BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation, an influential far-right organization, announced that its longtime leader and founding president Wayne Hoffman will be stepping down from his position.
Hoffman, who faced scrutiny last year after a report from The Inlander revealed that he was living in Washington state, told IFF’s board he wanted to “pursue other opportunities,” according to its website. Former state Rep. Ron Nate, R-Rexburg, will take his place.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation does not respond to media inquiries, according to its website.
“IFF has an opportunity to achieve even greater influence in how Idaho government operates and in advancing freedom principles across the state,” Nate said in a release on IFF’s website. “I am committed to taking the Foundation to the next level of leadership and effectiveness.”
The IFF is known for its "freedom index," where the group scores bills with criteria based on how the foundation's leaders view the bills' impact on freedom. Legislators are also ranked by how they vote — currently, legislators like Sen. Scott Herndon and Rep. Heather Scott are in the top positions.
Under Hoffman, the IFF became so influential that some legislators have said in recent years their colleagues rely on IFF scores or look up those scores before voting on bills, according to a report from KTVB.
And in recent months Hoffman, who is Jewish, and the group have faced controversy for their hiring of noted antisemite Dave Reilly, a report from InvestigateWest stated.
Nate has previously served as an IFF Senior Policy Fellow. It is unclear how much Nate will be paid, but a 2021 tax form available on ProPublica's nonprofit explorer showed that Hoffman made $143,000.
Nate, a former economics professor at Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, served in the legislature from 2014 to 2018 and 2020 to 2022.
He once called Priscilla Giddings “a model of integrity and a top-flight legislator” during a censure vote over Giddings posting links to a blog that identified a 19-year-old intern who had accused former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger of rape.
Von Ehlinger was later convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for rape.
“She doesn’t deserve this, she doesn’t deserve any of this,” Nate said at the time.
Nate has also attempted in recent years to remove the sales tax from groceries, allow the state treasurer to invest in gold and silver and to cut $1.3 million from higher education. His wife, Maria Nate, is the secretary for the Idaho Republican Party.
The IFF launched in 2008 with Hoffman, a former journalist, as its founding president. In the news release, IFF Board Chair Brent Regan thanked Hoffman "for his relentless efforts over the past 15 years to dramatically change the conversation about public policy in Idaho."
"The Board of Directors is excited for the future of the Idaho Freedom Foundation and the vision that Ron Nate has for expanding the organization's impact on conservative public policy outcomes in Idaho," Regan said.
Hoffman recently reflected on freedom in a blog post dated Dec. 29, 2023. He wrote that freedom is hard, but that doing hard things often yields better results.
“In 2024, let’s resolve to do hard things. Future generations will thank us for it,” Hoffman wrote.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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