What's The Going Price For The Soul of An Idaho Senator?
In an effort to distance IFF from YAL, Sen. Zuiderveld demonstrated why you can't trust anything from a "liberty legislator" who's desperate to stay in office.
Idaho State Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld (R-Twin Falls) presents herself as a fearless truth-teller, a warrior against misinformation, and a champion of grassroots conservatism. But her latest Substack post, Truth Timeline, unravels under scrutiny. Zuiderveld is not exposing corruption—she is covering for it. She is attempting to rewrite history to protect the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) and its political machine, the very network that put her in office.
Her latest effort to control the narrative isn’t just misleading—it’s a masterclass in gaslighting. She carefully omits inconvenient facts, hoping voters won’t connect the dots. She insists that Young Americans for Liberty (YAL)—the same group that endorsed her campaign—is just an independent entity with no real connection to IFF. She says YAL doesn’t really want to legalize drugs, but the financial and political entanglements tell a different story. And when confronted with the facts, she doesn’t refute them. She pretends they don’t exist.
The ignorance is either intentional or part of her identity. IFF has long posed itself as an uncompromising voice of Idaho conservatism, pushing so-called "Liberty Legislators" into office while ignoring the inconvenient fact that one of their biggest political allies—YAL—supports marijuana legalization. Former IFF president Wayne Hoffman himself has even gone on record advocating for the decriminalization of marijuana. This is a matter of public record, yet Zuiderveld refuses to acknowledge it, instead painting herself as a defender of morality.
Even top IFF financial contributor and Money Metals CEO Stephan Gleason openly criticized YAL for being pro-marijuana.
In another half-baked political strategy from IFF’s best and brightest, YAL sunk over $100,000 into an unsuccessful effort to unseat Idaho House Speaker Mike Moyle by backing the inexperienced Rachel Hazlip. When voters rejected her, IFF spitefully hired Hazlip—not for her expertise, but as a petty move to antagonize Moyle and assert their dominance. Zuiderveld, of course, had nothing to say about this blatant cronyism.
The Machine Behind Zuiderveld’s Rise
YAL is not just another conservative student group. It is a well-funded, pro-marijuana legalization, libertarian political machine born out of Ron Paul’s failed Presidential campaign. YAL doesn’t just endorse candidates; they help install them. They supported Zuiderveld, Clint Hostetler, David Leavitt, and Josh Kohl, helping them defeat established conservatives in Idaho’s legislature. But YAL didn’t act alone. They worked alongside IFF’s political arms—Idaho Freedom PAC and Idaho Freedom Action—as well as the Citizens Alliance of Idaho (CAI), a group that serves as a conduit for dark money influence in Idaho elections.
Zuiderveld’s direct ties to these groups don’t end with campaign support. Her husband sits on the board of the Magic Valley Liberty Alliance (MVLA), a Christian Nationalist group that benefited from YAL’s funding and exists to promote IFF’s agenda in the Twin Falls region.
Making Sense of the Dollars
Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC spent nearly $400,000 to support IFF-aligned candidates. But the money didn’t all come from Idahoans. Of the total, $390,000 was funneled from Citizens Alliance PAC, an out-of-state entity. The only other donor was Doyle Beck, an IFF board member who contributed $10,000. From there, the funds were routed to CAI and then into Mobilize the Message LLC, a Florida-based firm specializing in attack ads and deploying out-of-state door-knockers armed with targeted voter records and an stacks of propaganda.
The mastermind behind this operation is Cliff Maloney, the disgraced former president of YAL, who was forced out in 2021 after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. Maloney’s “win at the door” strategy has shown that if you have the money to spend on his machine for hire, you’ll win at least 50%+ of the time. It’s worth noting that Zuiderveld did not mention CAI or Maloney’s operational support in her article complaining about IFC members.
Citizens Alliance of Idaho was started as a branch of the Citizens Alliance of America by Maloney and Justin Griess after they were both pushed out of YAL in 2021. Maloney also owns Mobilize the Message LLC, which completes the circle of money originating with the Citizens Alliance PAC, which is directly affiliated with his Citizens Alliance of America organization.
IFF’s Point Man Directing the Playbook
At the center of Idaho’s version of this scheme may be Dustin Hurst, the former IFF Communications VP and now an operative for Idaho Freedom PAC. According to one IFC insider, Hurst appears to be the point man helping determine which candidates receive support from YAL, IF PAC, and Mobilize the Message. Without their Idaho insider, how would the organizations in Texas and Florida know where to direct their resources?
These out-of-state-backed door-knocking teams exist to mislead voters. YAL and Mobilize the Message canvassers distribute IFF propaganda, smear opponents, and push fear-based messaging—telling voters that challengers “aren’t real conservatives” or even “aren’t real Christians.” Their goal? To manipulate religious communities while propping up candidates funded by pro-drug legalization groups and dark money donors.
