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Why It Matters
Political action committees spent more than $4.2 million influencing Idaho’s May primary elections, with the bulk of that money flowing into contests pitting mainstream Republicans against hardline conservative candidates. The scale of outside spending is reshaping how competitive legislative races are decided in a state where the Republican primary is effectively the general election.
What Happened
Because Idaho leans so heavily Republican, primary elections between moderate and ultraconservative candidates often determine who ultimately holds office — making those contests attractive targets for PAC spending. Nine Republican incumbents lost their primary races this cycle, with outcomes varying sharply by region.
In Twin Falls-area districts, money directed against ultraconservative incumbents produced the results donors intended. In North Idaho and north central Idaho, however, money backing further-right candidates carried the day. Among the notable losses, five members of the so-called “Gang of Eight” — a bloc of hardline conservatives — were defeated.
Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane acknowledged a clear shift in outside political spending. McGrane said his office is seeing “so much more money” directed toward independent expenditures in recent years, a trend that complicates transparency efforts. Because money frequently passes through multiple PACs before reaching a race, tracing its origins can be difficult.
PAC Structure and Finance Rules
Under Idaho law, individual contributions to candidates are capped at $1,000 per election, but donations to PACs carry no dollar limit. Independent expenditures — money spent outside a campaign to support or oppose candidates or ballot measures — also face no dollar caps, provided they are not coordinated with the campaigns they benefit.
That structure allows large sums to move through interconnected PAC networks, making the ultimate source of influence harder to identify from public filings.
By the Numbers
- $4.2 million+ — total PAC spending across Idaho’s May primary races
- $752,800+ — spent by top PAC “Defend and Protect Idaho,” covering 23 candidates supported and 14 opposed
- $480,000+ — portion of that total used to oppose ultraconservative challengers and incumbents
- 9 — Republican incumbents who lost their primary elections
- $90,000 — contribution to “Defend and Protect Idaho” from Caleb Roope, president and CEO of Eagle-based Pacific Companies
Key Players
“Defend and Protect Idaho” was the single largest PAC spender. The group is led by former Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney, who joined other retired law enforcement officers to form the committee in 2022 with the stated goal of blocking what they described as fringe candidates.
The PAC backed mainstream Republican incumbents in several races. It spent nearly $18,000 supporting McCammon Sen. Jim Guthrie and nearly $19,000 backing Shelley Rep. Ben Fuhriman — both of whom won. It also spent more than $25,000 supporting North Idaho Sen. Jim Woodward, who lost his primary to Scott Herndon.
On the opposing side, the PAC spent nearly $65,500 against incumbent Sen. Christy Zito, who nonetheless prevailed in a three-way primary that also included former Rep. Megan Blanksma and Terry Gestrin. The PAC spent close to $98,000 opposing Moscow Sen. Dan Foreman, who also won re-election.
“Defend and Protect Idaho” drew major funding from several out-of-state federal PACs — including Way Back PAC, Article IV, and Unite America PAC — alongside the $90,000 from Roope.
A second group, “Hometown Heroes,” spent more than $150,000 backing mainstream Republican candidates and contributed more than $65,000 directly to “Defend and Protect Idaho.” Rep. Britt Raybould of Rexburg and Sen. Van Burtenshaw of Terreton were among those who donated to “Hometown Heroes.”
What’s Next
With Idaho’s Republican Party continuing to navigate internal tensions between its mainstream and hardline factions, outside spending is likely to remain a major factor in future primaries. McGrane’s office has flagged the growing volume of independent expenditures as a transparency challenge, though no legislative remedy was enacted during the session that concluded earlier this spring. Voters and watchdog groups will likely press for clearer disclosure rules heading into the next cycle.
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