The HyPACrisy of Dorothy Moon
Moon’s latest op-ed omitted the PACs that fuel her political machine and misled voters about who is really trying to influence Idaho elections with out of state money.
Dorothy Moon published an article this week on the official Idaho GOP website warning that “outside groups and powerful elites” are trying to “buy Idaho’s elections.” She claimed that “PACS should not be controlling the outcome” and suggested that several Idaho-based conservative Political Action Committees (PAC) were somehow aligned with “liberal interests.” The framing was dramatic. The omissions were strategic.
Moon did not publish this piece because she uncovered a sudden concern about PAC transparency. Her op-ed came only days after a series of bruising political defeats for the far-right faction with whom she presents herself as the leader. Voters in East Idaho, finally equipped with accurate information about who was attempting to influence their elections, rejected the slate backed by her closest allies. And once voters saw who was behind the curtain, the machine faltered.
In Bonneville County, the Idaho Freedom Foundation–aligned faction failed to hold onto their precinct seats after grassroots Republicans ousted them in the 2024 Republican primary.
And this week in Idaho Falls, a nonpartisan mayoral runoff became the clearest public test yet. Lifelong Republican Lisa Burtenshaw won decisively because her campaign and several conservative PACs gave voters factual, sourced information about the donors and operatives backing her opponent. When residents understood what they were actually up against, the outcome shifted away from the candidate Moon endorsed.
This context defined Moon’s op-ed. The East Idaho results weakened the political coalition surrounding her in the Eastern part of the state, leading to growing fear that this bellwether election could signal weakness for them in other parts of the state.
Instead of acknowledging the cause, she used her position as state party chair to attack the PACs that informed voters while protecting the PACs that fund and drive her own network. The op-ed functioned as narrative control, using their predictable propaganda playbook rather than simply being honest about their shortcomings.
The PACs Moon Refused to Mention
Moon listed PACs she wanted Conservatives to distrust. Except for Young Americans for Liberty, which has deep ties to the IFF and has crossed Moon personally, none of them were the PACs that actually shape election outcomes for the Idaho Freedom Foundation or the candidates who orbit it. The omissions made her argument misleading by design.
Stop Idaho RINOs PAC is operated by California transplant John Hedia, who entered Idaho politics during the COVID migration and quickly embedded himself in Republican primaries. His PAC now relies on an AI “platform scorecard” that punishes mainstream Republicans and rewards IFF loyalists. The scoring system has no transparency. The PAC's name itself demonstrates its unseriousness, focusing on using the false Republican in Name Only (RINO) label to apply to anyone who opposes IFF’s power grab.
Conservatives across Idaho have raised concerns that the scorecard is used as a questionable pressure device rather than a tool for educating voters. Hedia frequently targets Republican officials and community members with misleading statements designed to inflame local divisions. Heida is responsible for publishing some of the nastiest, most contentious, and extremely dishonest attacks on good Republicans whom he’s been paid to disparage.
Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC is the Idaho arm of a national political operation run by Clint Maloney, the former president of Young Americans for Liberty. Maloney directs the Citizens Alliance of America, which transferred roughly $400,000 to its Idaho affiliate during the latest primary cycle. Citizens Alliance of Idaho then paid that money to Mobilize the Message LLC, a Florida-based canvassing company that Maloney personally owns, to deploy paid canvassers imported from out of state. Residents in numerous districts reported that these canvassers lacked knowledge of local issues and delivered scripted attacks against mainstream Republican incumbents. According to public records, Maloney collects over $250,000 per year from dark-money donors through Citizens Alliance of America, then makes a profit off the $400,000 routed through Citizens Alliance of Idaho, making them effectively an out-of-state PAC with a paid operative fronting them in Idaho.
The structure shows a circular flow of dark money. Funds moved from Maloney’s national group to Idaho and were immediately returned to Maloney’s private company, a move that, if done by a traditional Republican PAC, would provoke nonstop outrage from far-right operatives and draw a flood of complaints. Political messaging branded as “Idaho values” originated outside the state and served national interests rather than local communities. Matt Edwards, Maloney’s Idaho frontman, provides the local face, but it looks like Maloney’s national network makes all strategy and funding decisions. Citizens Alliance now ranks among Idaho’s top-spending lobbying entities seeking to influence Idaho policy and elections, as directed from Texas and Florida.
Idaho Freedom PAC, the formal campaign arm of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, operates under the guidance of former IFF vice president Dustin Hurst, who currently works directly for IFF co-founder and board member Heather Lauer at her People United for Privacy. According to a recent post from Rep. Heather Scott, Lauer collects nearly $300,000 per year while Hurst receives $140,000 annually from this Washington, D.C.-based political organization. Hurst is known statewide for organizing coordinated online attacks against legislators and citizens who resist the IFF agenda. Local officials have described his tactics as harassment. The PAC funnels resources to candidates loyal to the IFF and targets Republicans who vote based on the needs of their districts rather than IFF’s misguided and self-serving demands. It is one of the most notorious PACs in Idaho politics. Moon did not mention it.
