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By Massive Margins, Voters in Eight States Say Only Citizens Can Vote in Their Elections


By: M.D. Kittle | November 08, 2024

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2024/11/08/by-massive-margins-voters-in-eight-states-say-only-citizens-can-vote-in-their-elections/

Signs point to where voters may drop off their ballots in Columbus.

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As divided as America may be, this election showed there’s one thing most Americans agree on: Only U.S. citizens should vote in U.S. elections. 

Voters this week in eight states — Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin — overwhelmingly approved constitutional amendment ballot questions seeking to ensure noncitizens cannot vote in state and local elections. Foreign nationals are already barred from voting in federal elections.

“We’re so often told about how divided we are in the United States, but on Tuesday we had Republicans, Democrats and independents come together in overwhelming numbers declaring that only citizens would be able to vote” in elections, a jubilant Will Martin, Wisconsin state director of Americans for Citizen Voting, told The Federalist in a phone interview this week. 

The Badger State’s Citizen-Only Voting Amendment (COVA) was endorsed by more than 70 percent of voters in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial tallies. Support topped 65 percent in each of the states with COVA questions on the ballot, according to unofficial results reported by state news organizations. In Iowa, the referendum passed with 76 percent support. In South Carolina, the ballot question earned the approval of a whopping 86 percent of voters. 

In Missouri, the same ballot question amending the state constitution to make clear only citizens can vote in Show Me State elections also knocked out ranked-choice voting by a two-to-one margin. 

Before Election Day, COVA advocates felt confident, but Wisconsin presented the biggest challenge. Jack Tomczak, vice president for Citizen Outreach for Americans for Citizen Voting, told The Federalist that the amendment faced “well-funded” opposition led by the leftist League of Women Voters. More than three dozen leftist groups lent their names and resources to an effort to defeat the referendum. Martin said opponents ran “shameful” ads falsely warning voters that military personnel wouldn’t be able to vote in Wisconsin elections if the amendment passed. 

In Idaho, Democrat lawmakers claimed noncitizens could be barred from voting in private elections, including homeowner associations and parent-teacher associations elections. The amendment ballot questions had nothing to do with such races, just as they don’t involve federal election law. 

‘Being Diminished’

Opponents, assisted by the accomplice media, pushed the left’s false talking point that foreign nationals voting in elections is nearly nonexistent and that the constitutions in Wisconsin and the other states already bar noncitizens from voting. 

“Passage of the amendments marks the latest chapter of Republican’s [sic] ongoing efforts to put unfounded claims of noncitizen voting at the center of a broader political strategy,” Democratic Party mouthpiece NBC News reported this week. 

In the words of outgoing acting President Joe Biden, malarky. 

As The Federalist has reported, the vast majority of states’ constitutions include language that “every” citizen meeting age and residency requirements is eligible to vote. The amendments demand that “only” U.S. citizens meeting the requirements are electors. 

Opponents of the COVA movement insist there’s no difference. The “every” phrasing opens the door to noncitizens being allowed to vote in state and local elections, as is the case in California, Maryland, Vermont and the District of Columbia. 

In September, Frederick became the largest city in Maryland to allow noncitizens to vote in its elections. The Board of Aldermen voted 4-1 to give green card and illegal immigrants the right to cast ballots. Kelly Russell was the sole dissenting vote.

“I have talked to many people who worked to get their citizenship in order to vote who do not agree to that, who feel that their efforts and all the hard work that they did is being diminished by this,” she said, according to Fox45 News in Baltimore. 

Takoma Park, Maryland, has allowed foreign nationals to vote in local elections for more than 30 years. All told, a dozen Maryland municipalities open the franchise to noncitizens. They can because there’s nothing in the state constitution that prevents them from doing so. 

‘Common Sense’ Movement

Wisconsin legislative Democrats have voted en bloc against resolutions to take the citizen-only amendment to the voters. While they insist noncitizens illegally voting in elections isn’t an issue, it is. Noncitizens have voted in U.S. elections and thousands have shown up on state voter rolls this election cycle. 

The problems are only magnified by an unprecedented 10 million U.S. Border Patrol encounters with illegal aliens in the nearly four years that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been in office. While it is a felony for foreign nationals to vote in U.S. elections, incidents are difficult to track and not a priority for many prosecutors. 

