California Transplants Keep Idaho Conservative

The newbies are Republicans. Phil McGrane has seen the numbers. The Idaho Secretary of State made an appearance in Coeur d’Alene and explained Californians coming to Idaho aren’t usually liberals. Nearly three-quarters of the arrivals register to vote Republican. The number is even higher in Kootenai County, where he was a luncheon guest.

I’m not surprised. The leader of the GOP in Kootenai County is an inventor, engineer, and transplant from the Golden State. Brent Regan has been a guest on my radio program and I got a chance to meet him at an event several years ago at the state capital. Regan is a member of MENSA. Even better that Idaho attracts conservative geniuses.

I see much the same in southern Idaho. Over the course of the last 10 months, I’ve attended events in Buhl and Jerome. I’ve asked if there are California refugees in the crowd, and always get a series of hands raised. These people are often business owners. They came here and created jobs!

When I talk with the transplants, the most common response I get about why they relocated is about family. “We wanted to raise our kids here,” they say. When I meet their kids, I find good citizens in the making. If the children decide to stay after they graduate, we’ll have some continuity.

One thing growth does bring is opportunities. My dad used to bemoan that his sons all moved away because we lived in a part of the country that had little to offer. In a world filled with bad stories we sometimes still get good news.