All three omitted PACs attempt to have more influence in Idaho elections than the PACs Moon condemned. Their exclusion from her op-ed reveals her motive. Her article was an attempt to protect the machine she represents from scrutiny.
Moon’s critique of PAC influence also hid her own reliance on outside assistance. In 2020, Young Americans for Liberty spent more than $11,000 supporting her legislative race through targeted mailers and text campaigns. She benefited from their resources and campaign assistance. She’s spent years aligning her political career with the same networks that helped put her in office. Is anyone surprised that this inconvenient fact was omitted from her op-ed?
Just like her support for KCRCC’s sharing of a private citizen’s social security number as a form of political violence, Moon will likely hope you’ll forget about her ridiculous article and continue to gaslight and mislead voters to appease those who paid to install her as the party boss.
Why Dorothy Moon Attacked Republican-Backed PACs
Dorothy Moon attempted to cast Defend & Protect Idaho and Idaho Liberty PAC as “liberal.” The evidence contradicts that characterization. Defend & Protect Idaho is run by former Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney, a Republican with decades of law enforcement service. According to Moon, the Idaho Liberty PAC is backed by Republican Governor Brad Little, who is endorsed for reelection by President Donald Trump.
Moon’s claims demonstrate the mental gymnastics one must perform to understand how either of these groups could remotely be considered “liberal” or “backed by George Soros.” The absurdity of Moon’s assertions should have people wondering what else she’s been lying about.
Of course, when you understand why she is choosing to be dishonest, it becomes clear that these PACs supported candidates who refused to serve the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s agenda.
The timing was no accident. The Idaho Falls mayoral runoff produced a decisive defeat for the backers of Moon’s faction, and the Republican backed PAC's support helped voters learn the truth. Lisa Burtenshaw, a lifelong Republican rooted deeply in Idaho, became a threat not because she was partisan but because she was credible and had extensive experience. Her opponent, Jeff Alldridge, was a recent transplant from the Seattle area with zero public service experience.
Alldrige received support from the same narrow band of far-right donors and operatives who attempt to sway local politics under the cover of “true conservatism”: Doyle Beck, Nick Contos, Chad Christensen, Bryan Smith, and Brett Skidmore. Their playbook was familiar. Promote an inexperienced and potentially unqualified candidate as a grassroots conservative while quietly providing the messaging, money, and manpower from a centralized political machine.
Once voters understood this, the race shifted in a way the far-right did not expect. Burtenshaw’s endorsements from Governor Little, Lt. Governor Bedke, Congressman Simpson, local legislators, and prominent community business leaders were based on her record and experience. When money was spent to inform voters, they could see which coalition reflected their community and which did not.
The Far-Right’s Manufactured Outrage Invaded Local Facebook Groups
The online behavior surrounding the East Idaho runoffs followed a predictable pattern. A small cluster of accounts circulated identical talking points, attacked dissenters, and created the illusion of widespread anger.
Several of these accounts were operated outside Idaho. One belonged to a Nevada activist previously removed from campaign work for posting antisemitic content. Like so many far-right campaigns in Idaho, operatives are used to astroturf, flood local Facebook groups with contentious comments attacking the other side, and suppress discussion while overwhelming local voices.
You’ll see more of this between now and the subsequent Republican Primary election in May. Operatives aligned with this faction will infiltrate community Facebook groups and Nextdoor communities, and flood candidate social media with misleading and false narratives, stirring contention and making it appear they are a larger movement than they really are.
Rage Against The Political Machine
The structure is now clear. A handful of wealthy donors fund candidates who advance their ideological and personal interests. Operatives craft messaging and scorecards designed to punish Republicans who resist. PACs deploy targeted mailers and paid out-of-state canvassers. Online actors reinforce hostility and pressure. The Idaho GOP chair provides institutional legitimacy by publishing machine-aligned narratives.
Idaho voters must confront the fact that this so-called conservative movement does not actually stand for anything. It has no governing philosophy beyond opposition, no constructive agenda beyond identifying new enemies, and no solutions for the real challenges facing Idaho communities. Its leaders focus on manufacturing outrage because outrage keeps donations flowing and keeps their chosen candidates afloat. They harvest email lists, bombard supporters with inflammatory fundraising messages, and recycle grievances to maintain control.
Moon’s op-ed was another attempt to sustain that cycle. It attacked, distracted, and accused, but it offered nothing of substance. Idaho Republicans deserve a movement rooted in integrity and fundamental conservative principles, not a political operation that treats voters as marks who are targeted for their political grift.
We need to support organizations and candidates with integrity and reject those whose default position is to lie and manipulate you.
The more Idahoans see the machine for what it is, the less power it has over the future of this state.
About the Author
Gregory Graf is the creator of Political Potatoes and a lifelong conservative Republican who lives in Star, Idaho. He is the CEO of Snake River Strategies and the creator of the Idaho Voter Guide. Follow Gregory Graf on X and Facebook.
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Disclaimer
The following is intended to convey an opinion on newsworthy events of public concern regarding public figures and/or public officials in exercising 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.
Well said!
So Moon is upset about dark money influencing Idaho politics? Here’s how she can root out one of the biggest offenders - just take a look in the mirror.