Spoiler Alert
Spoiler Alert
How Kala Tate was used by the Idaho Freedom Foundation to help a Democrat win re-election
In the recent District 26 race, the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) showed its true colors, claiming to stand for conservative Republican values while quietly working to undermine them. Through a manipulative, behind-the-scenes strategy, IFF and its operatives put their power over principles, supporting a spoiler candidate to weaken a genuine conservative Republican and help a Democrat win.
Through their PAC and calculated use of an “independent” spoiler candidate, the IFF once again proved that, despite claiming to stand for conservative Republican principles, they are more than willing to undermine genuine Republicans to exert control over Idaho’s political landscape—even if that means helping turn Idaho blue.
Engineering a Spoiler Candidate
At the center of this strategy was Kala Tate, a self-proclaimed conservative Christian Nationalist who deceptively ran as an independent candidate.
While Tate’s campaign could have initially seemed like a sincere bid for office, her candid admission to the Times-News exposes a far different agenda: “We stole several thousand votes from her race so she didn’t get in,” Tate confessed, adding, “That was ultimately all we were supposed to do and it worked, so praise God”.
Her goal, by her own words, wasn’t to win but to steal enough votes from Republican candidate Laurie Lickley to secure a victory for left-leaning Democrat incumbent Ron Taylor.
The IFF political machine and its key players—PAC director Ryan Spoon, who also serves as the Ada County GOP Vice Chair, and IFF’s “shot caller” Dustin Hurst—had successfully engineered a spoiler scenario that turned a conservative base against itself.
If Tate had been honest about being a conservative, she would have run in the Republican primary election against Lickley. Of course, her handlers knew she would never win this race, so they engineered this deceptive scheme to lie to voters to keep Lickley out of Senate leadership.
Misleading “True Conservative” Claims
The disingenuous nature of Tate’s campaign is underscored by her willingness to work alongside IFF’s political machine, fully aware that she was running not to promote the Republican brand values but to sabotage them. This was no principled stand; it was pure tactical manipulation designed to hand the seat to a Democrat under the guise of “true conservatism.” Otherwise, why would she work so hard to help a Democrat who supports abortion rights? Not once did she disavow the independent expenditure and PAC support, undercoring her endorsement for this scheme.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation’s PAC poured resources into Tate’s campaign through independent expenditures under this pretense, misleading voters into thinking they supported a genuine conservative alternative. As Tate herself explained, “I just had to run on an Independent ticket in the general to battle that race out with the RINO and the Democrat to see if I could steal some conservative votes.” IFF’s political machine funneled support to Tate, all while concealing the true nature of their strategy.
What would have happened if they had told Republican voters at the door that they wanted them to vote to help the Democrats win? This fact was omitted in their campaign in support of the Tate scheme.
Without access to the IFF’s political machine’s secret Signal group messaging, we may never be able to prove coordination; however, there is not a single Republican active in Idaho politics who believes Tate came up with this scheme all on her own.
Using Outsourced Tactics for Manipulation
To execute this deception, the IFF PAC utilized Las Vegas-based campaign consultant McShane LLC and Citizens Alliance, mobilizing text messaging and targeted ads to back Tate’s campaign. They even had help from their Twin Falls affliate, the Magic Valley Liberty Alliance (MVLA).
With Idaho Freedom PAC funds in play, overseen by Hurst and Spoon, the messaging was carefully crafted to mislead voters into believing they were supporting an authentic conservative voice. However, the campaign texts and ads never disclosed that Tate’s candidacy was designed to derail Lickley’s chances and bolster Taylor’s—a Democrat who, in reality, aligns with none of the conservative principles IFF claims to champion.
After all the votes were counted, IFF’s Hurst openly celebrated the democrat’s victory: “We did it. We freaking did it,” he posted online, further declaring, “Dear liberals: Stay the hell out of the Senate caucus.” For an organization that claims to be a bastion of Idaho conservatism, there’s a grim irony in their pride over enabling a liberal victory.
