Idaho Republican Convention Condemns Governor Little’s Covid-19 Response

Nampa, Idaho– “Be it resolved that the Idaho Republican Party condemns the declaration of emergency of March, 2020,” said one resolution from the Idaho Republican Convention. The resolution went on to say the party “opposes any further shutdowns or restrictions of the movement of citizens for any reasons connected to COVID-19.” 

More than 500 Republican delegates from around Idaho met Thursday, June 25 through Saturday, June 27 to update the Idaho Republican platform, to pass resolutions, and to elect state party officers. 

The convention was held at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho. 

On Saturday, the 500 delegates met for general sessions. They were seated spaced out around the stadium in observation of social distancing. Some county delegates were seated in the second level which a few referred to as the “nose-bleed” section.

One of the resolutions which passed on Saturday, named P27, explicitly condemned Governor Brad Little’s declaration of emergency in March. 

The resolution also stated, “Furthermore be it resolved that the Idaho Republican Party strongly opposes all governmentally-mandated contact tracing, wearing of masks, and stay-at-home orders or any restrictions of civil liberties, for any future outbreaks of COVID-19 or other similar diseases.”

Another resolution that passed, named P5, condemned the use of contact tracing programs in the state: “Based on the evidence, no compelling state interest exists to implement statewide contact tracing across the State of Idaho.”

It also said, “We also strongly oppose the use of cellphone tracking data by State or Federal agencies for surveillance or tracing purposes without express individual consent.”

It also called for tracing programs to be halted immediately until “the Idaho Legislature can meet and hear arguments and evidence on the matter.”

One resolution proposed by Gresham Bouma of Legislative District 5 which called on the Idaho Legislature “to convene at the earliest date possible” failed to be passed. 

Bouma addressed the body of delegates saying, “When our governor used and cited code to suspend our constitutional rights, he suspended the constitution with inferior law.” 

Bouma further explained that while the governor can call the legislature into session, the code does not say the legislature cannot call itself into session. 

The resolution explains, “the governor has also cited Idaho Statute 46-1008 which explicitly states that ‘the legislature…may terminate a state of disaster emergency at any time’, and by implication, allows them to meet “at any time”, with the clear intent of the law being a check and balance on a Governor’s powers.” 

When the resolution was voted on, the chairman of the party, Raul Labrador, asked delegates to stand for ayes and nays. After viewing the delegates, he called that the resolution had failed. A number of delegates called for “division” asking the chairman to do a vote by roll call. One delegate objected to this request, saying it was out of order. The chairman however said that he would do a roll call vote to be fair to all. 

After the roll call vote, those in favor were 244 and those opposed were 264. The resolution failed by 20 votes. 

Governor Brad Little spoke to the delegates at lunch on the same day. He did not directly address the convention’s concerns about the shutdown. Instead, he spoke of uniting the state and the party, saying “With everything in life, success requires working together. I appreciate the collaboration I have had with you. We all share my goal of making Idaho a place where we abide by the common principles of our platform.”

At the end of Little’s speech, a couple people in the stands could be heard chanting, “call the legislature.”