State seeks answers about anti-Moyle PAC
A screenshot from a website calling out House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star
State elections officials want more information about the anonymous group that is orchestrating a costly campaign to oust House Speaker Mike Moyle.
A Washington, D.C.-based group, Retire Career Politicians, has spent $76,000 on negative campaigning. Their sole focus is Moyle, R-Star, the senior member of the Legislature, who is seeking a 14th term.
Secretary of State Phil McGrane’s office wants Retire Career Politicians to register as an Idaho political committee by close of business Tuesday. McGrane’s office made this written request on Thursday.
In the case of Retire Career Politicians, all of its spending has been on negative messaging. On a not-so-subtly named website, retiremikemoyle.com, the group says Moyle has raked in thousands of dollars of special interest contributions, while blocking repeated attempts to repeal the sales tax on groceries. Claims about ‘Mike Moyle being a millionaire,’ cronyism, voting to defund veteran nursing homes, quotes from Moyle himself, and more are each clearly cited with sources on the website’s footer.
In 2017, Moyle was the floor sponsor of a bill to repeal the grocery tax — an amended version of a Moyle-sponsored bill that would have cut income taxes. Then-Gov. Butch Otter vetoed the grocery tax cut. In 2022, Moyle was an architect of a $600 million income tax cut — amidst bipartisan complaints that this cut would undermine any moves to repeal the grocery tax. The grocery tax repeal never came up for a hearing that year, and hasn’t been seriously considered since.
Moyle faces a rematch in the May 21 primary, opposed by Nampa Republican Rachel Hazelip. Moyle won their 2022 matchup, with 56% of the vote.
While the owners of this colorful website aren’t known yet, it’s clear that many groups are feeling the frustration of Mike Moyle’s long-term tenure in the statehouse, as well as some of the actions he’s taken to propoel his own agenda while he’s there.
