EDITORIAL: The red wave that's blanketed Kootenai County

WARNING: This editorial contains an excessive number of numbers. Sorry ‘bout that.

You already know that of the last 119,000 or so voters who moved to Idaho and registered here, a whopping 65% are Republican. At least, you know that (and more) if you read Wednesday’s Press editorial.

What you might not know is that Kootenai County’s inflow boasts an even darker shade of red than the state as a whole. OK, maybe you suspected it based on the number of Trump flags on pickup trucks, but here’s some actual data to help you out. It comes from Secretary of State Phil McGrane’s awesome office.

All told, 17,350 voters from across the country have moved to Kootenai County and registered here since 2004. That’s equal to the entire population of Hayden, by the way.

Of those 17,350, 71% registered Republican — 6% higher than the state as a whole. That’s 12,331 Kootenai County transplants aligned with the GOP. 

The second biggest group is unaffiliated — 19% (3,239 voters), followed by Democrats with 8% (1,471).

In order, California (6,157 voters), Washington (5,436) and Oregon (987) have sent the most voting transplants to Kootenai County. And yes, Republicans dominate: 81% of ex-Californians registered R; 66% from Washington and 70% from Oregon. 

As you likely have observed, most voters moving here are not millennials. By age, here’s the breakdown for Kootenai County’s voting transplants, with R being Republican, U being Unaffiliated, D being Democrat and O being Other:

Age 18-29: 757 voters — 59% R; 26% U; 10% D; 5% O

Age 30-49: 4,315 voters — 66% R; 24% U; 7% D; 3% O

Age 50-69: 6,889 voters — 74% R; 18% U; 7% D; 1% O

Age 70+: 5,389 voters — 73% R; 15% U; 11% D; 0% O (numbers are rounded so might not equal 100%)

As fascinating as the data is — and you can check out even more by going to the Secretary of State’s website or click on this link (https://sos.idaho.gov/dashboards/moving-voters/) — one of the great questions remains unanswered.

That is: What kind of Republicans in what proportions are moving here? Are they mostly MAGA Republicans or more traditional Republicans?

Answer that question correctly and you might hold the key to future elections.