“There are at least 25 million non-citizens in the country according to the Census Bureau and no federal enforcement mechanism to ensure their names don’t appear on the voters rolls,” Paige Terryberry, senior research fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability, told The Federalist in September. “Right now, the Biden-Harris administration is using welfare offices, DMVs, Public housing, healthercare.gov and more to register voters, and they aren’t verifying citizenship at these locations. States can act too, but the SAVE Act is the only thing that can fix this problem nationwide before the election.”

Each illegal vote diminishes those of eligible voters. 

Since 2018, 14 states have added, or have voted to add, citizenship requirements to their constitutions, according to Ballotpedia. 

Martin noted that swing state Wisconsin is a “50-50” state, as evident by former President Donald Trump’s victory in the so-called “blue wall” state by a little over 28,000 votes. Still, the ballot question scored majorities in 71 of 72 counties, Martin said. 

The COVA advocate said the issue is part of a sea change in America, a return to basic guiding values. 

“Theres a movement in this country toward common sense,” Martin said. “People are tired of people trying to interpret for them, people are tired of being told what to think.” 

For more election news and updates, visit electionbriefing.com

Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.

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New Idaho law declares there are only 2 genders, ‘sex’ based on biology


By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter | Thursday, April 11, 2024

Read more at https://www.christianpost.com/news/idaho-law-only-2-genders-sex-based-on-biology.html/

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The governor of Idaho has signed into law a measure explicitly declaring that there are only two genders, as the idea that there are multiple genders has permeated popular culture and global politics.

On Tuesday, Idaho’s Republican Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 421 into law. The measure, approved by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in a 54-14 vote in February and passed by the Republican-controlled Senate in a 26-8 vote on April 10, amends Idaho state law to establish a definition of the term “sex,” clarifying that there are only two genders: male and female. All Democrats in both chambers voted against the bill, while one Senate Republican and three House Republicans broke with their party to oppose it. 

The language included in the bill applies to “the compiled laws and rules and policies of the state of Idaho.” The measure defines “sex” as “an individual’s biological sex, either male or female.” It identifies a male as “an individual who has, had, will have, or, but for a developmental or genetic anomaly or historical accident, would have the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports, and utilizes sperm for fertilization.” 

Meanwhile, the legislation defines a female as someone who “has, had, will have, or, but for a developmental or genetic anomaly or historical accident, would have the reproductive system that at some point produces, transports, and utilizes eggs for fertilization.” It clarifies that the term “boy” refers to “a minor human male,” while the word “father” is used for “a male parent.” 

On the other hand, the measure states that “‘girl’ means a minor human female,” while “‘mother’ means a female parent.”

“‘Gender,’ when used to refer to males, females, or the natural differences between males and females, shall be considered a synonym for ‘sex’ and shall not be considered a synonym for gender identity, an internal sense of gender, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role,” the bill adds. 

The legislation also replaces the previous definition of sex as “the immutable biological and physiological characteristics, specifically the chromosomes and internal and external reproductive anatomy, genetically determined at conception and generally recognizable at birth, that define an individual as male or female” with the new definition in existing laws. 

A declaration of legislative intent included at the beginning of the legislation states that “in human beings, there are two, and only two, sexes: male and female” and that “every individual is either male or female.” Stressing that “an individual’s sex can be observed or clinically verified at or before birth,” the measure asserts that “in no case is an individual’s sex determined by stipulation or self-identification.”

“There is increasing confusion about the definition of sex as a biological truth and its relationship to concepts and terms, including but not limited to gender, gender identity, gender role, gender expression, and experienced gender,” the legislation explains. “Confusion and ambiguities surrounding the definitions of sex, male, female, and related terms can hinder individual efforts to enjoy equal treatment under the law.”  

Emphasizing that “legal equality of the two sexes does not imply that the sexes are identical to each other or are the same in every respect,” the bill maintains that “separate facilities, housing or sleeping arrangements, or sports teams, programs, or leagues established because of or organized according to physical differences between the sexes does not constitute unequal treatment under the law,” adding, “Physical differences between males and females are enduring, and the two sexes are not fungible.”

The passage of House Bill 421 comes at a time when adherence to the idea that sex is determined by biology is interpreted as hostile to the LGBT community, some of whom identify as a made-up gender other than their sex or identify as non-binary or identify as one of several fake gender identities. Last year, a professor at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas, was fired because he said sex is determined by an individual’s chromosomes. 

