The fight to close Idaho's primary election system to just registered party members is threatening to splinter the Idaho Republican Party and it all may come to a head this weekend in Burley where the Republican Central Committee will meet.
GOP chairman, Kirk Sullivan, tells AP reporter John Miller in an article in the Idaho Press-Tribune that the push to close Idaho's primary election system is being made by "passionate GOP ideologues."
Closed primary supporters fire back saying that Sullivan "doesn't represent the Republican Party," even though he is the GOP chairman.
Other Republicans are advising caution as Miller reports:
"I think we're going to shoot ourselves in the foot," said Rep. Mark Snodgrass, R-Meridian and a foe of closed primaries. "Even some of the hardcore Republicans don't want to be put in a box that way."
If the committee votes to pursue closing the primary, it could lead to a legal showdown with the GOP threatening to sue the State of Idaho and the Republican Secretary of State to make it happen.
Idaho Democrats and independents are watching intently.
Idaho's current system protects voter privacy, said Senate Minority Leader Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum.
"Policy wise, that (a closed primary) absolutely goes against the culture of Idaho," Stennett said. "Politically, there couldn't be a better gift for Democrats, to tell the independents of this state, 'The Republicans don't want you.' "
As Paul Harvey would say, stand by for news.
Update 05.31.07 14:56: Fixed the broken link.
The link for that article isn't working. I couldn't even find the story on the IPT website. If you could repost a link to the story that would be great.
Posted by: John Q. | May 31, 2007 at 02:37 PM
I had a hard time finding a link that works also; most of the major papers in the state ran the article but none of them contain an active link to it now.
Thankfully IPTV's Idaho Reports has archived it from the Statesman so I think this should work now.
Posted by: MountainGoat | May 31, 2007 at 02:54 PM