OPINION: Before you buy a Lincoln Day ticket, read this

Is Matt Gaetz really worth $175 per ticket?

This column isn’t about attacking Matt Gaetz. It’s about protecting local Republicans from being dragged into something that doesn’t match our values or our platform. The Idaho GOP states clearly it “opposes the sexual exploitation of minors in ANY form” and calls on leaders to discourage drug use. It also says we expect public officials to meet the highest standards of personal conduct. Those are Idaho values and shouldn’t be optional for conservatives.

That’s why so many lifelong Republicans paused when the KCRCC announced Matt Gaetz as this year’s Lincoln Day keynote speaker — a $30,000 booking for a fundraiser that once felt like a safe, family-friendly Republican tradition in Kootenai County. This isn’t a question of loyalty. It’s a question of alignment. Does this speaker choice reflect the platform we ask every other Republican to honor?

The concerns didn’t come from Democrats or the media. They came from Republicans who read the U.S. House Ethics Committee’s 2024 findings — written by members of Congress from both parties. That report concluded there was substantial evidence that Gaetz engaged in sexual conduct with a minor, paid women for sex, used illegal drugs, accepted improper gifts, and attempted to obstruct the investigation. These were official findings from the chamber he served in.

National reporting documented a federal inquiry into whether Gaetz’s associates tried to influence Florida’s tightly controlled medical-marijuana licensing system — a billion-dollar industry where insiders stood to gain. For Idaho Republicans who take corruption and drug use seriously, that raised alarms about how his political influence was exercised.

Then came the moment that resonated most with many MAGA Republicans: President Trump himself stepped away. After initially nominating Gaetz for Attorney General, Trump withdrew the nomination when Senate Republicans signaled Gaetz would not be confirmed. He didn’t push it. He saw the risk and moved on. When local party leaders claim the nomination proves Gaetz’s credibility, ordinary Republicans see the truth: if Trump didn’t think Gaetz could survive scrutiny for Attorney General, is he really the right fit for our local Lincoln Day Dinner?

Buying a ticket this year isn’t just attending a dinner, it’s publicly endorsing a choice that conflicts with Idaho’s Republicans platform. Idaho Republicans put it in writing that we “oppose the sexual exploitation of minors in ANY form” and expect leaders to meet the highest standards of conduct. Those aren’t small points. They’re the backbone of what we claim to stand for. That’s why so many Republicans are quietly stepping aside — not to cancel anyone, but to remind our party who we are. No one should feel pressured to ignore our own platform just to attend a fundraiser. Sitting this one out isn’t disloyalty; it’s clarity. It’s saying, “Republicans don’t support exploitation in ANY form… and we mean it.”

If you are looking for principled, traditional Republicanism, please visit NorthIdahoRepublicans.org or find us on Facebook.

Signed: Dr. Jack Riggs, Sandy Patano, Luke & Debbie Russell, Mary Souza, Christa Hazel, Terry & Becky Funk, Jim Pierce