NIR: A response from Brent Regan

Fifteen years ago when North Idaho Republican members controlled our Kootenai County Republican Party, the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee was a sleepy, low-energy group of pamphleteers whose sole purpose was to promote the candidates that won the primary. There was no vetting process, no vote of the membership, no Voter Guide, no list of Recommended Candidates, and no Town Halls. Conservatives were told to “Sit down and shut up.” The old KCRCC didn’t serve the people, it served the party establishment.

Back then, the most liberal-voting legislator in the state was a Republican from North Idaho. Democrat Walt Minnick was our congressman, and he was supported, against the Republican, by an NIR founder and endorsed candidate. Half of the voters in our county were affiliated with the Republican Party. Voter turnout was as low as 8%. Today, 38 NIR members are also members of the YES on 1 (pro-Ranked Choice Voting) organization, and 19 NIR-endorsed candidates signed the petition for Ranked Choice Voting and to allow Democrats to vote in the Republican Primary. Nine NIR candidates signed the petition to allow late-term abortion on the ballot. Many NIR members have expressed disdain and even hatred toward President Trump and actively campaigned for his opponent. These are documented facts.

Since the voters elected grassroots conservatives to the majority of seats in the KCRCC ten years ago, over 34,000 new Republicans have joined the party. Republicans are now 67% of all voters. Voter turnout has tripled. KCRCC vetting and the Voter Guide give you the information you need to make informed decisions. The KCRCC now works for the people, not the party, and the old, establishment NIR members don’t like that. They want to “restore” the party to their control. Is that what you want?

BRENT REGAN

KCRCC chairman