Skip to content

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH
THE PUBLIC RECORD, IN CONTEXT.

IDAHO · EST. 2026

Home Investigations Connections Map Research People Organizations PACs Timeline Evidence Methodology Corrections

Opening the public record…

Follow the evidence.
Keep the questions open.

Our methodology Corrections & accountability Explore the evidence

A PUBLIC-INTEREST RESEARCH ARCHIVE
Version 0.1 · Idaho

A documented connection does not, by itself,
establish misconduct.

← Source register

SOURCE REFERENCE

Idaho Education News — Defend and Protect Idaho funding/spending

Example locator: 2026 Defend and Protect Idaho section

Open original source ↗

Research citing this source

Connection research · 2026-09-16

Two separately organized business-funded PAC lanes converged heavily on Guthrie in 2026

Recorded status: CURRENT FINANCE + CANDIDATE CONVERGENCE VERIFIED: Victory/Liberty and IPF independently spent heavily for Guthrie; shared corporate donors exist. Coordination is not established.

Research finding · 2026-09-16

Current evidence shows outside money influencing Idaho through candidate selection, ballot rules, lobbying/grassroots pressure and campaign infrastructure

Recorded status: SOURCED USE/EFFECT BASELINE: candidate-selection, ballot-reform, legislative-pressure and campaign-infrastructure channels are documented. Ideological direction varies by branch; no claim of centralized control or sole causation.

Connection research · 2026-09-15

Caleb Roope bridges Gem State Housing governance and major Idaho PAC giving

Recorded status: Board role and political giving verified. Crossline only: no Gem State Housing↔Defend and Protect coordination or shared-fund use established.

Connection research · 2026-09-15

Prop 1 national funding nodes reappear in Idaho's 2026 legislative primary network

Recorded status: Verified recurrence of Way Back PAC, Article IV and Unite America PAC as Idaho funders in 2026. No Reclaim-to-Defend-and-Protect organizational connection established.

Connection research · 2026-09-15

Way Back money reaches Defend and Protect Idaho, where Gary Raney and Judith Ellis oversee candidate support/opposition spending

Recorded status: Current Idaho governance and 2026 spending use verified; Way Back→DPI funding verified. Upstream WFF/1630 same-dollar attribution remains unproved.

Research finding · 2026-09-15

Gary Raney and Judith Ellis steer Defend and Protect Idaho as Way Back money is deployed into Idaho legislative primaries

Recorded status: PRIMARY local governance and current external-funding/use pattern verified from official site/FEC-linked reporting. Candidate support/opposition totals are contemporaneous reporting from Idaho filings; donor direction beyond documented outreach is NOT established.

Connection research · 2026-09-15

Little-associated Victory→Liberty lane converges with WFF/Way Back→Defend lane on 2026 Idaho candidates

Recorded status: CURRENT/HISTORICAL CAMPAIGN-FINANCE VERIFIED: Victory→Liberty and Friends of Brad Little→Victory relationships plus 2026 Liberty/DPI candidate overlap established. Coordination/common control between the Little-associated and WFF/Way Back lanes is NOT established.

Connection research · 2026-09-15

Idaho Victory Fund has current financial/personnel ties to Little’s senior staff and longtime campaign communications network

Recorded status: CURRENT OFFICIAL/FINANCE VERIFIED nexus: Victory pays Hauge/Rogers/Bilbao; Hauge and Rogers hold current senior Governor roles; Bilbao led Little campaign communications; Liberty promotes Little. Legal control/IE coordination remains unestablished.