After a Slight "Hiccup," I'm more Resolved than ever...

Let's get this done!

Why the panic?

A few days ago, I had some serious doubts about my campaign for Idaho House seat 11-A. I had this overwhelming feeling that I was way too short on my fundraising efforts to wage a viable campaign against a second-term incumbent. To be honest with you, I was in a “panic mode.”

After sending out over a thousand letters to regular primary voters in my district and to great conservatives across the state, the return in the form of contributions was not at all what I expected to see.

Those letters cost a lot of money… money that I knew that I would need for campaign materials. With a campaign balance of $6,449.29 entering the first month of the new year… with less than five months to raise more funds — the purchase of rack cards, other materials and advertising to get my message out to the voters of my district seemed like an insurmountable task — especially when I knew that my opponent in the race (Julie Yamamoto) had thousands of dollars more in her campaign account than I did. I estimated that she probably already had at least five times the amount of money that I did.

Our Annual Sunshine Reports for 2023 are due on January 10th. These reports show all of the financial activity of our accounts during the course of the year. After this Report, we all must file monthly until the election. Prior to January 1, 2024, only individual donations of $1,000 must be reported, and with her ending balance from 2022 of about $12,000 and her reporting of at least nine $1,000 contributions during the year, I knew that she had to be at around $21,000 minimum.

That had me very worried.

A November Suggestion to Drop Out…

I had been approached in November by a small group of concerned people who felt that because I had not raised a significant amount of money, that I should consider dropping out of the race, yielding to someone that they felt would have substantial financial and other support for a campaign against Yamamoto.

The group refused to tell me who they had in mind — only that they felt a woman would have a better chance of winning an election head-to-head with Yamamoto.

Because none of this is about me — but in electing a strong conservative candidate who believes in strong families and “family values,” protecting our rights and freedoms, and limiting government to those things that are necessary and proper for society, I agreed that if I didn’t feel that I could wage a viable campaign against her, I would consider dropping out of the race for a better candidate.

I felt that way the other day. But nobody would tell me who this “mystery candidate” was so that I could make a determination whether or not that person would be a better representative of the people of my district.

My campaign started over nine months ago.

My campaign started in early April 2023 after months of following the Legislature and its Committees daily and putting out three-to-four emails per week about pending Legislation to Idahoans — calling on them to help take action by sending emails or making phone calls to their own, as well as other Legislators stating their feelings.

The 2023 Session wasn’t the first time I did that — I’ve been doing it for several years. Technology has improved year-by-year making it a lot easier to get information out to the people of Idaho. This platform (Substack) will make it even easier this year!

I had witnessed my own Legislator (Yamamoto) voting with the Democrats, the special interest groups and political action committees on so many pieces of Legislation rather than for (or with) the people she was supposed to be representing, that I decided that she needed to be voted out of office.

Yamamoto voted to allow porn and obscene materials to remain in Libraries, available to children.

For example, she blocked good Legislation that would have protected Idaho’s children from the display and availability of pornographic and obscene materials in not only our public libraries, but in school libraries where parents cannot monitor what they are seeing or reading. As House Ed Chair, she shoved a bill that would stop that in her drawer. Another Committee revived it and it passed through the House even though she voted with the Democrats to try to stop it. It passed the Senate and went to the Governor. The Governor vetoed it, and it returned to the House to be considered for a veto override. The override failed in the House by one vote — the vote of Julie Yamamoto. So, pornographic and obscene materials remain in our libraries at the hands of our children, thanks in large part to Julie Yamamoto.

Yamamoto refuses to consider universal school choice so that parents of children in Idaho can seek out the best education for their children.

Every parent wants their kids to have better opportunities in life than they had. That is why it is so important for them to be able to provide the very best educational opportunities for their kids. They want their kids to be ready after a basic education to go to college or training in the trades so that they can become successful, productive members of society.

With her years of employment in our public school system, Yamamoto doesn’t believe that there is anything better. But parents disagree — so much that those who have the ability to teach their own kids have pulled them out of public schools and are teaching them at home.

Thousands of others want better educational opportunities for their kids, but Yamamoto, as chair of the House Ed Committee, blocks every attempt to help parents succeed in getting their kids the best education possible.

Parents know that our “public education system” is failing their kids, and they are pulling their kids out of public schools as fast as they can. With taxes of all forms eating up over half of their income, many can’t afford to provide those educational opportunities, so they are forced to send their kids to schools where only 3.7 out of ten eighth graders are proficient (at grade level) in math and reading — where less than 15% are college-ready at graduation — where less than 80% of kids graduate from high school.

Over 1500 parents pulled their kids out of public schools in the fall of 2023. Those parents have decided enough is enough and are getting their kids the education they need and deserve.

We need “educational choice” in Idaho, and Yamamoto would rather protect Teachers’ Unions and throw more-and-more money down the rabbit hole. As a Legislator, she voted for millions-upon-millions of dollars more for public education without any requirements that that education improves. In fact, as the money has increased, actual achievement has decreased.

Yamamoto has been on a “spending spree.”

I don’t believe that there is a “spending bill” that Julie Yamamoto doesn’t love.

The problem is that it is YOUR money that she and other liberals in the Legislature are spending. She loves federal money. She takes all she can get for pork belly projects and programs. With a nation now $34 Trillion in debt, we can’t afford these things. It’s your money — and the debt of your children’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren…

If you read my last Substack (“Happy New Year”), I outlined just how much this state government is costing you. After you pay state income tax (5.8%), Social Security and Medicare (7.65%), federal income taxes, gasoline taxes, and sales taxes — an income of $20 per hour is reduced to $16.16 an hour after paying just THOSE taxes.

