Former Rexburg lawmaker to head Idaho Freedom Foundation

Published at 10:15 am, January 9, 2024

Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman

(Idaho Statesman) — An influential and controversial conservative Idaho lobbying group announced Monday that it has parted ways with its longtime president, replacing him with a former state representative known for his far-right policies.

The Idaho Freedom Foundation said in a news release that Ron Nate, who served several legislative terms between 2014 and 2022 as a Republican from Rexburg, would replace organization co-founder Wayne Hoffman as president.

According to the release, Hoffman told the nonprofit’s board of directors in 2022 that he planned to pursue other opportunities. In a text message, Hoffman told the Idaho Statesman “it was time to pass the torch” after 15 years with the Idaho Freedom Foundation. Hoffman — who in recent years gave up a permanent residence in Idaho in favor of an “RV lifestyle” — said he will remain in Idaho to help the group through the leadership transition in the coming months.

Nate, who joined the Freedom Foundation as a senior policy fellow in 2022 after losing in a primary, was known as one of the farthest-right members of the Legislature.

Early in his tenure, Nate was among a small cadre of lawmakers who voted to kill a bill on federal child-support compliance over fears of “Sharia law.” He was also a critic of so-called “social justice” curriculum at Boise State University and a proponent of various budget cuts to universities. In his final legislative session, he balked at a bill bringing Idaho’s tax code in line with federal code and said doing so would violate the portion of the Idaho Constitution that bans same-sex marriage. He declined to comment further Monday.

Since its creation in 2009, the Freedom Foundation has become a driving force behind many of the most conservative issues in Idaho, from anti-transgender sentiment to criticism of public schools. The nonprofit is perhaps best known for its “Freedom Index” and other related legislative scorecards, which it updates during the session to catalog lawmakers’ votes by how closely they align with the foundation’s tenets.

Idaho Freedom Foundation has faced criticism in recent months for its connections to a controversial North Idaho superintendent pick and its decision to hire alt-right personality Dave Reilly to help steer its communications.

SUBMIT A CORRECTION