That professor, who was ultimately reinstated earlier this year after filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, had been terminated due to allegations that he engaged in “religious preaching, discriminatory comments about homosexuals and transgender individuals, anti-abortion rhetoric, and misogynistic banter” by stating a biological fact. 

At the same time, gender identity is emerging as a protected class in American society.

In the 2020 case of Bostock v. Clayton County, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the protections against discrimination on the basis of sex in federal civil rights law also apply to sexual orientation and gender identity. 

In some countries, “misgendering,” a term misused by trans activists to defame those who correctly identify a person’s sex, can have even more adverse consequences. A Mexican congressman and civil society leader have found themselves subject to prosecution for using male pronouns to refer to a trans-identified lawmaker in Mexico who self-identifies as female.  

Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com

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Culture, Family, Health, LGBTQ+ AND TRANSGENDER, Political

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Idaho Takes An Axe To Ranked-Choice Voting In Elections, And North Dakota And Arizona Could Follow Suit


BY: SHAWN FLEETWOOD | APRIL 03, 2023

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2023/04/03/idaho-takes-an-axe-to-ranked-choice-voting-in-elections-and-north-dakota-and-arizona-could-follow-suit/

Maryland residents voting in an election

Idaho scored a major win for election integrity last month by banning the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in elections, with North Dakota and Arizona potentially following suit. On March 24, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed HB 179, which prohibits county election offices from using “ranked choice voting or instant runoff voting to conduct an election or nomination of any candidate in this state for any local government, statewide, or federal elective office.” The bill passed the Idaho House of Representatives (56-12) and Senate (28-7) earlier last month.

Under RCV, which critics often refer to as “rigged-choice voting,” voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes in the first round of voting, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and his votes are reallocated to the voter’s second-choice candidate. Such a process continues until one candidate receives a majority of votes.

In addition to Idaho, South Dakota banned the use of ranked-choice voting last month. Florida and Tennessee also passed similar bans last year.

Meanwhile, North Dakota Republicans put their state one step closer to banning the confusing system following the state Senate’s passage (33-13) of HB 1273 on Friday. The measure had previously cleared the House of Representatives (74-19) earlier this month and will soon head to Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s desk for approval. When pressed on whether Burgum intends to sign the bill, Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki declined to answer, saying “We have not received HB 1273 from the Legislature yet, and the governor generally does not comment on legislation before it reaches his desk.”

In addition to Idaho and North Dakota, Arizona Republicans are also working to outlaw the use of ranked-choice voting in their state’s elections. The legislature is attempting to pass a ban on ranked-choice voting in the form of HB 2552, which passed the House last month and is now being considered by the Senate.

While Maine and Alaska are the only two states to employ RCV so far, their respective elections since implementing the system have produced outcomes that clearly contradict the desires of voters. In Maine, then-incumbent GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin lost to Democrat Jared Golden during the 2018 midterms, despite Poliquin winning the most votes in the first round of voting. That outcome was due to the state’s ranked-choice voting system.

Similarly, in Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola won the state’s at-large congressional seat last year even though “nearly 60 percent of voters [cast] their ballots for a Republican.” RCV also played a major role in helping Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski fend off a challenge from Trump-backed Kelly Tshibaka during the 2022 midterms. The system allowed her to win due to being listed second on Alaska Democrats’ ranked-choice ballots.

Other states considering bans on ranked-choice voting include Alaska, Texas, and Montana.

Shawn Fleetwood is a Staff Writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He also serves as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood

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A growing number of Oregon counties are voting to join Idaho because the state’s coastal zone ignores their concerns


By LEON WOLF | October 16, 2022

Read more at https://www.conservativereview.com/a-growing-number-of-oregon-counties-are-voting-to-join-idaho-because-the-state-s-coastal-zone-ignores-their-concerns-2658458201.html/

Image source: CBS News screenshot

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Voters in nine Oregon counties have already supported ballot measures that express their counties’ desire to leave Oregon and join Idaho, and two more may follow this trend in November. As noted by CBS News, a growing number of activists in the eastern part of Oregon are seeking a divorce from their state’s reliably Democratic largest city, Portland, which dominates the entire state’s political scene. These activists feel that the state’s coastal areas, which contain a majority of the state’s population, do not represent them or their values and that they would be more at home in conservative-leaning Idaho than they are in Oregon.

