Dear Idaho Republican Party Members,
As you may be aware, the Idaho Young Republicans were attacked earlier this week regarding the value our organization brings to the Idaho Republican Party. These antics showcase why it is so difficult to get the next generation – let alone any Idahoan – engaged in politics.
Despite these difficulties, through tremendous efforts, Idaho Young Republicans (YRs) have made countless connections with Idaho’s young voters. Not only have we massively increased our membership, but we bolstered a committed volunteer base across the state. By building these connections, we raised over $50,000 (a 15x increase in annual fundraising) to support Republican efforts. Our hard-working members spent countless hours on the ground making calls and knocking on doors while working for Republican candidates all across Idaho. Many YRs volunteer while also attending college or raising young families.
It was the YRs that helped dozens of counties develop a website and digital communications tools. It was the YRs that helped lead the integration of new data tools into the state party. It was YRs who helped fund the travel costs for many county youth chairs to attend statewide meetings when their own county could not afford to do so. It was the YRs that helped set up and tear down countless Lincoln Day events. It was the YR’s tools that helped county auctions raise more money. It was our website that helped Republican candidates recruit more volunteers. It was the YRs that hosted multiple legislative town halls during the session, as well as a statewide candidate forum during the primary election. Going into 2023, there are more YRs elected to local and statewide offices than before.
Also, our members oppose unethical political tactics - even when they come from within the ranks of our own party. Coincidentally, some of the loudest voices clamoring to remove our vote are those that were previously removed by unanimous decision due to their behavior unbecoming of our organization.
Why should we keep affiliate organizations as voting members of the Executive Committee? Companies all across the globe seek out people with expertise and value in areas they need help with. While those people aren’t direct employees, they are absolutely critical to the success of the business. They serve as voting board of directors and play an active role in guiding the company. The same applies here. The members of our organizations make up a huge portion of our party’s volunteer base. In our case, Young Republicans and College Republicans are the largest and fastest-growing portion of Idaho’s electorate and yet a segment that Republicans perennially struggle to engage and connect with.
Young voters (18-40) will make up over 54% of the electorate in the next election. Today, about 70% of that age group prefers to affiliate with the Democrat Party. Groups like Young Republicans and College Republicans are absolutely critical to the ground game on college campuses, churches, and in our communities. Due to our persistent efforts, Idaho is bucking the national trend when it comes to young voters’ political engagement. Our members do such great work that Idaho YRs continue to receive national recognition.
The hard truth is that Democrats see this effort to attack the YRs as an opportunity to capitalize on our in-fighting and division. In the aftermath of these attacks, Democrats sent out screenshots celebrating how unwanted the next generation is in our party and invited those turned off by these sorts of tactics to join them instead.
