Brett C. Skidmore

District 35 House B

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-skidmore-0846b474/

Brett Skidmore is new to Idaho politics and has an established home-building business called Skidmore Construction. Skidmore is supported by local county GOP leaders Doyle Beck and Bryan Smith.

Skidmore is endorsed by the former District 35 Representative Chad Christensen, a member of the Idaho III% militia and the Oathkeepers. Skidmore uses McShane LLC as his campaign consultant and enjoys support from the Idaho Freedom Foundation, Stop Idaho RINOs, Think Liberty PAC, and the Idaho Freedom Caucus.

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News Stories

This primary election will be the last where smear campaigns succeed

Editorial • Jim Jones, Idaho EdNews • 04/24/2024

This year, we are already seeing the kind of ugly campaigning that will continue to drive support for the initiative. The Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) has laid the groundwork with its contrived “freedom index” scoring that portrays its culture warriors as virtual heroes, while making responsible Republicans, who want to do the hard work of addressing actual problems facing the state, look like big-spending villains.

Those narratives are picked up, amplified and injected into smear campaigns by unprincipled hired guns like McShane LLC, which operates out of Las Vegas. A prime example of McShane’s dirty work was its successful attack on Senator Jim Woodward in the 2022 primary election in District 1. Woodward honorably served his country as a Navy officer on a nuclear submarine, is a successful businessman and was a highly-regarded conservative Republican Senator. His opponent, Scott Herndon, employed McShane with financial support from IFF’s cronies and allies, to conduct a vile, but successful, campaign against Woodward.

McShane works in tandem with far-right groups and individuals that benefit from having friendly officials in positions of influence. The collective “money, consultants, PACs and messaging work like a machine to ensure a tiny group gets unqualified candidates elected who will remain loyal and vote for the self-serving interests of the collective group’s demands.”

According to the Secretary of State’s website, eleven candidates have used McShane’s services to the tune of more than $300,000 through March of this year. They include Scott Herndon and Cornel Rasor in District 1, Carl Bjerke in District 5, Christy Zito in District 8, Brandon Shippy and Jacyn Gallagher in District 9, Chris Trakel and Lucas Caylor in District 11, Jaron Crane in District 12, Barbara Ehardt in District 33 and Brett Skidmore in District 35. Past McShane customers include Branden Durst, David Reilly and Wendy Horman.

Related Images

Brett Skidmore with election denial activist Kari Lake and Idaho GOP chairwoman Dorothy Moon
Brett Skidmore is endorsed by Citizens Alliance of Idaho, a PAC that shares donors with the Idaho Freedom PAC
Skidmore is backed by Bonneville County local party bosses Bryan Smith and Doyle Beck
Former Rep. Chad Christensen supports Brett Skidmore

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