Ed Humphreys for Governor of Idaho
The right priorities at the right time
Nearly a year ago, candidates began announcing their gubernatorial campaigns. Rather than immediately jump on board on side or the other, I decided to sit back and listen to what they had to say. Many patriotic Idahoans have been frustrated with the way in which Governor Brad Little bypassed the legislature and went beyond his constitutional authority in 2020, so the door was open for a principled conservative to challenge him in the primary.
Three candidates soon distinguished themselves in the race: Financial professional and Republican Party official Ed Humphreys, Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, and rancher and activist Ammon Bundy. I wrote about all three last month, looking at their respective strengths and weaknesses.
Each candidate quickly attracted legions of hardcore supporters. I have long lamented the vitriol that has been directed toward supporters of opposing candidates. One way or another, we are going to have to unite around one person if we are to have any hope of defeating the incumbent. Yet many partisans on each side have viciously attacked the other candidates and their supporters over the past few months. This has to stop. If our shared goal is to defeat Brad Little in May, then we cannot burn our bridges with other conservative candidates. Staunch supporters of Mr. Humphreys, Lt. Gov. McGeachin, and Mr. Bundy must be prepared to vote for one of the others if they have the best shot at winning the primary.
Some have accused me of straddling the fence during this time, as I have continued to get to know more about each of the contenders. I did not want to throw my support behind one candidate or another for shallow reasons. I wanted time to get to know each one, to see how they planned to tackle the issues facing us as a state and as a country.
Today I am announcing my endorsement of Ed Humphreys for governor of Idaho.
I believe that Mr. Humphreys has the best balance of skills and the perspective needed to tackle the most pressing problems in Idaho today. Many of our biggest issues stem from the network of powerful lobbyists and associations that exert influence over our elected officials and outright control much of the state bureaucracy. Humphreys’ background in the financial sector has given him a perspective on this that the other candidates lack. He has vowed to break this system of patronage that has kept our state government from being accountable to the people.
Mr. Humphreys also understands the seriousness of the problem with our public schools. Critical Race Theory is just the tip of the iceberg, as school boards, textbook publishers, teacher unions, and leftist activists are working together to corrupt the minds of our children. Humphreys saw this problem before many others, and was working behind the scenes to stop Critical Race Theory in our schools long before it became a household word.
Finally, Mr. Humphreys is an outsider. Like Donald Trump before him, Humphreys’ lack of political experience allows him to see problems from an angle that insiders often miss. I believe it will take an outsider to disrupt the comfortable system that controls politics in Idaho.
Humphreys is a dynamic communicator who has spent much of the past year speaking to small groups throughout the state, sharing his vision for what Idaho can be. In the time I have known him, I have watched him develop that vision, incorporating new information as it comes to him, and crafting a solid plan to save our state from career politicians and special interests. I believe that Ed has the right combination of charisma, knowledge, and insight that are needed at this moment in history.
None of this is to take anything away from the other candidates. If Lt. Governor McGeachin or Mr. Bundy were the only remaining alternative to Governor Little, I would still be happy to cast my vote for either one.
I admire Mrs. McGeachin’s tenacity, and she has an amazing ability to inspire people toward patriotism and the defense of traditional American values. I appreciate what she has done to try to protect Idaho children from the vile mask mandates of public schools, and I completely agree with her positions on most every issue. However, I believe that her time within the system has left her with a slightly narrower perspective as to what needs to be done to reform it. McGeachin is also a much less dynamic speaker than Mr. Humphreys, and has at times struggled in front of the camera. We might not like it, but oratory and charisma are important components of being an elected leader.
Despite collecting several high profile endorsements, such as from President Trump and writer Michelle Malkin, too many voters still have a very negative view of McGeachin. While I surely do not want to allow the Marxist activists at the Idaho Statesman to have a heckler’s veto over our own candidates, we have to recognize that this negative perception is difficult to overcome. Whatever happens, however, I hope that McGeachin remains a voice in Idaho politics for a long time.
Ammon Bundy is definitely a polarizing figure. His experiences with the federal government and his subsequent dialogue with the BLM movement and their desire to defund the police have greatly offended many in the law enforcement community. Mr. Bundy started this race having already burned many bridges with Idaho conservatives.
However, Bundy is definitely the biggest outsider in the race. He correctly diagnoses the problems that are looming in our society, and he has the most radical plan to reshape our state government and our relationship with Washington DC. In the next few decades, ideas like Bundy’s are going to become more necessary as the federal bureaucracy only increases its oppression of the American people. We need people like Bundy out there pushing the rhetorical envelope and preparing the way for the great changes and reforms that will be necessary in the future.
Since splitting the governorship between all three candidates is not possible, I am forced to choose just one, and today I am choosing to support Ed Humphreys. I believe he has the best balance of experience and ideas to really fix what is wrong with our government and bring it back under the control of the people of Idaho.
The largest hurdle facing Mr. Humphreys is name recognition. Even in a state like ours it is difficult to go from total obscurity to winning statewide office in just one year, yet he has been inspiring on the stump. Like a modern William Jennings Bryan, Humphreys has tirelessly taken his message directly to the people, in person. This is the sort of campaign that can win a major upset, or even start a mass movement. If my modest newsletter can help spread that message to just a few more people, then perhaps I will have made a difference.
Idaho Republicans will have many choices when they cast their vote for the next governor of our great state. This May, I urge you to consider Edward R. Humphreys.