Precinct Committeeman TF14, Magic Valley Liberty Alliance Board Member, Magic Valley Republican Women 2nd Vice President, and 2026 Candidate for Twin Falls County Assessor
Greetings Liberty Lovers,
At the November Twin Falls County Republican Central Committee, State Representative Lance Clow from Legislative District 25 announced that he was retiring at the end of November and would not be finishing his term after 32 years.
Since Representative Clow is a Republican, the duty of replacing him falls to the Republican Precinct Committeemen and the Governor of Idaho. However, Rep. Clow did not represent Twin Falls County at the state level, he represented the constituents of LD25 so it would only be the PCs of LD25 that would decide on his predecessor. Yours truly happens to be a Precinct Committeeman in LD25, so I had a front row seat to the action.
Following the IDGOP rules, the LD25 Chairman, TFC Prosecuting Attorney Grant Loebs and the LD25 Secretary, former Idaho Senator Linda Hartgen informed the twenty-two PCs in LD25 that there would be a special meeting to start the process. See, it is the responsibility of LD25 to send 3 candidates to the Governor, no more, no less. If we fail to send three, the Governor can pick any LD25 resident to fill the position. This becomes especially important if your Legislative District and your Governor come from different political parties.
The process is simple… anyone who lives in LD25 and is a registered Republican can apply. To be considered by the LD25 Committee, you also need to:
Email or bring in enough copies of your resume for all committee members
Address the committee on why you would be a good candidate
Answer any questions that the Chair or the seated PCs have for you
After the nominating window was closed, we had four candidates throw their name in the ring. First up was Lucy Wills, the wife of TFC Assessor Brad Wills. She stated that she had sent her resume out via email, although I had not received it. She handed me a paper copy and started her 2-minute speech on what makes her a good candidate and then answered several questions from Grant Loebs and the PCs. Second, was TFC Commissioner Don Hall. He emailed and handed out his resume to everyone and had his turn at the microphone. Up next was Jennifer Shaffer, she handed out copies of her resume and then addressed our committee. Finally, the last candidate to address our committee was the Precinct Committeeman from TF19, Char Alexander. She “forgot” her resume and briefly addressed the committee.
After the candidates spoke, it was time to vote. This was done in three rounds and all by secret ballot. The winner of the first round was Don Hall, the second was Lucy Wills, and the third was Char Alexander. The Chair, Grant Loebs, stated that the three choices would be sent up to Governor Little the next day and he would have 15 calendar days to choose one. If the Governor fails to do so, the LD25 Committee will meet again on the 16th day and choose the Representative for LD25 seat A for the 2026 session.
The consensus is that either way, Commissioner Don Hall will be the one chosen to replace Rep. Clow. When that happens, he will have to resign as Commissioner. At that point, the full TFCRCC will meet to go through this process again, choosing 3 candidate names to go up to the Governor for him to choose our next Commissioner. And wouldn’t you know it, the Establishment already has that replacement picked out also… Mrs. Suzanne Hawkins, TF20 PC and former Twin Falls Mayor. Then of course, both will be on the ballot in the May 2026 primary. This is just another reason why the Establishment holds on so tightly to control of the Central Committee, if they didn’t, they could not move their players around the chess board so easily.
After the meeting adjourned, Lucy Wills approached me and wanted her resume back. After a few inquiries, I found out that Mrs. Wills only sent her resume to the Establishment members of LD25, and the liberty members did not receive it. What a childish game; as I told her and Grant Loebs, it’s okay, I didn’t vote for her anyway!
Side note: While Idaho Representative Lance Clow and I don’t see eye to eye when it comes to politics, he has always been kind, friendly, and treated me well. (This is not the case with some of our other local politicians.) I worked with Rep. Clow at the Republican booth a couple times at the fair this year. One evening when it was just the two of us, I asked him about running again in 2026, because I had noticed Commissioner Don Hall had created an Idaho Sunshine account for his seat. I am not going to tell you what he said, as it was a private conversation, but I do remember the look on his face, the long pause he took before responding, and the change in his demeanor. I can tell you that in my opinion, not only do I think he was going to run again in 2026, but there was also no way he was going to step down two short months later. It is my opinion that he was nudged, and I don’t mean slightly, to change the course of his career. So, when he stood at the podium reading his retirement letter, I felt sorry for him. Sorry because from where I sat, he was “forced” to step down. I could be completely wrong, and this is one time that I hope I am.
Representative Clow, if you read this, I want you to know that I enjoyed working with you at the fair and the Republican Headquarters office and seeing you at different political events. If this was solely your decision, or if you did have encouragement, I hope you and your wife enjoy what this next chapter has to offer.
