Moon retains her position heading Idaho GOP

COEUR D’ALENE — Idaho GOP Chairperson Dorothy Moon retained her position leading the party.

Delegates voted on party leadership on the final day of the 2024 Idaho Republican Convention in Coeur d’Alene. Moon kept her position in a 376-228 vote amid a challenge from former senator Mary Souza, who criticized divisiveness and extremism in the party from current leadership.

The announcement of the result of the votes was met with a standing ovation and cheers from much of the packed North Idaho College auditorium.

“We are not the fringe, folks, for some of you in here that think we are,” Moon said. “We are not.”

Moon was chosen for the position at the 2022 convention in which she unseated former chairperson Tom Luna. The rest of the party leaders were unseated at that convention, too.

Luna has been highly critical of Moon and other leaders, arguing that they are purging the party of those who disagree with them. He and another former party chairperson, Trent Clark, started the group Gem State Conservatives that had the goal of combating this divisiveness, they told the Idaho Press.

Clark on Saturday congratulated Moon before making a point of order on a procedural point. He pledged his support to help her be a successful chairperson.

Luna on Saturday ran for national committeeman in the party, and gave his speech just before the results of the chairperson vote was announced.

Moon in her acceptance speech addressed Luna.

“Let’s try to unite the party, please,” she said. “To all the Gem State Conservatives who worked actively against our fabulous precinct committeeman in here, the fight is against ranked choice voting.”

The proposed initiative had been discussed frequently at the three-day convention, with a workshop given called “the dangers of ranked choice voting.” What’s called the Open Primaries Initiative is likely to be on the November ballot, and would create top-four nonpartisan primary and implement ranked choice voting if there’s a candidate who receives less than a majority of the vote. Souza also spoke in opposition to ranked choice voting as well as other candidates for party leadership positions.

Moon was nominated Saturday by Mike Kingsley, a state representative from Lewiston, who chose not to run in the most recent primary election.

Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, nominated Souza. In her speech, Horman criticized the recent practice of holding platform compliance hearings to censure lawmakers. Horman has faced these from her local central committee.

Souza said there was a “tension” in the party that needed to be addressed. In addition to condemning the “tribunals,” she also criticized the presidential caucus held in March, which she said disenfranchised many voters who couldn’t participate in person. Her statement was met with some claps and some boos.

Souza spoke about her eight years of experience in the Senate and how she learned to work with others.

“Let’s pull together, let’s be respectful, let’s bring Idaho together,” Souza said.

Moon in her speech before voting said she was “the real deal.” She highlighted that she made good on her initial promises to honor the platform and follow the state and U.S. constitution.

“Some people in this room have called me the leader of a cult,” she said to the energized room. “You’re my cult, though, so that’s OK.”

Second Vice Chairperson Mark Fuller also retained his position against a challenge from Wayne Hurst in a vote of 382-223.

The other leadership positions were all challenged but voters were not counted by press time.

Voting on the chairperson and vice chairperson positions took about an hour, ending just after 3 p.m. The result of the chairperson race was announced announced around 4:30 p.m. Voting on the other positions took place later in the evening.

Party votes to sue secretary of state, other actions

Delegates on Saturday morning voted on the party platform with some debate. That afternoon, the gathering reconvened and passed the party’s resolutions and rules without discussion, the Idaho Press learned from those present.

One of the resolutions approved included direction to sue Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane for not enforcing party rules restricting who may participate in party primaries.

This resolution was approved by the resolutions committee Thursday, the Idaho Press previously reported.

McGrane was present as a guest for the full vote Saturday.

He told the Idaho Press he thought the resolution was a result of a “misunderstanding” of the role of his office.

“As a member of the executive branch, our role is to execute the laws set out by the Legislature,” McGrane said.

He said he had confidence in Attorney General Raúl Labrador, with whom he consulted when he made the decision not to enforce the party’s “crossover voting” rules, to defend the decision.

Reporters were not allowed in the room during the morning session and for the afternoon votes on resolutions and rules. Media was let inside when nominations were made for the chairman position.

Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.