Idaho RINOs forced to spend massively to defeat MassResistance activist in GOP State Senate primary.

Most expensive primary fight of the year.

Even GOP Governor and Lt. Governor attack him, as well as special interests.

Exposes why “red” states are run by liberal Republicans

September 28, 2026

This RINO legislator is reviled by the grassroots across the state because he routinely kills good conservative legislation.

Our MassResistance activists are shaking the foundations of the RINO phony “conservative” dynasty.

Do you wonder why so many “red” states are run by liberal Republicans who keep getting elected? It’s been a big topic in conservative media this year. But we believe the RINO days are numbered.

RINO State Senator Jim Guthrie – the Idaho Legislature’s “hatchet man” against conservative bills

Idaho State Senator Jim Guthrie, one of the most powerful Republicans, is detested by grassroots conservatives. As chairman of the influential Senate State Affairs Committee, he is Governor Brad Little’s “hatchet man.”

Gov. Little, a RINO, does not want to have to sign conservative bills into law. Senator Guthrie keeps good conservative legislation from seeing the light of day – especially bills that have passed the House. Since they never get passed by both branches, Gov. Little is relieved of the pressure of having to sign them.

Bills dealing with illegal immigration, abortion, the transgender agenda, etc., are stopped in Guthrie’s committee. For example, two years in a row the Idaho House passed our MassResistance Resolution urging the overturn of the Obergefell “gay marriage” ruling. But both years, it died in Guthrie’s Senate committee.

Guthrie advertises himself to his constituents as a “strong conservative.” But by most accounts, his voting record is to the left of many Democrats in the legislature.

David Worley takes on Guthrie in the GOP primary

In 2023, David Worley helped lead our chapter in Pocatello, Idaho. Parents there were outraged over the hundreds of repulsive pornographic books in the public library. He helped them fight back. In 2024, as an Idaho National Guard officer, he stood by his principles and opposed the LGBT agenda in the National Guard in a high-profile religious discrimination lawsuit.

In 2023, David Worley led an impromptu "Town Hall" with MassResistance parents in the library board meeting room after the board refused to show up for its own meeting and face criticism over the obscene children's books.

This year, David decided to take on Guthrie in the Republican primary held on May 19. David had earlier run for Mayor of Pocatello and so had some name recognition. He is smart, principled, and fearless - and a tireless campaigner.

David did not mince words on his three top issues:

1. Christian values in the schools: Take out the poisonous abortion, homosexual, and transgender agendas completely.
2. Illegal Immigration: Real action needs to be taken.
3. Guthrie’s sellout of his constituents in his prominent anti-conservative activity in the Senate.

These three issues directly confronted the corporate and leftist status quo in Idaho. And it was becoming clear that David was getting traction with the people in the district.

Unbelievably massive attack campaign against David

Apparently, the establishment could see David was not some ordinary guy that Guthrie could easily beat. They had to keep this seat. So they did a ramped-up version of what they probably do everywhere.

Idaho’s major RINO politicians publicly endorsed Guthrie: the Governor, Lt. Governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Secretary of State, and State Controller. (But the Idaho Attorney General, Raul Labrador, stood up and endorsed Worley, as did grassroots conservatives across the state.)

The status quo forces came together and launched a massive attack campaign against Worley.

Nobody in the district had ever seen anything like it. The district was saturated with anti-Worley messages. Voters were subjected to:

• Multiple anti-Worley mailings each day, with messages specifically tailored to their demographic (rural, city, etc.)
• Huge TV blitz: You couldn’t walk into a sports bar without seeing constant anti-Worley commercials on all the TVs.
• Big radio blitz. It seemed like every radio station had anti-Worley ads.
• A barrage of targeted text messaging.
• A flood of carefully targeted ads and messages on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and other social media.

This attack mailing - which distorts David's true record - was sent out by the agriculture lobby, which wants to keep illegal immigration in place.

This mailing, which paints Guthrie as "supporting local farmers" was sent out by the dairy lobby, which also wants to keep illegal immigration in place.

The dishonesty was breathtaking. The “PAC for Public Lands” (funded by pro-illegal immigration groups) repeatedly attacked David for being against “open spaces,” because he hadn't previously taken any position on that issue. But they knew he didn’t have the funds to counter it.

This "PAC for Public Lands" mailing implies David is against preserving "open spaces."

David’s campaign budget was a fraction of that against him. He ended up raising about $60,000 - mostly from individual donors. State pro-family PACs from Idaho and around the country spent about $90,000 helping him.

There were some pro-Worley mailings sent out. This one correctly informs the voters, "Guthrie voted against multiple conservative immigration bills and supports the radical transgender agenda on record."

Where did the RINO money and organizing come from?

In all, over half a million dollars was spent on this race, making it by far the most expensive Idaho primary of this election cycle. Most of the money, tactics, and organizing came from outside groups.

It was not just Planned Parenthood and the LGBT lobby attacking David. The massive corporate pro-illegal immigration lobby in Idaho – which includes big agriculture, construction, health care, hospitality, manufacturing, chambers of commerce, and other businesses – was a major funder of attacks on David. They are serious about keeping illegal immigration open, and Guthrie’s defeat would be a disaster for them. (They gladly team up with the Left on this issue – which wants illegal immigration to create Democrat voters.)

The construction industry sent this, telling voters that Guthrie has "a record of delivering results for District 28." Those "results" are stopping any bills that curb illegal immigration!

Another mailing for Guthrie by the agriculture industry, which depends on low-wage illigal immigrants.

Of course, the public wasn’t aware of who was really behind much of this, because the industries and lobbying groups hid their donations behind layers of phony conservative-sounding PACS such as “Defend and Protect Idaho.”

This was sent to voters from the "Idaho Prosperity Fund," which is a front for the construction industry.

Gov. Little controls the “Idaho Liberty PAC,” which also provided huge funding and coordination against David. That phony “conservative” PAC exists to keep real conservative legislation from getting passed, and is generously funded by corporations, RINO donors, and leftists.

Gov. Little's "Idaho Liberty PAC" in action!

This "Idaho Liberty PAC" mailing describes Guthrie as demonstrating "Proven Conservative Leadership."

Guthrie refused to debate David

Even though they obviously considered David a serious challenger, Guthrie refused to debate him face-to-face. The obvious reason is that it would have given David an opportunity to rebut all the lies and distortions used to attack him. David showed up to scheduled radio and other debates anyway.

There were several “town hall” type public forums where both candidates answered questions, however, and David took full advantage of that.

Nevertheless, David came close to winning

In the end, even with all that enormous money and campaign power against him, David still came close to winning. Guthrie won by 53.3% (3,905 votes) to 46.7% (3,424 votes). David only lost by 481 votes.

It was actually a stunning and shocking near-upset against a huge RINO blitz. There’s a sense that people began to feel that if the Republican establishment is spending that much money to attack someone, he must be pretty special.

Final thoughts

Having talked with David afterwards, we have a feeling he will be back to run next time to close the gap and win. If anything, the establishment Republicans will need twice as much money to stop him!

There are two important lessons we can learn here.

First, a dedicated, principled individual can make a big difference. That’s why corrupt government and big business hate people like David Worley.

Second, make no mistake: If you’re wondering why “red” state politicians keep supporting the liberal agenda, what happened here is Exhibit A. This raw flexing of anti-conservative muscle is replicated across all “red” states in some fashion. Gov. Little’s sleazy “Idaho Liberty PAC” is an example of how blatant it can get. Regular people need to wake up, as they are starting to do in Idaho’s Senate District 28.

As Samuel Adams famously described, these are the kinds of “brush fires” that MassResistance is working to start everywhere.