Activist Mike McCarter, who leads an organization called Move Oregon’s Border, told CBS that, “In talking to a legislator over in the Portland area, I said, ‘The legislature doesn’t listen to our people, our representatives over here.’ He said, ‘Whoa whoa whoa, stop, Mike. We hear what they’re staying. We just out-vote you.'” So McCarter decided to take matters into his own hands and start a movement to separate the state’s eastern portion, which constitutes a majority of the state’s land area, from the western portion.

McCarter and other activists in the state have managed to successfully have the question placed on the ballot in 11 counties so far. Nine of them voted to leave Oregon and join Idaho. Only two – the western counties of Douglas and Josephine – voted against the measure. And the measure will now be on the ballot in Morrow and Wheeler counties this November, where activists think the measure will pass.

Activist Sandie Gilson noted, “When you have a government that won’t listen to the opposition, or take into account those of us that live out here, then we have no government representation… They won’t hear our concerns, they don’t understand our lifestyle.”

These resolution, are, of course non-binding and the activists behind them know that it will be extremely difficult to actually pull off the change they are seeking. However, as Gilson noted, “I look at it like the American Revolution was a big hurdle to make, and they did it.”

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Trans Hormone Profiteer Planned Parenthood Teaches Public School Sex Ed In 16 States, Including Red Idaho


BY: TRISTAN JUSTICE | OCTOBER 07, 2022

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2022/10/07/trans-hormone-profiteer-planned-parenthood-teaches-public-school-sex-ed-in-16-states-including-red-idaho/

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A sex-ed curriculum developed by an offshoot of Planned Parenthood to teach children about abortion and radical gender ideology is being imposed on school districts across red-state Idaho. The curriculum, called “Reducing the Risk,” is a project of the nonprofit Education, Training and Research (ETR) developed in partnership with Planned Parenthood and already deployed across 16 states, including Idaho.

Students under the “queer-centered” curriculum, which is behind a paywall, are presented with a new definition of abstinence, which has been amended from its real meaning — refraining entirely from sex — to “choosing not to do any sexual activity that carries a risk for pregnancy or STD/HIV,” according to the conservative Idaho Freedom Foundation. The curriculum then offers explicit material about “porn literacy,” condoms, anal and vaginal sex with contraception, transgender ideology, and even guidance on abortion, the state think tank reported.

Anna Miller, the education policy director for the Idaho Freedom Foundation, blew the whistle on the curriculum in a video published on Twitter in September. The video features an apparent clip from the ETR package, which shows animated students watching porn.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, a state agency, is facilitating the program in the state’s schools with federal grant money, bypassing the state education department.

[READ: How Activists Use Your Tax Dollars To Sexualize Kids At School]

While the curriculum is designed for high school students, the state reported to the federal Department of Health and Human Services that kids as young as 12 are being presented with the material.

All seven of Idaho’s health districts have either recommended or implemented the controversial curriculum in local schools, according to the Idaho Freedom Foundation. Districts have also begun to promote links to additional resources including Power to Decide, where kids can find where to get an abortion. Other resources include links to where students learn to hide their browsing history from parents and explore polyamory.

In a September statement responding to outrage over porn literacy being taught in Idaho schools, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare described the Planned Parenthood-sponsored curriculum as compliant with the “National Health Education Standards” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the department’s website on teen pregnancy does not link to standards from the CDC. Instead, it links to the “National Sexuality Education Standards,” which were created by a series of radical left-wing interest groups including the Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood, which has become the nation’s second-largest provider of transgender hormones. In other words, Planned Parenthood’s trans-focused sex ed materials are encouraging kids to become its lifelong mutilation customers. The standards dictate that students should understand and “describe” the “role of hormone blockers on young people who identify as transgender” by the end of fifth grade.

In a bizarre student workbook for the “Reducing the Risk” curriculum on the Planned Parenthood website, students are trained to call clinics to inquire about sterilization, shop for condoms, and answer questions about different hypothetical situations. One situation describes a scene where “a lot of kids are getting high, and some couples are leaving — maybe to have sex.” Another worksheet guides students to document how to get to a so-called “family planning clinic,” such as abortion giant Planned Parenthood, by bus or train.

The trans-centered curriculum in Idaho is being implemented without notifying parents, many of whom are being left in the dark by administrators claiming to teach “abstinence education.”

