Free Republic

As of 3:35 PM local time in Moscow, Idaho, the 2014 Idaho Republican Convention is history. And what a piece of history it is! The fireworks started a couple weeks prior to the convention, in events surrounding reorganizational meetings for county Republican Central Committees throughout the state. These are meetings in which officers are elected; sometimes the old ones are reelected, sometimes new ones are elected. Also at these reorg meetings delegates for the convention are elected. Operative word, "elected." This year, there were abnormalities in three counties that drew complaints that were subsequently handed off to the Credentials Committee...

It was a bit lost in the hubbub over rules and credentials fights, but the platform committee at the Idaho Republican Party convention in Moscow today voted to remove one of the most controversial planks in the party’s platform: The one calling for repeal of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would have the effect of doing away with direct election of U.S. senators and instead letting state legislatures choose senators. “I was the one who made the motion,” said Rep. Brandon Hixon, R-Caldwell, a delegate from Canyon County. “It passed the committee. Now it will go to...

Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney this week campaigned in Idaho for Gov. Butch Otter and Rep. Mike Simpson, who have primary battles against tea party challengers, to prevent the GOP from veering "wild right." "I'm here today in Idaho . . . to make sure people understand that the people I'm standing with right here are the right team of conservative leaders to help the people of Idaho," Romney said, according to NPR. -SNIP- According to David Adler, director of the Andrus Center for Public Policy at Boise State University, Romney's purpose in the state is to help with voter...

The Senate Conservatives Fund, founded by former South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, has endorsed Bryan Smith in his campaign to upset eight-term incumbent Mike Simpson in May’s Republican primary. The fund adds to Smith’s list of endorsements, which so far includes the hard-right Club for Growth, The Madison Project, FreedomWorks, Citizens United, the National Association of Gun Rights and Young Americans for Liberty. Simpson’s endorsements include some heavyweights, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Rifle Association. Here’s the full release from the Senate Conservatives Fund: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Contact: Matt Hoskins (202)...