Op-Ed: Moon is Out if New GOP Team Has its Way
By Chuck Malloy • May 29, 2024If Dorothy Moon wins another term as chair of the Idaho Republican Party, it will be without the help of Bonneville County Republicans.
That’s because the central committee’s leadership team, which includes Doyle Beck and former congressional candidate Bryan Smith, were thrown out on primary election night and a new slate of officers will move in after reorganization this week.
The immediate focus of the leadership team will be to restore peace and harmony to the central committee. In mid-June, during the state party’s convention in Coeur d’Alene, the group will be leading the charge to remove Moon as the GOP’s leader. At least one state representative thinks that a change is inevitable.
“She will not be returning as the party’s chairwoman, and I think she knows that,” said Rep. Marco Erickson of Idaho Falls, who was re-elected to a third term in the Legislature and won a precinct position as well.
Predictions can be perilous in a state convention, where mood swings can change rapidly. But Bonneville County is a traditional Republican hotbed and delegates there can have a big say over who runs the party and how the platform reads. If the statewide turnover rate of precinct positions is anything like Bonneville County’s, then Moon’s chairmanship may end.
Erickson and friends in Bonneville County would have no trouble getting support from the likes of Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke – assuming that they bother showing up to the convention. They are no fans of Moon, or her brand of leadership.
So, we’ll see what happens in the Lake City rumble. To borrow from the late sports announcer, Keith Jackson, this should be “a real slobberknocker.”
Meanwhile, the post-election celebrations continue in Bonneville County, where six incumbents who were reprimanded in some form by the central committee, easily won re-election. According to Erickson, the party’s more moderate faction now holds 40 of the county’s 53 precinct posts.
“The central committee had zero influence,” Erickson said. “Every candidate they have endorsed in the last two years has lost, with the exception of one state race. In Bonneville County, voters paid attention to the negativity they were spreading, and they didn’t like it. To lawmakers, they tried to call us names – like RINOs or Democrats. No, we’re all Republicans.”
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Rep. Wendy Horman, a co-chair of the Legislature’s budget-writing committee, said that primary voters sent a strong message.
“The message is that we (legislators) are more in touch with voters than the central committee. Voters spoke loud and clear that they don’t care for DC-style campaigning, and they want to be the ones to hold their legislators accountable,” she said. “All six of us were brought under that inquisition process, and all of us won.”
The other winners included Sens. Kevin Cook and Dave Lent and Reps. Barbara Ehardt and Stephanie Mickelsen, who the central committee tried to bar from running on the Republican ticket.
“I don’t think they (the central committee) had the influence they thought they had,” Mickelsen said. “I think you will see a more collaborative relationship between legislators and the central committee … without feeling that we’re in front of a jury trial, and without being with someone who is trying to reprimand us. We can have a good conversation, without kangaroo courts or trying to take away the ‘R.’ It has been a difficult situation for a long time with the legislators and the central committee.”
Erickson says the central committee will have a new direction – one that supports Republicans and does not choose winners and losers in a primary campaign. Erickson says that as a precinct officer, he plans to support all Republican candidates – even those he might not like.
“If you are the Republican candidate, then you will be treated well,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve felt confident that the central committee will not have a side agenda, or not having some puppeteer pulling the strings.”
One of the first orders of business for the revamped central committee, he says, will be to reverse the reprimands against his fellow legislators.
“Hopefully, there also will be an apology,” he said.
Chuck Malloy is a long-time Idaho journalist and columnist. He may be reached at ctmalloy@outlook.com
This Op-Ed was submitted by Chuck Malloy. Op-Eds do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those at the Idaho Dispatch.
Tags: Barbara Ehardt, Bonneville County Central Committee, Bonneville County GOP, Bryan Smith, Coeur d'Alene, Dave Lent, Dorothy Moon, Doyle Beck, GOP Chairman, GOP Convention, Kevin Cook, Marco Erickson, Republican, Stephanie Mickelsen, Wendy Horman
This author’s continuing stream of “op-eds” seem to be nothing more than oral flatulence and gaslighting…he’s like the lone liberal voice on a panel of conservatives that has been placed there to stir up controversy and generate conflict in order to gain readership.
