A sticker is seen on a table before the Idaho Republican Party primary celebration during the Idaho 2022 primary election on May 17, 2022. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)
The Idaho Republican Party – the most dominant political force the state has ever known – says it needs help paying its rent.
Officials with the Idaho Republican Party sent out two emails over the course of four days this week asking every person who receives emails from the party to chip in $10 every month to help pay the rent.
The Idaho Republican Party recently left its longtime headquarters in the U.S. Bank Building in downtown Boise and relocated to a converted home located on Jefferson Street in Boise.
The new headquarters building, which includes upstairs apartments and is situated on the edge of downtown Boise, is more expensive than the old headquarters, Idaho Republican Party First Vice Chair Mark Fuller wrote in emails sent on Tuesday and Friday.
In both emails, Fuller encouraged everyone to commit to giving the Idaho Republican Party $10 a month, specifically to pay rent and other expenses.
“It is only a small amount per person, but if enough of us agree to ‘pay their own way’ we can cover the rent for the building and help with other ongoing expenses.”
Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon could not be reached for comment on Friday.
Fuller said the former Idaho Republican Party headquarters space was no longer desirable because parking was a challenge and the owners of the building allegedly told party officials to obscure Republican campaign signs displayed in the windows. Fuller said the new building is more convenient for constituents and has better parking. Republicans can also fly their flags and campaign signs at will.
But the increased rent is an issue for an Idaho Republican Party, which publicly advocates for financial responsibility and living within budget constraints.
“As you can understand, the new building costs more for monthly rent,” Fuller wrote Tuesday and Friday. “When Chair Moon approached me with this new location, I assured her that we would be able to gather sufficient funds from loyal Republicans to afford the increased cost for better space. This letter is to invite you to help me fulfill my promise to Dorothy.”
Moon is a former state legislator who was reelected to a second term as chair of the Idaho Republican Party during the state convention last summer. The Idaho Republican Party controls a 90-15 supermajority in the Idaho Legislature and has held every statewide elected office in Idaho since the 2006 election.
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