Children have become a prime target for left-wing ideologues promoting radical transgender ideology. Health care networks have taken notice, capitalizing on gender-confused kids who then become life-long patients when they start to pursue irreversible gender-bending treatments.

According to a report from Grand View Research, a California-based business consulting firm, transgender surgeries will become a $5 billion industry over the next 10 years. In September, Vanderbilt University earned national attention for openly placing dollar signs on children as a “big money maker.”

Boston Children’s Hospital has also promoted “gender-affirming” hysterectomies and sterilizations for minors, who are almost always introduced to transgender ideology either on social media or in the classroom.

Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com.

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Judge stops Idaho university from punishing Christian students for opposing gay marriage


Reported By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor | July 5, 2022

Read more at https://www.christianpost.com/news/judge-stops-idaho-university-from-punishing-christian-students.html/

The University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. | University of Idaho Photo Services

A judge issued a temporary block to a university policy that censored three Christian students who had expressed opposition to same-sex marriage on religious grounds. Students Peter Perlot, Mark Miller and Ryan Alexander sued the University of Idaho over a policy in which they were barred from talking with a student about their views on same-sex marriage. The three belong to the University of Idaho chapter of the Christian Legal Society, which holds traditional views on the definition of marriage and sexual ethics.

In an order released last week, Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye issued a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the university’s policies against the plaintiffs. Nye noted that university officials targeted the plaintiffs over their specific religious views, namely their opposition to same-sex marriage.

“Defendants’ orders targeted the viewpoint of Plaintiffs’ speech. Both students and professors expressed opposing viewpoints to the views expressed by Plaintiffs without any type of intervention, let alone punishment,” wrote Nye.

“The disparity in Defendants’ approach is what bothers the Court most about this case and leans towards a finding that Defendants’ actions were designed to repress specific speech.”

Nye added that “the Court agrees Plaintiffs have a high likelihood of showing Defendants violated the First Amendment by issuing the no-contact orders based on the content and viewpoint of their speech.”

“Some may disagree with Plaintiffs’ religious beliefs. Such is each person’s prerogative and right. But none should disagree that Plaintiffs have a right to express their religious beliefs without fear of retribution. The Constitution makes that clear,” he added.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a law firm helping to represent the three plaintiffs, released a press release Friday celebrating the injunction order.

“Peter, Mark, and Ryan are guaranteed the freedom under the First Amendment to discuss their faith on campus, just like every other student and faculty member,” said ADF Legal Counsel Mathew Hoffmann, as quoted in the press release.

“We’re pleased they are again free to exercise their constitutionally protected freedoms without fear of punishment, and we look forward to a final resolution of this case in their favor and, ultimately, in favor of free speech for everyone.”

In late April, the three students sued university officials after they were given “no-contact orders” from the school’s Office of Civil Rights & Investigations. According to the lawsuit, the students attended an LGBT event on campus with the intention of representing a biblical perspective on marriage and sexual ethics. When a student asked them about their views, they offered their perspectives and gave the unnamed student a note expressing an interest in continuing the dialogue. Instead of the conversation continuing, the three students were given “no-contact orders,” which barred them from further communication with the student that they had dialogued with.

“The CLS members did not receive notice that anyone had complained about them and were not given an opportunity to review the allegations against them or defend themselves,” stated the suit.

“Instead of allowing the students to disagree civilly and respectfully with one another and to discuss these important issues, the University chose instead to censor Plaintiffs.”

In an earlier statemen to The Christian Post, university spokesperson Jodi Walker explained that the no-contact order was “a supportive measure available to a student under Title IX” and that “these supportive measures must be enacted” when a student requests them.

“When a complaint is made that qualifies under Title IX, the university must make the student aware of the supportive measures available,” said Walker at the time.   

Follow Michael Gryboski on Twitter or Facebook 

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Daniel Horowitz Op-ed: Idaho conservatives poised to remake legislature like never before


OP-ED | DANIEL HOROWITZ | May 19, 2022

Read more at https://www.theblaze.com/op-ed/horowitz-idaho-legislature-conservatives/

Idaho has long suffered a paradox, in that it is so dominated by Republicans that it is not so Republican at all. Because it is a de facto one-party state, many liberals who are well connected to the woke industries and lobbyists choose to run as Republicans and use their superior campaign cash to campaign as conservatives, the exact opposite of what they plan to do in office. This is why, despite a 58-12 majority in the House and a 28-7 majority in the Senate, conservatives rarely enjoy legislative wins that other red states are able to easily secure. Last night’s elections might have changed that in a big way.

