Idaho GOP convention kicks off in Coeur d’Alene

COEUR d’ALENE — Republicans from all of Idaho’s 44 counties converged on Coeur d’Alene on Thursday for the kickoff of the Idaho Republican State Convention.

Delegates will vote this week on resolutions, rules and platform changes, as well as party leadership. Reporters were not permitted to observe any of the committee meetings Thursday and were confined to a small area in the hall outside the meeting rooms in The Coeur d’Alene Resort. Party officials told The Press that committee meetings are a private matter for the state GOP.

A closely watched element of the convention is the contest between Idaho Republican Chairwoman Dorothy Moon and former Idaho legislator Mary Souza for the top spot in Idaho’s GOP.

Their race took an unexpected form Thursday: A standoff over campaign signage and a table.

Souza and some supporters manned a table outside the meeting rooms through the early afternoon, giving away campaign shirts and buttons. Souza said The Resort provided the table at her request and allowed her to place it near several vendors who had reportedly paid the Idaho GOP $1,000 each in order to sell their wares during the convention.

Throughout the day, signs promoting Souza’s campaign were moved. Marilyn Holly, executive assistant for the Idaho GOP, said she had been instructed by party officials to move Souza’s signs and flip them around so they didn’t face passersby.

In the end, Souza moved her table to another area of The Resort.

Moon suggested the move was much ado about nothing. She said it was unfair for Souza to have a table alongside vendors who had paid for the privilege of being there.

“(Souza) is just being silly,” Moon said.

But Souza indicated the spat could be part of a bigger problem: Conflict and divisiveness within the Idaho GOP that pits Republicans against one another. She said she believes in uniting Idaho Republicans under the “tent” envisioned by Ronald Reagan, one with room for all Republicans and space for differing views and nuance in their philosophy.

“I’m running because we have had a lot of discord in the party and we have divided into all these different factions,” she said.

Souza said some of that division comes from Republican central committees endorsing candidates ahead of primary elections. The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee has embraced the practice, routinely promoting slates of Republican primary candidates.

Critics, including Souza, say it’s inappropriate for a central committee to use its funds and resources to elevate some Republican candidates over others. Souza said she believes it’s disrespectful to Republican voters.

“The power of their vote has been usurped,” she said.

Moon takes the opposite view. She said she believes primary race endorsements are appropriate.

“I believe it’s a county’s prerogative to hold candidates’ feet to the fire if they’re not representing their constituents,” she said Thursday.

In Kootenai County, the matter was a central issue in the recent Republican primary election. After a contentious race for 73 seats on the Republican central committee, the incumbent committeemen retained their majority, while 30 challengers backed by the rival group North Idaho Republicans won 30 spots.

Moon said the results in Kootenai County and elsewhere in Idaho indicate that grassroots political activism is working. “The attempt to replace good, conservative precinct committeemen did not work,” she said.

Moon said she’s focused on the work of the Idaho Republican Party during this week’s activities.

“I will do everything in my power to keep Idaho red,” she said.

The convention continues today and Saturday at The Coeur d’Alene Resort and North Idaho College.