Idaho Is a Battleground for the GOP's Future. What Do Voters Want? | WSJ

Idaho, deeply Republican and mostly rural, is about the furthest you could get from a battleground state. So it is no surprise it is often overlooked in the national media during midterm elections. But under the surface there is a groundswell of tensions between traditional Republicans, the MAGA loyalists and newer hardline-right politicians tussling for power and influence in Idaho. This Mountain West state has become a key bellwether for the fight over what a post-Trump Republican Party could become at the national level, as well as a test lab for some of the nation’s most controversial conservative legislation. WSJ’s Robbie Gramer returns to his home state of Idaho to explore what the tensions between Idaho’s traditional Republicans and a newer, hard-line political right could mean for the Republican party’s national identity ahead of the midterms. Chapters: 0:00 Idaho’s midterm elections 1:24 The battle for the soul of the Republican Party 3:38 Bills on social issues and the Idaho Freedom Foundation 6:43 Immigration issues 8:30 The state of Idaho politics today 9:47 Independent candidates in the state Rooted In In Rooted In, our reporters take you back to their hometowns to capture the voice of the nation ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. #Idaho #Midterms #WSJ