IPT: $100K GOP Lawsuit Payback Stinks

Closed primaries in Idaho are a bad idea for many reasons. Here’s another one: It’s going to cost the state nearly half a million dollars. Idaho Republicans won a recent federal court case that said they have a constitutional right to restrict participation in primaries to registered members of their party. But just because they can, doesn’t mean they should. And now, it’s going to cost you, the taxpayer. Literally. Earlier this month, the Idaho Senate approved a $100,000 payment to the state Republican Party after the state lost that federal case to the GOP. Party members justified the payout by saying federal law allows them to recover their legal fees. But at a time when state budgets are being gashed virtually everywhere, it just looks bad to be paying a hundred grand to a political party for this. Party donors could — and should have — footed the bill, not taxpayers. Again, it just looks bad/ Idaho Press Tribune . More here .

Question: Should the Idaho Republican Party be forced to pay for its own primary next spring, now that it has sued — and be reimbursed by Republican lawmakers — successfully to close the primaries?