Imagine a college kid coming to your door, preaching morality from a script likely written by someone who was fired for sexual abuse.
The House of Cards Collapsing
Zuiderveld, Hostetler, Kohl, and Leavitt all rode into office on this machine’s back. But here’s the problem: out of the 32 candidates CAI backed in 2024, 17 lost their races. The political machine that once seemed invincible is now breaking down, and the people who built it are turning on each other.
Zuiderveld’s attack on the Idaho Freedom Caucus (IFC), a group she once stood beside, is especially revealing. After the IFC split from IFF’s control, Zuiderveld and her "Gang of Eight" doubled down on their loyalty to Maria Nate, the State Freedom Caucus Network Director and wife of IFF President Ron Nate. Their reasoning? Political survival. However, the new IFC members were not willing to remain IFF puppets.
A leaked recording exposed Maria Nate mocking the very legislators she helped install, sparking a rebellion within IFF’s ranks. The fallout was immediate—new IFC members realized they weren’t elected to lead or think independently; they were just pawns in IFF’s political game.
Betrayal and Backlash
YAL appears to be working with IF PAC and has begun running attack ads against the new IFC members, labeling them "traitors" for stepping out of line. These attacks are not just about punishing defectors—they are a recruitment tool. The ads direct people to sign petitions, a classic YAL data-mining tactic used to collect voter emails and build a bigger, more loyal base of activists willing to do their bidding.
Meanwhile, Zuiderveld continues to claim ignorance about YAL’s pro-marijuana stance, despite the overwhelming evidence that her re-election was powered by the same political machine she claims to have no part of. If she truly didn’t know, it’s because she didn’t want to know. Her commitment to IFF and YAL is not about principle—it’s about staying in office, no matter the cost.
Clutching Pearls While Protecting Abusers
Zuiderveld’s selective morality extends beyond YAL’s agenda. She has no problem with publishing the children's names, address, and phone numbers of a Republican mom she’s told is an adversary. She’ll gladly work with and promote the work of anti-Semitic conflict entrapeners like Dave Reilly.
She has a history of defending conservative men accused of sexual misconduct. On July 1, 2021, she posted a Bible verse about hypocrisy on her campaign page—Matthew 7:5—alongside an article from True Idaho News, a propaganda site tied to IFF. The article attacked the Idaho House Ethics Committee for investigating former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger, who was later convicted of raping a 19-year-old legislative intern. Zuiderveld and the IFF machine did everything in their power to shield von Ehlinger, painting him as a victim of political conspiracy to take down a "true conservative." Her post included many cringe-worthy statements one would expect from a “mean girl” who sides with an abuser.
Zuiderveld’s hypocrisy is even more glaring when you consider that the same political network that backed von Ehlinger gladly accepted help from Cliff Maloney, despite his own allegations of sexual misconduct. And let’s not forget CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp, a darling of the "liberty" movement, who settled a lawsuit for $400,000 after being accused of groping a male political consultant.
These are the people Zuiderveld fights to protect so she can continue getting support from this twisted political machine. It’s also the reason why she can’t be trusted.
The Grift is Unraveling
This isn’t conservatism. It’s a corrupt system designed to shield predators, enrich grifters, and silence anyone who dares to challenge it. Zuiderveld’s recent attacks on her former allies in the IFC are nothing more than a desperate attempt to cling to relevance in a crumbling network built on deception and greed.
The IFF-YAL-Maloney machine, once a well-oiled operation, is imploding under the weight of enormous egos. Zuiderveld’s hypocritical rants against her former comrades reveal just how fragile this house of cards has become. It was never about principles—it was always about power. Now, the self-proclaimed "liberty" legislators are turning on each other, proving that there is no honor among grifters.
These legislators don’t serve Idahoans. Their votes are predetermined by the machine that installed them, and no amount of voter testimony, emails, or calls will change their minds. With all the money spent to get them into office, they have little choice but to obey their puppet masters.
Zuiderveld’s loyalty is bought and paid for—a cautionary tale of what happens when Idahoans fall for the lies of opportunists who profit from masquerading as conservatives.
About the Author
Gregory Graf is the creator of Political Potatoes and a lifelong conservative Republican. His 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. He and his family moved to Idaho Falls from Utah in 2013 and 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 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.
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Perhaps Idaho Republicans who do not fall for this corruption will be in favor of open primaries once again.
My head is spinning! And it’s not from any marijuana. If you ever had a doubt as to what the IFF and their alliances or enemies were and are up to, this is the column to read. Great job!
You know what would be great? Maybe, just maybe, someone can get these MAGAt flamethrowers to take a time-out, then come back and do the work WE pay them to do.
Well, a gal can dream, can’t she?