When elections can be bought, voters lose

By Lauren Necochea
Reader Staff

Idahoans deserve a government that works for them, not one that is sold to the highest bidder. When elections and legislative processes are for sale, we get governance more beholden to special interests and deep-pocketed donors than everyday people. The alarming amount of money spent influencing state and national elections should concern all of us. 

At the national level, one of the most glaring national examples is Elon Musk dropping upward of $200 million to influence the 2024 election. This dollar amount is staggering to regular Americans but insignificant to him. Yet, it’s a level that can sway an election. The result? He now has unprecedented influence over the presidential transition, key appointments and feels emboldened to push for a government shutdown on the eve of the holidays. 

Idaho may seem far removed from the billionaires of Silicon Valley or Wall Street, but we are far from immune. 

Rep. Lauren Necochea. File photo.

This year, Idaho’s elections drew a whopping $1.1 million from out-of-state donors during the primary election alone, with $925,985 spent on negative attack ads. The group that spent the most was Virginia-based Make Liberty Win, which poured more than $700,000 into helping extremist Republicans beat out mainstream Republicans. 

Groups like the American Federation for Children PAC poured money into legislative races, seeking to push their school voucher agenda, which would otherwise fail. AFC was also a top lobbyist spender, doling out $81,000 to pressure lawmakers. 

Instead of a healthy debate on strengthening our public schools, we get an aggressive voucher push from out-of-state operatives, with a not-so-subtle threat that they will attack legislators who don’t go along. 

On the corporate side, consider Bayer, the maker of pesticides and other products. In 2024, Bayer funneled nearly $80,000 into Idaho politics. While Idaho’s campaign finance law limits amounts that can be contributed to candidates’ campaigns, there are no limits for political action committees. Bayer gave $50,000 to the “Idaho Rising” PAC controlled by House Speaker Mike Moyle, making it a top contributor. 

When a corporation invests so heavily in legislators’ campaigns and the House speaker’s PAC, we must ask: What does it want in return? Mind you, this corporation pushed a failed bill last year to give itself legal immunity if its pesticides harm people.

Our democracy thrives when the voices of the people carry the most weight, not when political donations dictate the agenda. We desperately need campaign finance reforms to limit money in politics. However, that isn’t easy to enact when the GOP supermajority controls what bills can be heard and benefits from the status quo. Nevertheless, we can’t give up. We must ask tough questions and shine a light on dark money. Our democracy depends on it.

Lauren Necochea is chair of the Idaho Democratic Party and outgoing District 19 House member in the Idaho Legislature. Necochea spent a decade leading nonprofit programs dedicated to research and advocacy in tax policy, health care and children’s issues.