A conservative sweep
I’ve lived in Moscow for 23 years and can’t recall seeing anything quite like this. Perhaps some old-timers remember a similar turnout, but it’s been a while. Back in 2002, during the so-called “topless carwash” incident, this town leaned more conservative ... but the recent election results take it to another level.
Latah County saw a clean conservative sweep: President Donald Trump took 52% and Rep. Russ Fulcher got the same. County Commissioners Tony Johnson and Jason Stooks won with 57% and 52%, respectively, while Sheriff Richie Skiles secured 58%. State Reps. Brandon Mitchell and Lori McCann won with 53% and 60%. Though Dan Foreman only pulled 48% in Latah County itself, he clinched 53% in Legislative District 6 overall. Local voters also showed where they stand on state issues, approving citizen-only voting by 58% and rejecting ranked choice voting by 56%.
My father was a registered Democrat all his life. Before he passed, he told me he hadn’t left the Democratic Party; they’d left him.
I wonder how many longtime Democrats here in Latah County feel the same. Their party now pushes positions like sterilizing kids, abortion up to the ninth month, defunding the police, open borders, gender identity in schools, COVID-19 mandates, opposition to free speech, critical race theory, equity over equality, racial and social justice, and student loan forgiveness.
With these results, maybe more Latah County Democrats see their party’s shift and decide it’s time to step away, just as my father did.
Dale M. Courtney
Moscow