Establishment Republican elites are crowing about their apparent victories in both the Pennsylvania Senate race and the Idaho gubernatorial race on Tuesday. Idaho Gov. Brad Little warded off a challenge from Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin. However, when you get past the statewide elections, which require tremendous money and organization to make competitive – money true conservatives don’t have – we find a different story.

A total of 20 incumbent Republicans – 11 running for the Senate and nine running for the House – were defeated or poised to lose as of Tuesday night. A big part of these results is thanks to the work of the Idaho Freedom PAC, which actively recruited candidates against incumbents.

It’s truly hard to overstate the significance of this development. Thirteen of the 28 Republican senators didn’t stand for re-election. Out of the 15 remaining, nine were defeated, and several RINO House members seeking a Senate seat lost to conservatives. There is almost no parallel to that in recent history. While some of the races involved other quirks or were due to redistricting, and a few others were conservatives who were defeated by more ideologically ambiguous candidates, for the most part, conservatives downed many liberal Republicans and made gains in open seats.

Among the highlights were conservative Rep. Codi Galloway beating Sen. Fred Martin, the five-term Senate Health and Welfare Committee chair from Boise. Sen. Jim Patrick, who served five terms in the Senate and three in the House, was defeated by a conservative as well. He was chairman of the Senate Commerce & Human Resources Committee. Also, Rep. Greg Chaney, the outgoing chair of Judiciary, Rules & Administration in the House, lost his bid for a Senate seat, and Sen. Carl Crabtree, vice chair of the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee, lost his seat.

Additionally, two conservatives who moved from California to seek freedom in the Gem State defeated prominent incumbents. Retired California firefighter Carl Bjerke took out Senate Health and Welfare Committee vice chair Sen. Peter Riggs. Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee co-chair Sen. Jeff Agenbroad was defeated by Brian Lenney, who moved his family from California to Nampa in 2010.

Even in a number of instances where the incumbent survived, the challengers came much closer than we usually see in statewide elections. Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Winder only won his race by about 640 votes. Now he will face a brand-new caucus that can possibly vote him out of leadership. Conservatives would have enjoyed an even better night if not for the fact that leadership drew several of them into the same district and forced them to compete with each other. This dynamic made the House results more of a wash, but the House was already fairly conservative. So, the fact that the Senate has caught up to it will give the legislature a lot of clout over Gov. Brad Little.

What this success at the legislative level demonstrates is that for lower offices, where the bar to entry is much lower in terms of financial needs, conservatives are on a much more level playing field.

Even in the statewide elections, there are signs that in the future, conservatives can sweep the state. Former Congressman Raul Labrador defeated a 22-year incumbent for attorney general. Conservatives also came within a hair of winning the office of secretary of state and only lost because of vote-splitting. Even for governor, Brad Little only secured 53% of the total vote. Had there been a runoff option, the race might have picked up more momentum and could have become contested. With less vote-splitting and slightly stronger candidates, conservatives can truly take over the state next time.

In other states, mainly in the South, where there are runoffs, conservatives have a stronger chance to compete statewide. Next week, conservatives have an opportunity to draw Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey into a runoff. One recent poll showed Ivey only garnering 40% of the vote, with socially conservative businessman Tim James in second place for a potential runoff. Vote-splitting has plagued conservatives for decades, and the institution of runoffs in more states would allow them to compete against the establishment without fear of dividing the vote of thinking voters.

The Idaho media cheer for liberal Republicans because they don’t really have Democrat horses to ride, but even they recognize the significance of the Idaho Freedom PAC’s work in changing the state’s politics. A bigger focus on state legislatures will pay great dividends in the future, and other states can mimic the work of the Idaho Freedom PAC.

Indeed, the trend of RINO chairmen losing their seats played out in other states on Tuesday night. Three RINO Kentucky House chairs lost their seats in northern Kentucky. Eight-term incumbent Adam Koenig, chairman of the House Licensing and Occupations Committee, was defeated by Steven Doan, a liberty candidate supported by Congressman Thomas Massie and state Rep. Savannah Maddox, a rising conservative star who might run for governor next year. Rep. Ed Massey, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee from Hebron, and Rep. Sal Santoro, an eight-term incumbent and chairman of the Transportation Budget Committee, were also defeated.