That’s just a portion of the taxes we pay — a lot of them are hidden in the cost of the products and services we pay for, rent or mortgage, utilities, etc.

Instead of finding ways to cut spending and decrease the burden of taxes on Idaho families, Yamamoto just finds new ways to spend money. One of those ways last Session was the passage of Idaho Launch — a Socialist Corporate Welfare bill that YOU are paying for to allow government to select future occupations for Idaho kids that the state (you) will pay the training costs for. Don’t you think that employers should be training their employees? Instead, because YOU are paying for that training at the initial rate of $80 Million this year, they make more profit.

In a Legislative study conducted across the United States and of 56 pieces of Idaho Legislation last Session, Yamamoto voted as a “conservative” on only 44% of those bills. The study concluded that she most closely aligns with the Democrat Party, even though she ran and was elected as a Republican.

You watch come Monday. Governor Little, in his State of the State Message will be calling for twice that much in new spending for this Socialist program for 2025. And, Yamamoto will be right there voting “yes” along with millions-upon-millions in other spending.

Who does Yamamoto represent? It certainly isn’t you…

The Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry and their member companies pour thousands into the campaigns of liberal legislators like Yamamoto. So far in this campaign season, the following special interest groups have donated to her campaign:

• Idaho Power - $750.00

• Clearwater Paper - $1,000.00

• J.R. Simplot Co. - $500.00

• Idaho Healthcare Assn. PAC - $250.00

• Idaho Beer and Wine PAC — $250.00

• Blue Cross of Idaho — $500.00

• Veritas Advisors — $500.00

• Idaho State Dental Association PAC — $500.00

• Esto Perpetua PAC — $1,000.00

• Lobby Idaho LLC — $500.00

• Idaho Charter School Network — $500.00

• Idaho Associated General Contractors — $1,0000.00

• Idaho Association of Realtors — $1,000.00

• Idaho Bankers Association - $500.00

• DAVITA PAC — $250.00

• Anheuser Busch —- $100.00

• AT&T Services — $500.00

• CWA-COPE (Communication Workers of America - Union PAC) — $1,000.00

• Altria Client Services — $500.00

• Ball Ventures — $500.00

• Mountain View Hospital — $500.00

• St. Luke’s Health Plan — $250.00

• Delamar Mining Co. — $250.00

• Maverik — $500.00

• ICULAC (Idaho Credit Union Legislative Action Committee) — $1,000.00

• Enterprise Holdings (St. Louis, MO) — $250.00

• Swedish Match North America (Richmond, VA) — $250.00

• Lumen Technologies Services (Monroe, LA) — $150.00

• Idaho Automobile Dealers Association — $500.00

You can see her full Annual Report at https://elections.sos.idaho.gov/TED/Filings/75117.pdf

Who do you think she represents — you, or special interests? Who do you think she’ll protect with her Legislative votes?

I am proud to be a conservative Republican running to represent YOU in the Idaho Legislature.

When elected, I will:

• Champion School Choice

• Restore Educational Integrity

• Ensure Fiscal Responsibility

• Work to remove Sales Tax from groceries.

• Fight for Medical Freedom (to stop “mandates,” Medical Passports, mandated vaccines, etc.

• Support the Sanctity of Life and fight any Legislation that makes it easier to take the life of an unborn child or end the life of an aging senior.

• Oppose knee-jerk “Green New Deal” ideology.

• Work to keep the marketplace free by opposing Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance policies.

• Fight to protect your Second Amendment Rights and will fight against any Legislation that restricts that freedom.

• Work to cut spending, will not support new government spending and will work to reduce the tax burden for all Idaho families.

I’m proud to have the endorsement of the Idaho Freedom PAC.

During 2023, the Idaho Freedom PAC endorsed thirteen Legislative candidates — some are already in office, and some of us are running for office.

District 11 has a unique opportunity to elect two new conservative Legislators to the House of Representatives, both endorsed by the Idaho Freedom PAC. When Lucas Cayler and I are elected to the Idaho House, District 11 will have conservative Legislators in both houses as we join Senator Chris Trakel. Until now, our district has had liberal House members and a conservative Senator who cancel out each other’s votes on issues important to the people of Caldwell’s District 11.

For my campaign to be successful, I need YOUR help!

As a conservative, I depend on donations from individuals — not corporate or special interest groups — because I am running to represent YOU, not them.

The special interest groups will be funding progressives and liberals with thousands-upon-thousands of dollars.

In order to wage a viable and successful campaign against my extremely liberal opponent, I need a great deal of money to pay for mailers, rack cards for door-to-door activities, advertising, etc. to get my message out to the Republican voters of my district. Money isn’t everything — but it is very important.

Because of my opponent’s position in the Legislature as Chair of the House Education Committee, her actions affect every single Idahoan. So, even if you don’t live in my district, it is so very important that you support my candidacy so that I can win here and take our shared conservative values to the Statehouse next January.

You can donate at a secure on-line site by clicking the button above, or you can send your donation to my campaign by mail.

To donate by mail, please make your check payable to Marmon for Idaho and mail it to me at 1924 Fillmore Street - Caldwell, Idaho 83605.

If you mail the donation, please be sure to include your name, address, phone number and email address.

Legislative Campaign Donations in Idaho are limited to $1,000 per individual per election cycle. That means that you can donate $1,000 in the Primary and $1,000 in the General Election Cycles as an individual. Your spouse can also donate up to $1,000 per election cycle. Any size donation would be very helpful and appreciated!

I will work as hard as humanly possible to make my campaign successful.

I’m doing this for you. I’m doing this for your family. I’m doing this for my kids, my grandkids and my great-grandchild.

This isn’t about me. This is about going to Boise to fight for Idaho and Idaho’s families. I pledge to give it everything I’ve got.