Fox News puts Boise mayor on front page of its website: 4,000 comments so far ...

Boise Mayor Lauren McLean is getting national attention today — but probably not the type she’d hoped for when elected.

Fox News has placed a smiling photo of McLean on its home page with a write-up titled, “Free abortions, pre-K sex ed: Conservatives blast Boise mayor’s transition report as ‘socialist wish list.’ ”

Let the volcanic page views erupt! (And heads explode.)

The FoxNews.com article, largely based on reporting from Idaho journalists, has more than 4,000 comments and counting.

It highlights recent controversy about an equity report from McLean’s transition team. That report, generated mostly by citizen volunteers, covered a variety of topics. Proposals ranged from citywide internet access to promoting diversity in the police department. Suggestions also included that Boise work toward becoming a sanctuary city, provide free contraception and abortions, and “interrupt white dominant/white supremacist culture.”

Guess which parts fired up conservatives?

Fox News writes that “Dustin Hurst of the Idaho Freedom Foundation said the report would ‘fundamentally transform Boise into a socialist enclave’ by making the city look ‘something like Portland, Seattle, or San Francisco.’ ”

On Wednesday, McLean said the report was taken out of context — which isn’t exactly the case. The point is that the report was not some sort of set-in-stone policy document. It included recommendations for her priorities as mayor from a variety of folks. Whether she even pursues many remains to be seen.

This isn’t the first time that Idaho has raised media eyebrows on a national level recently. In March, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow ripped Gov. Brad Little for his response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 11:56 AM.