The Good Ol’ Boys’ New Recruits: How Some Transplants Reinforce the Machine

Since launching the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance in 2012, I’ve watched the debate over out-of-state transplants versus native Idahoans take an unexpected turn.

At the heart of this issue is a simple but urgent question: How do we keep Idaho from becoming another casualty of incremental socialism? How do we move our state forward—toward constitutional principles, individual liberty, and minimal government interference?

Full disclosure: I was born in Wyoming and moved to Idaho at age six. Aside from a few years in Washington and Wisconsin, Idaho has been my home for over three decades.

For years, our focus was clear—prevent Idaho from becoming the next Washington, California, Oregon, or Colorado. But then came the population boom.

Idaho saw an influx of newcomers unlike anything seen in most states. Many were fleeing the “Left Coast,” searching for freedom, liberty, and a place they could proudly call home.

Naturally, Idahoans were wary. Would these newcomers bring the very values they claimed to be escaping?

As someone running a pro-gun rights nonprofit, here’s what I saw and continue to see when it comes to out-of-staters:

• Group One: The Open Liberals These folks want Idaho to resemble the mess they left behind. They’re loud, proud, and easy to spot. Thankfully, they’re the smallest group.
• Group Two: The Fighters These are the conservatives who know exactly what they fled—and they’re determined not to let it happen here. They fight the liberals and the establishment Republicans who helped ruin their former states. These are my people.
• Group Three: The Participation Patriots This group is the most concerning. They’re so used to far-left politics that Idaho’s center-right feels “extreme” to them. They align with the establishment, thinking Idaho is already conservative enough, and team up with both liberals and the establishment GOP to fight against group two.

Here’s the problem: Participation Patriots are harder to spot than liberals—and more dangerous in some regards.

These folks talk a good conservative game, but behind the scenes, they reinforce the good ol’ boys network. Ironically, they oppose the very activists pushing the Overton window toward liberty.

They celebrate crumbs as victories and don’t see the establishment using them for campaign optics. They want access, accolades, and believe hardcore conservatives should be grateful for whatever scraps they’re handed.

The reason that Participation Patriots are somewhat more dangerous to conservative efforts is that they have blinded people to who they really are. They appear “very conservative” to those around them because of how they talked online, but in reality, they are center-right folks masquerading as “hardcore conservatives.”

Ironically, you’ll see the Republican establishment, media, liberal groups, and Participation Patriots all parroting the same talking points—against conservative organizations, activists, and lawmakers.

Here is the reality, though: This is Idaho.

We’re a Republican supermajority state. One of the few with a trifecta. So why are we celebrating mediocrity? Why aren’t we ramming the most conservative bills down the throats of liberals every single session?

Idaho deserves better than breadcrumbs.