OPINION: KCRCC Q&A

Editor's note: This is Brent Regan's final Common Sense column for the Coeur d'Alene Press. 

There have been a lot of questions and misinformation concerning the post-election organizing of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC). I would like to provide some answers with firsthand information to dispel some of the gossip and gaslighting.

Q: Why didn’t you run for KCRCC Chairman again?

A: There are multiple reasons. In the last 10 years our Republican Party has grown by more than 30,000 affiliated voters. A decade ago, Republicans were just over half of the electorate; now we are two-thirds and voter turnout has more than tripled. The KCRCC Rating and Vetting program, along with the Voter Guide, has been an undeniable success that has been emulated by other counties in Idaho and other states. The KCRCC is recognized as the premier central committee in the state. Mission accomplished, and 10 years of chairmanship rigor is enough.

I was ready to retire two years ago, but the 2024 statewide effort to seize the Republican Party at the precinct level compelled me to stay and help my fellow PCs hold off the hostile takeover. We were successful. But since then, the ad hominem attacks have escalated exponentially and were having a deleterious effect on the committee, so it would be best for them if I did not seek reelection.

Q: Why did the KCRCC transfer half its funds to the Idaho Republican State Party?

A: The KCRCC Lincoln Day is the primary fundraiser for the committee. North Idaho Republican (NIR) spokesman Russell Mann was joined by most NIR-endorsed PCs in actively boycotting Lincoln Day. KCRCC members felt it would be cruel to burden NIR PCs with the hypocrisy of benefiting from the event they found morally offensive. In a Judgment of Solomon moment, since half the PCs were now NIR-endorsed, the new KCRCC would get half the treasury. The other half was given to the Idaho GOP to fight the late-term abortion initiative if it’s on the ballot in November.

Q: Why was former mayor Ron Jacobson elected chairman over Senator Ben Toews?

A: The vote was by secret ballot, so I can only relate the reasons I know. Jacobson has an excellent reputation, served many years as the mayor of Post Falls, has the demonstrated ability to run a meeting, and had been recommended by the KCRCC in the past. 

While most agree that Toews is a good senator, being a senator AND the chairman of the second-largest central committee in the state would raise considerable conflict-of-interest concerns and would have terrible optics. The KCRCC is a political action committee registered with the Secretary of State. The KCRCC chairman oversees all activities and is an ex-officio member of all committees, making it impossible for the committee to make independent expenditures with respect to the senator’s campaign. 

Another concern is that the senator would be in Boise for at least three meetings a year during the busiest, most challenging time: Lincoln Day and pre-primary. Also, the IDGOP is considering a rule that would prohibit elected officials from serving on the executive committees of county central committees.

Q: Was a deal struck between the Conservative PCs and the NIR-endorsed PCs?

A: Yes. Thanks to the clumsy efforts of a group of advisors to a local church. The advisors campaigned to suppress the number of Conservative and NIR PCs elected so that neither would have a majority, while installing a small number of PCs loyal to the advisors who would then control the committee because they would be the swing votes. This was an interesting theory but a failure in practice, as all it did was give the Conservatives and NIRs a common enemy. This opened the door to negotiate a power-sharing arrangement that would balance the committee equally while blocking the “Tyranny of the Weak.”

Everybody says they want a “Big Tent” party, and now that the forces are in balance, it will be fascinating to see if both sides truly believe in Reagan’s 80/20 rule: “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.” Time will tell and we’ll be watching.

It’s just common sense. 

P.S. This is my final Common Sense. I hope you enjoyed them.

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Brent Regan is the former chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.