19 primary election.
Labrador admitted that Smallwood did not name any candidates, but alleged that two disfavored candidates could be identified if audience members would research the margins of victory of candidates in the 2024 election. If they could find two candidates who won by 782 and 1,247 votes, respectively, they would know who did not deserve their vote. My view is that the letter is what we often characterize as “hogwash” and that Labrador has done even more blatant electioneering to support his political soulmates.
I’m quite familiar with the law referenced in Labrador’s letter. It is called the Public Integrity in Elections Act. It was based upon a lawsuit I filed in 2004 to prevent the Greater Boise Auditorium District from using hotel tax revenues to support a bond issue. The Idaho Supreme Court ruled that public money could not be used for that purpose. The law simply does not apply where a public official is not supporting or opposing a specific candidate or ballot measure.
According to an article in the Idaho Education News, Labrador’s inquiry into the matter was based upon a complaint made by the four Magic Valley members of the so-called Gang of Eight–Senators Glenneda Zuiderveld and Josh Kohl and Reps. Clint Hostetler and David Leavitt. They are rather legendary for voting against public school funding and a wide variety of other important public programs. Dairymen, water users and other agricultural groups have targeted the four this year. Labrador is ideologically aligned with them and has been doing his level best to support their re-election.
He famously keynoted a “Liberty Dinner” in Twin Falls on March 28 to publicly support the election of the four legislators, much to the chagrin of the official Republican organizations in the Magic Valley. An enterprising reporter might inquire as to whether public funds or property were used for Labrador’s transportation and lodging for the trip.
Since then, Labrador provided political cover to Kohl, Zuiderveld and several other far-right legislators for their vote on an aspect of his office budget. An April 16 press release on his office website castigated an organization for running ads critical of the legislators. He amplified his support for the targeted legislators in a subsequent press report.
As a matter of fact, Labrador has taken to using the platform of his public office to make full-throated endorsements of his political soulmates. Sen. Zuiderveld announced on April 20, that Labrador had praised her and called for her re-election. His endorsement proclaims, “I’m proud to endorse Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld for re-election and ask you to support her in the Republican primary on May 19.” One does not have to research the 2024 vote tallies to learn who was the object of his affection.
On April 16, Rep. David Leavitt announced on Facebook that he had gotten Labrador’s endorsement. If one takes a close look at the photo, it is clear that it was taken on the grounds of the State Capitol. That stately building looms in the background. Again, one need not research voting statistics to figure out who Labrador is supporting.
Another Labrador endorsement seeks to defeat a sitting legislator. Since the Attorney General is the statutory lawyer for legislators, it seems to be a bit of a conflict of interest to try to unseat one of your clients. Be that as it may, Labrador is publicly targeting Senator Jim Guthrie, a legislator who is highly respected for his courage and competence. Labrador has endorsed Guthrie’s opponent, David Worley, a Christian nationalist who was relieved of his command in the Idaho National Guard for misconduct. Worley was found by the Assistant Adjutant of the Guard to have demonstrated counterproductive leadership that reduced morale, eroded trust and showed little respect for others. Worley sued the Guard, seeking reinstatement and compensation. He lost in court but gained Labrador’s endorsement.
The timing of the spurious accusation against Mr. Smallwood is also suspicious. Labrador’s Magic Valley soulmates sought help shortly after Smallwood made his comments. The basic facts were publicly reported on January 13. Labrador waited until April 23, just a few weeks before the primary election, to release his letter accusing Smallwood of breaking the law. By that time, Labrador had a glaring conflict of interest because he had endorsed the candidacy of several Gang of Eight members who stand to benefit from his unfounded accusation against Smallwood
