COEUR D’ALENE (Idaho Capital Sun) — Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon was reelected to a second two-year term at North Idaho College during the final day of the 2024 Republican State Convention.
On Saturday, the Idaho Republican Party Secretary Maria Nate announced that Moon, who lives outside of Stanley, defeated challenger Mary Souza. Souza, of Coeur d’Alene, is a former member of the Idaho Senate who announced her campaign for party chairperson last week.
RELATED | WATCH: Dorothy Moon on why she believes she’s united the party and her plans if reelected
The leadership election brought to a close the most secretive Idaho Republican State Convention in at least a decade. Reporters were not allowed to attend any committee meetings, business meetings or attend the convention’s general session on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. This is a departure from recent Idaho GOP state conventions, when reporters were allowed to attend and cover the general sessions, which is where delegates vote on the party platform, rules and resolutions. All of those votes happened behind closed doors.
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A Republican official led four reporters into the convention’s general session at about 1:30 p.m. Pacific time Saturday, shortly before Moon was nominated for a second term as party chairwoman. Moon received a loud standing ovation from many of the hundreds of GOP delegates, alternates and guests at the general session. Many of them chanted “Dorothy! Dorothy! Dorothy!” after Moon delivered a short speech.
Moon won by a vote of 376 to 228, Nate announced.
In other leadership races, Nate announced that Mark Fuller of Bonneville County was elected first vice chair of the Idaho Republican Party, defeating Wayne Hurst of Cassia County.
Moon says her emphasis is to honor the state GOP platform
Moon was first elected chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party in 2022, defeating former Idaho GOP Chairman Tom Luna. Moon will continue to lead the party for the next two years.
In an interview with the Idaho Capital Sun on Thursday, Moon described herself as a hard-worker and rule-follower, which she said are two traits that help her succeed in leading the party. Moon told the Sun she works about 120 hours a week and has been averaging three hours of sleep recently as she prepared for the GOP convention.
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“People have told me they have never seen anybody work harder in this position, and I believe that,” Moon told the Sun on Thursday.
“My vision has always been clear – just follow the rules, honor the platform,” Moon added. “That’s what I’ve always espoused.”
Delegates from counties across Idaho voted in the leadership races, which were conducted by written ballots, Nate said. Nate announced the vote at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Armed security guards patrol the Coeur d’Alene Resort on June 14, 2024, forcing Idaho journalists to stay in a designated waiting area and preventing access to sessions at the GOP’s convention. | Clark Corbin, Idaho Capital Sun
The leadership election was the final item on the agenda for the secretive, three-day convention that played out behind closed doors. Reporters were blocked from attending all GOP Committee meetings Thursday and Friday and blocked from attending the convention’s general session on Friday afternoon at North Idaho College, a publicly funded institution of higher education that the Idaho GOP rented space at.
This year’s restrictions on media access were a departure from previous Idaho Republican state conventions, where reporters were allowed to attend and cover the general sessions.
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Dorothy Moon sits down for an interview at the 2024 Idaho GOP Republican State Convention in Coeur d’Alene. | David Pace, EastIdahoNews.com
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GENESSE – The Avista planned power outage for Friday, April 24 in Genesee has been cancelled and rescheduled due to weather. Approximately 337 Avista electric customers in Genesee will experience a planned power outage on Tuesday, April 28. The planned outage will start at 8:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m.
All affected customers will be notified in advance. Traffic control will be in place from Laurel Street north of Chestnut Street.
During this time, Avista crews will be replacing aging infrastructure, including power poles and equipment, in the area. These updates are part of Avista’s ongoing efforts to enhance the safety and reliability of its infrastructure.
GARDEN CITY – A Boise-area girl is competing in the 2026 Junior Ranger Competition, and she needs your vote to advance.
Eleven-year-old Cali Lindsay of Garden City is currently in the top 10 in her age group. The first place contestant in each group will advance to the semi-finals, which will wrap on July 17.
The final round concludes on July 24. The winner will be awarded $20,000 and be featured on the cover of Ranger Rick Magazine. They’ll also win a trip with Jeff Corwin.
Cali’s mom, Emily Edginton, tells EastIdahoNews.com how the competition works.
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“You’re allowed one free vote every 24 hours. People can also pay (to vote),” Edginton says. “The contestants have challenges every week to learn about animals and share what they’ve learned. People vote for the answer they like best. If you have enough votes, you move to the next round.”
Cali needs to secure enough votes by Thursday in order to advance to the next round.
The competition is a fundraiser for the National Wildlife Federation, the largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization in the United States.
Edginton says they recently moved to Idaho from San Bernardino, California. Her daughter acquired a love of wildlife living in Lytle Creek, a community near the San Gabriel Mountains and San Bernardino National Forest.
“She’s already like a junior ranger. We picked up trash (in the forest) for fun,” Edginton says. “We try to keep it clean because we get a lot of visitors up there in the summertime and they trash the place. It affects the animals.”
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Edginton says they moved to Idaho in February to be closer to family.
She’s grateful her daughter can be part of what she feels is a great cause, and hopes to see her advance, and even win the tournament.
“It’s a good cause, plus it’s a learning experience,” says Edginton.
To vote for Cali or learn more, click here.
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