In Pennsylvania, Rep. Stan Saylor of York County and Sen. Pat Browne of Lehigh County, both the House and Senate appropriations committee chairs respectively, were defeated by conservative challengers. Saylor had been in the House for 30 years. Republicans already have strong majorities in both houses, and if they can pick up the governorship with Doug Mastriano, a more conservative legislature can dramatically alter the political trajectory of the state.

So, what gives when it comes to 63% of the Pennsylvania Republicans voting for Mehmet Oz or Dave McCormick over the conservative favorite, Kathy Barnette? Very simple. They each raised close to $16 million and ran as solid conservatives, so the other challengers, including Kathy Barnette, were outgunned. On the other hand, Doug Mastriano, likely the most conservative in the gubernatorial field, won his primary in a landslide. In that case, there was no unified establishment candidate with endless sums of money to fool the voters.

Overall, conservatives would be wise to focus more on state and local races rather than federal races. Making red states red again and state legislatures great again will go a long way in divorcing ourselves from the morass of Washington. The RINOs can have the irremediably broken federal system, while we focus on rebuilding liberty in some of the states.

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26 state school board associations distance themselves from national group calling parents ‘terrorists’


Reported By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor| Monday, November 15, 2021

Read more at https://www.christianpost.com/news/26-school-board-groups-object-to-nsba-calling-parents-terrorists.html/

High school, classroom, California
IT Support Technician Michael Hakopian (R) distributes computer devices to students at Hollywood High School on August 13, 2020, in Hollywood, California. With over 734,000 enrolled students, the Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California and the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. | Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

At least 26 state school board associations have distanced themselves from the National School Board Association after it urged the Biden administration to use federal law enforcement agencies against parents who oppose the teaching of controversial curriculum in public schools by labeling them as potential “domestic terrorists.”

The national grassroots organization Parents Defending Education says the states that have distanced themselves from the NSBA’s letter include: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. 

Out of these, 12 states — Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wisconsin — have taken further action to withdraw membership, participation or dues from the NSBA.

PDE wrote to NSBA member states for their comment on the Sept. 29 letter sent to them by NSBA Interim Executive Director Chip Slaven, which critics believe likened activism of concerned parents to “domestic terrorism.”

The letter said the NSBA had asked the U.S. Department of Justice to mobilize law enforcement agencies to respond to “threats and acts of violence against public schoolchildren, public school board members, and other public school district officials and educators” as actions of “domestic terrorism.”

While some school board members across the nation have publicly shared incidents of threats they’ve purportedly received from angry residents, critics believe the request to get federal law enforcement involved is unwarranted and an attempt to silence parents. Specific examples of concerning actions included the disruption of school board meetings “because of local directives for mask coverings to protect students and educators from COVID-19,” the incitement of “chaos” at school board meetings by “anti-mask proponents,” and the confrontation of school boards by “angry mobs” that have led boards to “end meetings abruptly.”

John Halkias, the director of the NSBA’s Central Region, wrote to Slaven the same day, on Sept. 29, sharing his belief that “the Board of Directors should have been consulted before a letter like this was sent out publicly, and no less to the President of the United States and the National Press.”

“I also agree that the letter took a stance that went beyond what many of us would consider to be reasonable and used terms that were extreme, and asked for action by the Federal Government that many of us would not request,” he added. “In fact in a recent press conference, the White House Press Secretary stated that when these incidents occur, it is a matter for local law enforcement and local authorities, and NOT the federal government.”

In an Oct. 2 email, NSBA President Viola Garcia told the organization’s board of directors that “NSBA has been engaged with the White House and the Department of Education on these and other issues related to the pandemic for several weeks now.”

Five days later, the Department of Justice published a memorandum directing “the Federal Bureau of Investigations, working with each United States Attorney, to convene meetings with federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial leaders within 30 days” to “facilitate the discussion of strategies for addressing threats against school administrators, board members, teachers and staff.”

Republican members of Congress also criticized the memo.

“As someone who was born in the Soviet Union, I am … disturbed, very disturbed, by the use of the Department of Justice as a political tool, and its power as the police state to suppress lawful public discourse,” Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., said in a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing. “The FBI is starting to resemble old KGB with secret warrantless … surveillance, wiretapping and intimidation of citizens.”

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