One thing I’ve learned about gaslighters…they have fooled themselves into thinking no one sees through their attempts to further their not-so-secret intentions.
Agreed. It is though he is the official RINO voice at the dispatch. I have wondered why they keep him on when we can get the same drivel from any Idaho MSM outlet.
Agree!! I hope he is proven wrong.
All I see is RINO liberal collaborators trying to take charge and the population falling for their BS. If there is one thing real conservatives know is that you get what you vote for.
Amen!
The dumbed down TV watchers with out discernment reelect their politician thieves.
Yep, still drinking the kool aid.
I’m registered republican just for voting in the primaries but don’t really align with most that consider themselves good republicans. I’ve found most good republicans are just liberals that haven’t come out of the closet yet. Idaho is going to be like the left coast states soon if we don’t get rid of the RINOs we keep electing. In district 9 we just replaced a good strong conservative with someone who supports corporate welfare and ranked choice voting but we did get rid of the leftist state senator who posed as a republican.
Dorothy Moon is the best thing that has happened to the Republican Party in Idaho in the 15 years I have lived here. Tom Luna was and is the biggest RINO (or close to it) in the state. He says he has always been a Republican, but a true conservative Republican would not have brought Common Core to our state as he did. Of course, you only need to follow the money to see why this was done. It was not to help Idaho or our kids, it was done to help Tom Luna. And that is how he operates.
Agree!
Dorothy Moon is the best thing to happen to the GOP party since sliced bread!! If anyone thinks Trent Clark and Tom Luna are conservative, what a joke!!!
The are Rinos!!! The reorganization this week was a show of force but we CANNOT Give up.!!! We will continue th fight. BECAUSE my Idaho is worth saving from this corrupt group of people!!!!!
I think Ms. Moon has done a wonderful job so far. She stands for truly conservative Republicans and has been transparent and energetic in her attempts to keep us informed and aware of the RINOS attempting to subvert the party by claiming to be something their not. There are a lot of candidates that claim to be Republican but vote with the Democrats the majority of the time. If you feel you have to misrepresent you values and lie about your positions on the issues to win maybe you shouldn’t be in politics. We’ve been lied to for years, by both parties. The truth is apparent with every visit to the grocery store and every look at the national debt. Are the cities any safer, the world less dangerous. Has COVID and its origins been satisfactorily explained to you or have you had your rights infringed on? It’s up to us to seek accountability, Ms. Moon appears to be trying, apparently some don’t want her to succeed.
Marco Erickson along with the rest of the liberal Gem State Heist Bonneville County Central Committee members just voted to violate the by laws of their organization as the first three significant votes of the night. Frank “the Emperor/puppeteer/kingmaker” Vandersloot was there to cheer them on. Way to go Melaleuca!
I don’t care much for labels, Republican, Democrat, I look to the party platform that states the guiding principles of each party to see which more closely aligns with my principles. Anyone can register in any party. It is a little fraudulent to have principles that align with the Democrat party platform and register as a republican. These RINOs know they won’t get far in Idaho running as a Democrat, so they put on the Republican mask to get elected. Once elected, they can act and vote like democrats. Voters need to be savvier than just voting for the candidate with an R by their name.
Chuck “the gaslighter liberal” Malloy. Don’t you have better things to do than write “op-eds” to a bunch of true conservatives that disagree with your liberal point of view? Maybe find a good “progressive” (regressive) blog you can write for, or maybe something Liz cheyney or mitt Romney sponsors. You’d fit in much better there. You’re wasting your time here. We’re much too informed to get tricked into your “rino” (democrat) slant here. Nice try.
What’s the next “op-ed” (liberal talking point) coming from gaslighter (cough cough I mean journalist) Chuck Malloy. Perhaps another “global warming” (tax raising scheme) piece. That one went over so well. Maybe another “hit piece” on Dorothy Moon, who’s a true conservative who’s actually trying to get conservative things done, while a bunch of deceiver “rinos” (globalist democrats) are trying to get rid of her and anyone else who’s a true conservative. Or maybe a piece on the net positives of the current invasion at the southern border, or perhaps even a “piece” (gaslighting) on how great the economy really is. There’s so many options.
This gaslit Op-Ed, if done truthfully, would be titled:
Moon is Out if I Have my Way.