Dorothy Moon, the chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party, is currently in the midst of a juicy political feud with the Bingham County Republican Central Committee’s executive team. The beef? Moon apparently tried to step in and fill some county leadership voids. The response? An official lawsuit to block her every move.
The plot thickens: Moon’s meddling invalidated the July 20 meeting results where Matt Thompson was elected chairman. Her reasoning? As unclear as to why we still don’t have affordable healthcare. But here’s the twist: several members were conveniently out of town when Moon scheduled a new election meeting.
Thompson and his team, being savvy political players, tried to appeal this decision. But it seems Moon wasn’t in the mood for democratic processes, ignoring the appeal and pushing ahead with her planned meeting. Thompson’s take? “Chairwoman Moon talks about upholding the rules, but she’s breaking the rules by not allowing us to appeal.”
As juicy as this is, it’s just one chapter in a series of political power plays by Moon, according to allegations. The Bingham County Republican Central Committee claims that Moon’s got a pattern of sidelining Republicans who dare to disagree with her. Power County experienced something similar, with Moon allegedly invalidating their leadership elections and conducting her own, favorable elections.
The backdrop? The party’s very soul is in flux. The Idaho GOP is grappling with pivotal changes like a planned move to a presidential nominating caucus and a new rule that forces voters to play the waiting game before they can vote in a Republican primary after switching parties. And the division is palpable. The Federation of Republican Women, Idaho Young Republicans, and Idaho College Republicans have all lost their voting power with the Idaho GOP’s state central committee.
Lori Otter, former Idaho first lady and a firm Republican, even sounded the alarm, urging the youth and women in the party to reclaim it. She cautions, “If you don’t pay attention to what’s happening to this party, this party is going to lose its power over everything that the Republican Party stands for.”
So, what’s the moral of this Idahoan tale? Well, when you mix politics with personal vendettas, things get messy. And it’s the party and its members that suffer. So, here’s to hoping Idaho’s GOP can find some middle ground, with a little less drama and a lot more democracy.