Kala Tate’s Flip from Supporter to Saboteur
While Lickley has maintained a consistent conservative record throughout her career, Tate’s sudden flip from supporting Lickley’s campaign two years ago to undermining it in the latest election raises questions about her integrity and commitment to Republican principles. After working as an intern for Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld, Sen. Tammy Nichols, and Rep. Heather Scott, she became radicalized to the far-right. She quickly flipped to help facilitate IFF’s scheme to keep District 26 blue. She even went so far as to unaffiliate from the Republican party.
As Rob Williams, chairman of the Jerome County Republican Central Committee, noted, Lickley is “definitely a conservative Republican.” Still, to some people on the far right, “everyone else is a RINO.”
Who is Tate to call Lickley a RINO when she actively participated in a scheme to help a democrat defeat the winner of the Republican primary election? Tate is the one who left the party.
Isn't this the whole point of having a closed Idaho Republican primary election — so the party can choose its own candidates without interference from members of other parties? There was no censure or direct action from the part to suggest that Lickley was not a Republican, and even Dorothy Moon was forced to admit this was wrong, even though nobody believed she was not aware of this deception concocted by members within her inner circle.
Idaho GOP Chair Dorothy Moon tried to distance the Republican Party from Tate scheme, asserting, “there were no schemes by the Republican Party, and that is not a tactic the party uses.” But Moon’s efforts to disavow IFF’s tactics underscore the lengths this political machine will go to control Idaho’s political landscape—even if it means dividing and weakening the Republican Party they never truly supported.
And for the record, there is no daylight between the Idaho Freedom Foundation, its PAC, and Dorothy Moon. They operate as one political machine.
A Loss of Leadership for Blaine County
Laurie Lickley’s experience as a former legislator, a rancher, and a longtime policy advocate for the Idaho agriculture community positioned her to play a significant role in the Senate leadership. She would have been able to do way more for the good people in District 26 within the Republican majority leadership than a Democrat state senator with zero political pull.
Lickley’s substantial experience and intelligence threatened the IFF’s plans to run legislation that benefits the self-serving interests of their dark money donors. Hence, they had to engineer a deceptive scheme like this.
IFF’s Pattern of Deception
The tactics deployed in District 26 are not unique; they are part of a larger, troubling pattern in the IFF’s playbook.
For years, IFF has used misleading “Freedom Scores,” political pressure, and fringe candidate endorsements to control Idaho’s conservative narrative. By aligning with spoiler candidates like Tate, the IFF aids the left and deepens divisions within the Republican Party. Their actions are less about promoting genuine conservatism and more about advancing an agenda consolidating power under the IFF’s influence.
The IFF machine made a big deal about voting out anyone who goes against their culture war bills and claims to show zero tolerance. Then they go and help elect a Democrat who stands for everything they hate.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation political machine calls any Republican who disagrees with them a “RINO” while working hard to help turn Idaho blue by electing Democrats who support everything idea they claim to be opposed.
Nobody likes a hypocrite.
About the Author
Gregory Graf is the creator of Political Potatoes and a lifelong conservative Republican whose articles often criticize the hypocrisy committed by far-right grifters who’ve taken control of the GOP. Graf is the CEO of Snake River Strategies, a communications and political consulting firm based in Eagle, Idaho. Graf and his family moved to Idaho Falls in 2013 from Utah and currently reside in Star.
Disclaimer
The following is intended to convey an opinion on newsworthy events of public concern regarding public figures and/or public officials in the exercise of their official duties. No implications or inferences—beyond those explicitly stated in the preceding— are intended to be conveyed or endorsed by the Author. Wherever available, hyperlinks have been provided to allow readers to directly access any underlying assertions of fact upon which this opinion is based.
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Thank you for exposing this underhanded tactic. Most of my life Idaho has been the nation’s #1 or # 2 most Republican state. Recently we’ve fallen much further down the list. This is why.