Idaho has been an enigma. Republicans dominate the state legislature, but getting anything done is a monumental task. The reason for this is that in order to get elected, Democrats run as Republicans, and with the large cash infusions they get were able to win elections. They are Republicans in name but liberal in practice. But, the Idaho Freedom PAC changed all that. They actively recruited great conservative candidates and help them in their campaigning.
The RINOs saw the coming tsunami and of the 28 Senators, thirteen decided not to run for reelection. Of the 15 Remaining, nine were defeated and several RINO House members tried for a Senate seat and they were defeated as well. Currently, RINOS and Republicans have a 58-12 majority in the House and a 28-7 majority in the Senate. With the mood of the country, several if not many, of the Democrats running for election could be defeated.
Among the highlights was conservative Rep. Codi Galloway defeated Sen, Fred Martin. Martin had served five terms in the Senate, A conservative also defeated Sen. Jim Patrick, who served five terms in the Senate and three in the House. Sen. Carl Crabtree, vice chair of the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee, lost his seat.
Retired California firefighter Carl Bjerke took out Senate Health and Welfare Committee vice-chair Sen. Peter Riggs. Brian Lenney defeated Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee co-chair Sen. Jeff Agenbroad.
Even in a number of instances where the incumbent survived, the challengers came much closer than we usually see in statewide elections. Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Winder only won his race by about 640 votes. Now he will face a brand-new caucus that can possibly vote him out of leadership. Conservatives would have enjoyed an even better night if not for the fact that leadership drew several of them into the same district and forced them to compete with each other. This dynamic made the House results more of a wash, but the House was already fairly conservative. So, the fact that the Senate has caught up to it will give the legislature a lot of clout over Gov. Brad Little.
What this success at the legislative level demonstrates is that for lower offices, where the bar to entry is much lower in terms of financial needs, conservatives are on a much more level playing field.
