OPINION: The 2024 GOP primary results show the urgent need for election reform
The results of the Republican primary election graphically demonstrate, once again, how the closed primary, together with massive amounts of out-of-state dark money, ensures minority-controlled government in Idaho. It is no wonder that Dorothy Moon’s extremist branch of the GOP is doing everything possible to stop election reform. If Idaho voters approve the Open Primaries Initiative on Nov. 5, the stranglehold she and her extremist allies have over the Republican Party will be forever broken. The Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) will lose its grip on the Legislature. Reasonable, pragmatic Republicans will oust the divisive GOP culture warriors from positions of power. Every Idahoan will have an equal voice in choosing their leaders.
Ever since far-right extremists closed the Republican primary in 2011, they have been increasingly able to tighten their grip on seats in the Legislature. That’s why we see librarians, teachers, doctors, pregnant women needing emergency care, LGBTQ folks and others disliked by the extremists under nearly constant attack. Using hard-edged tactics and tainted campaign cash, they have been able to defeat traditional Republicans in the low-turnout primary, virtually ensuring success in the general election.
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