COEUR d’ALENE — Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon was reelected to a second two-year term Saturday in Coeur d’Alene, during the final day of the Idaho GOP’s convention.

“We are not the fringe, folks,” Moon told a crowd of more than 800 people in the Schuler Performing Arts Center on the North Idaho College campus, to thunderous applause.

Moon received 376 votes from delegates who came from across Idaho, defeating former legislator and Coeur d’Alene resident Mary Souza, who captured 228 votes.

In a speech to delegates, Moon described herself as “the real deal,” as well as a hard worker and a person who follows through on her promises.

“We have not moved from where we’ve always stood,” she said. “Some people have. I’m an old horse and I cannot be taught new tricks. I know where I stand, and I think all of you know where you stand. We have been fighting so hard.”

After the election results were announced, Moon called for unity among Idaho Republicans, particularly in “the fight on ranked-choice voting.”

“We want to keep Idaho red, and I know we will,” she said. “We’re going to save our state, and we’re going to make this a great place to raise our kids.”

Party unity was a common refrain throughout the convention and formed the platform for Souza’s campaign for party chair. She urged Idaho Republicans to focus on their similarities, rather than their differences.

“We have an opportunity now to pull together,” she told delegates in a speech. “We can accept each other for who we are and what we believe.”

In a break with the practice of past conventions, reporters were not permitted to observe any of the committee meetings and were not allowed inside the general session at North Idaho College until Saturday afternoon, shortly before the nominations for party leadership positions.

Delegates approved a change to the Idaho Republican Party platform that may significantly impact how Republican legislators approach funding for higher education in Idaho.

“We strongly support professional technical and continuing education programs that provide career readiness and college preparation, but we do not support using taxpayer funding for programs beyond high school,” the party platform now reads in part.

NIC Trustee Todd Banducci, who attended the convention as a delegate, stood in support of the change. He declined to answer questions about his vote.

Mike Waggoner, a college trustee who attended the convention as a guest, did not indicate whether he supports the platform change.

“I don’t know exactly how that’s going to affect us,” Waggoner said. “Beyond that, I don’t have a comment.”

NIC’s operating budget for fiscal year 2024 included a $14.9 million allocation from the state general fund, $17.8 million in property tax revenue and $200,000 in state liquor tax allocation. Those revenue sources made up about 61% of NIC’s $53 million budget.

Coeur d’Alene City Councilman and alternate delegate Dan Gookin didn’t mince words on what he believes the platform change means for Idaho’s higher education institutions, including North Idaho College.

“They just voted to gut higher education,” he said.

Now that opposition for higher education funding is part of the Idaho GOP’s platform, Gookin said, Republican elected officials who vote in favor of such funding risk being punished by county Republican central committees.

The party rules empower central committees to censure Republicans for “substantive violations of party platform,” as well as remove party support and forbid the use of Republican Party identifiers for five years.

Delegates also voted to expand the party’s “Right to Life” article to include assisted suicide, euthanasia and embryo destruction.

“We oppose all actions which intentionally end an innocent human life, including abortion, the destruction of human embryos, euthanasia and assisted suicide,” the platform now reads in part.

The party also added to the platform a call for “excuse-only absentee ballots.”

    North Idaho College trustee Todd Banducci attended the Idaho GOP Convention as a delegate.
  

Dorothy Moon was re-elected as Idaho GOP Chair by a vote of 376-228 at the Idaho Republican State Convention on Saturday.

After serving three terms in the Idaho Legislature as State Representative for District 8, Moon was elected to serve as the chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party in July of 2022.

This year, Moon was being challenged by Mary Souza of Coeur d’Alene, a former member of the Idaho State Senate who announced her campaign a week before the convention.

Mary Souza challenges Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon ahead of convention in Coeur d’Alene.

Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea released the following statement in response to Moon’s re-election: “Today’s re-election of Dorothy Moon further entrenched the extremists who have taken over the Idaho Republican Party. If my grandmother — a Reagan Republican born and raised in Idaho — were alive today, she would not believe what has become of the party. While the Idaho GOP becomes unrecognizable to traditional Republicans, I invite voters of all political stripes to get to know their local Democratic candidates.”

“If you want to stop the school closures and cuts to educational services, your best bet is voting for Idaho Democrats,” Necochea continued. “If you want to protect Launch scholarships, which build our future workforce, your best bet is voting for Idaho Democrats. If you want to protect your local libraries from drowning in frivolous lawsuits, your best bet is voting for Idaho Democrats. And if you want to see our reproductive freedoms restored, you must vote for Idaho Democrats this November.”

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. 

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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.

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. 

“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.

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.