With a week left before the primary, Neal and Julie are feeling that familiar end-of-cycle fatigue—when everything feels louder than it should and it’s tempting to snap back on social media. But the bigger point Neal keeps coming back to is this: we all still have to live together after Election Day, and the constant anger isn’t helping anyone think clearly. From there, Neal lays out what he sees as the real political problem underneath a lot of Idaho’s “make it make sense” moments—big money and big industry influence, certain lawmakers functioning as reliable bill-killers, and a power structure that leaves regular voters feeling ignored. His prescription is simple and blunt: the May primary is the election in Idaho, turnout is embarrassingly low, and if even a modest number of disengaged conservatives actually showed up (and brought a couple friends), the results would shock people.
Then we get a full interview with gubernatorial challenger Mark Fitzpatrick, who argues he’s building grassroots momentum and says Governor Brad Little is avoiding interviews and tough questions—especially on immigration. Fitzpatrick responds to a hidden-camera clip where Little labels some of Fitzpatrick’s supporters “racist,” calling it a political smear to dodge the immigration conversation. Fitzpatrick also pitches aggressive budget cuts tied to rolling back post-COVID spending, cracking down on fraud (including claims about daycare/benefits abuse), and expanding natural resource development (mining/logging) to grow state revenue—paired with strong anti-illegal-immigration enforcement. The hour wraps with more Idaho political crossfire: Attorney General Raul Labrador publicly dismantling ex-AG Jim Jones’ credibility (especially after the school choice ruling), callers weighing in on hot-button social issues like parental rights and gender policy in schools, and a candid sidebar on how certain political alliances can be a deal-killer with everyday voters—whether candidates realize it or not.
**Highlights**
– Neal’s “make it make sense” thesis: parts of the Legislature are effectively owned by powerful industry money—and it’s showing up in bills getting “drawered.”
– A hard push to boost primary turnout: even moving from ~25% to 30–35% could flip outcomes across Idaho.
– Mark Fitzpatrick interview: immigration, budget cuts, fraud investigations, and a “more public, truth-forward” style of governor.
– Fitzpatrick answers Brad Little hidden-camera remarks accusing some supporters of racism.
– Labrador vs. Jim Jones: credibility, repeated legal/political claims, and why newspapers still platform him.
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