BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Idaho House Republicans on Thursday stripped Rep. Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, of her majority leader position.
The Republican Party announced in an emailed statement the caucus voted to retain other leadership positions, keeping Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay, as assistant majority leader, and Rep. Dustin Manwaring, R-Pocatello, as majority caucus chair.
“On behalf of my fellow legislators, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude for Rep. Blanksma’s time as our Majority Leader,” Manwaring said in an emailed statement. “Rep. Blanksma is very passionate about the betterment of Idaho and will continue to bring forth important policy for her constituents. Please be assured that the House Republican Caucus is still focused on the needs and concerns of the people of Idaho. We will continue to work collectively to ensure our communities’ best interests are our number one priority.”
No reason was provided for her removal.
The House floor session Thursday went into a majority caucus meeting shortly after the session began. Then, in an unusual turn of events, members returned to vote on a motion to retain Rep. Mike Moyle as House speaker.
The vote to retain the House speaker was held in public by members of the entire chamber.
Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, made the motion, which was seconded by Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa. Palmer declined to say anything about the motion other than, he didn't think it required debate.
Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, presided over the vote on whether the House should keep Moyle as speaker.
Rep. Dan Garner, R-Clifton, said, it was a "sad day," when the body was voting on the motion, "when we should be doing the business of Idaho."
"I urge you to support this motion and our whole leadership and move on," he said.
House Assistant Minority Leader Lauren Necochea, D-Boise, also spoke in favor of the motion.
"As a member of the minority party, I wanted to respect our tradition of having the majority party make that decision and I don't see that we have a role to change that today on the House floor," Necochea said.
No one else spoke to the motion.
Members voted 69-0, with one member absent, thus maintaining Moyle's position as leader of the chamber. After the vote, the Republicans quickly went back into a closed-door caucus meeting.
No votes were taken on bills during Thursday's session, which ended soon after the majority returned from the meeting. No announcement was made on the floor.
Blanksma had been majority leader since 2022, after previously serving as majority caucus chair; she beat out Rep. Vito Barbieri, R-Dalton Gardens, during the closed-door votes. Moyle also became speaker in 2022, after the previous speaker, Scott Bedke, was elected to be lieutenant governor.
The caucus is expected to elect a new majority leader on Monday.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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