Idaho lawmaker spends thousands on election ads — against his colleagues
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Rep. Jordan Redman donated $350,000 to 36-18-1 Inc., the PAC backing challengers.
- As of May 1, the committee had spent over $60,000 on ads supporting challengers to seven lawmakers.
- Affected legislators expressed disappointment and concern that trust in the Legislature was diminished.
Idaho state Sen. Jim Woodward wasn’t aware of any bad blood with Rep. Jordan Redman — both Republicans serving in the Legislature.
That is, until he learned that Redman, of Coeur d’Alene, had donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to a political action committee that, in turn, spent about $5,000 supporting Woodward’s opponent in the May 19 Republican primary election.
“I thought we had a working relationship,” Woodward, of Sagle, told the Idaho Statesman. “But it’s obvious, at this point, we don’t.”
Woodward was one of seven sitting Republican lawmakers on the receiving end of this treatment: campaign communications supporting incumbents’ challengers, paid for by Redman — the political action committee’s only donor.
Redman, who owns Medicine Man Prairie Pharmacy in Hayden, as of Thursday had donated $350,000 to the committee, called 36-18-1 Inc. His father, former state lawmaker Eric Redman, is the committee’s treasurer. Jordan Redman, who has carved out a place in the far right of the party, did not respond to calls and emails requesting comment.
It’s not unheard of for sitting lawmakers to donate to a fellow legislator’s campaign, said Jaclyn Kettler, a Boise State political science professor. But this committee stands out, she said in an interview, for its reliance on a type of campaign spending that has no limit.
The committee is making “independent expenditures” on campaign materials, such as radio or internet ads, for which it’s not allowed to coordinate with candidates directly. That kind of spending has no cap — unlike donations directly to a campaign, which are capped at $1,000 per election.
It’s an unusual move in Idaho, especially at this scale, Kettler said.
“It really looks like … there’s a goal here of that political influence to shape — to help ensure the Legislature reflects the ideological or political goals that this (committee) would align with,” she said. “It’s a lot of money.”
As of May 1, the committee to which Redman donated to had spent more than $60,000 on campaign ads supporting the challengers of seven sitting state lawmakers: Woodward; Rep. Mike Veile, R-Soda Springs; Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, R-Idaho Falls; Rep. Erin Bingham, R-Idaho Falls; Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint; Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon; and Rep. Ben Fuhriman, R-Shelley.
The committee has also spent thousands supporting the campaigns of some sitting Idaho lawmakers, including Rep. Elaine Price, R-Coeur d’Alene; Rep. Clint Hostetler, R-Twin Falls; and Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls.
Lawmakers say incumbent’s support for their challengers erodes trust
Redman’s approach to the primary isn’t sitting well with those incumbents the committee has opposed.
Guthrie told the Statesman that he called House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, to express his “frustration and dismay” over the move.
“I guess it’d be great to have that kind of money to just try to buy elections that way,” Guthrie said. “I think it’s bad enough when it’s out-of-state money coming in to try to influence an election. But this is a sitting legislator that’s meddling in races in the other body against an incumbent.
“I am just pretty disappointed in that.”
Fuhriman, against whom the committee spent nearly $17,000, said the move reflects the depth of divisions within the Republican Party.
“I’m disappointed that fellow legislators would actively campaign against other sitting legislators. I don’t think that’s ever been done before,” he said. “We should spend our time fighting Democrats, not fighting each other.”
Based on the candidates the committee supported and opposed, Mickelsen assessed that Redman was working to move the Republican-dominated Legislature further to the right — in a way that would send a “bad message” to lawmakers.
“I think what it says is, ‘If you don’t vote exactly the way we want you to, then the next election, the next go-round, we’re going to come after you,’ ” she said. “I think voters across the state ought to be really concerned.”
If nothing else, the move would diminish trust among lawmakers, Guthrie said.
“If I’m reelected, it doesn’t mean I’ll be vindictive or anything, but it certainly — you would probably hold that individual at arm’s length and be a little bit more cautious on legislation going forward, because the trust factor has been compromised,” he said.
Guthrie and Woodward said they have not spoken to Redman about the political action committee, or his reasoning for backing their challengers.
“When we speak, it won’t be friendly anymore,” Woodward said.
