Why Young Americans for Liberty's Libertarian Agenda is NOT Good for Idaho

Never go Full Lolbert

There’s a group called “Young Americans for Liberty” (YAL) that’s been increasingly active in Idaho politics over the past few years.

They ran this ad less than two weeks ago:

I want to tell you about my experience with them, because I fell for it. And I want to make sure other Idahoans understand what’s really going on.

How YAL Operates

Young Americans for Liberty is a national libertarian activist organization that recruits and trains candidates to run for state legislature seats across the country. They focus heavily on college campuses and young conservatives, identifying people who care about freedom and limited government.

Their process is sophisticated:

• Identify potential candidates

• Provide campaign training, messaging, and financial support

• Help them run as Republicans in conservative districts

• Present themselves as champions of “liberty” and “limited government”

The messaging sounds appealing.

Who doesn’t want liberty and limited government?

How I Got Recruited

Before the 2022 elections, I attended a YAL training bootcamp.

Their pitch was compelling: liberty, limited government, constitutional principles, defending freedom. As someone who genuinely cares about those things, I was interested.

They were good at what they did…

The rhetoric about freedom and constitutional rights resonated deeply with me. I got elected in November 2022, and when I arrived for the 2023 legislative session in January, I was “officially” aligned with YAL.

The 2023 Conference: When the Cracks Started to Form

Gage Skidmore

After the legislative session in August 2023, I attended a YAL conference.

That’s when the cracks started to form.

I walked into that conference expecting to hear about limited government, constitutional principles, and conservative values. What I got instead was something completely different.

They were openly, unapologetically libertarian.

Not conservative-libertarian. Not “fiscally conservative, socially moderate.”

I’m talking capital-L Libertarian (“Lolberts” as some say).

They weren’t shy about it. This wasn’t hidden or coded. At their own conference, with their own people, they said the quiet part out loud. So, I remember sitting there, awestruck.

This wasn’t what I’d signed up for. This wasn’t conservatism.

This was something else entirely.

Working with YAL in the Legislature

During my time associated with YAL, I watched their operation up close.

They constantly pushed chaos. Picked fights that weren’t worth having. Created division where collaboration was possible. Pushed their agenda regardless of what was actually good for Idaho.

The worst part?

They didn’t listen to Idaho legislators on really… anything.

My Republican colleagues and I would try to explain Idaho politics, Idaho values, what our constituents actually wanted. But YAL had THEIR agenda for Idaho, and they weren’t interested in input from people who actually represented Idaho voters.

They messed up the 2024 election cycle. Got into fights that damaged relationships and hurt our ability to govern effectively. Pushed their ideology over practical governance.

And through it all, I kept thinking back to that conference…

The open embrace of policies that Idaho voters would never support. The disconnect between what they said publicly and what they believed privately.

So in May 2024, I left YAL and told them to delete me from their website. So did almost all of my other Republican colleagues who’d been involved. We’d all seen the same thing. We’d all reached the same conclusion.

Here’s the letter we sent them:

YAL Didn’t Stop

Here’s what concerned me most: When nearly all the Idaho legislators left YAL in 2024, the organization didn’t pause to reflect. They didn’t ask why so many people were walking away.

Instead, they immediately recruited 8 fresh candidates to replace us!

And that ad they ran less than two weeks ago?

They’re still at it, still recruiting, still pushing their agenda in Idaho.

Here’s what people need to understand: YAL hasn’t explicitly pushed these specific policies in the Idaho legislature yet. But I was at that conference. I heard what they believe. I watched how they operate.

So the question isn’t whether they support these policies. They absolutely do - they just ran ads for “Libertarians” to step up and “activate!” sounds like a sleeper cell, doesn’t it?

The question is… why aren’t they being honest with Idaho voters about what they actually believe?

The Libertarian Agenda in Plain English

Let me be show you what the Libertarian movement stands for.

Yes to ALL the drugs!

Complete legalization of all drugs for recreational use. Not just marijuana. All drugs. The idea that government has no right to tell you what you can put in your body, period. No War on Drugs. This means no restrictions on crack, meth, fentanyl, heroin, or any other substance. Full legalization.

Yes to open borders!

Unrestricted immigration. No border wall. The belief that people should be able to travel and live wherever they want, and that national borders are illegitimate restrictions on freedom. Not “better immigration policy.” Libertarians support full-blown open borders:

Yes to hookers!

Libertarians support full decriminalization of prostitution. The belief that consenting adults should be able to buy and sell sexual services without any government interference. Not regulation but decriminalization.

These aren’t my interpretations.

This is all on the party website!

So instead, they focus on the words that sound good: “Liberty.” “Freedom.” “Constitutional rights.” “Limited government.”

They recruit candidates who genuinely care about those principles but may not fully understand the broader libertarian agenda they’re being asked to advance.

This Isn’t Conservatism

I’m a conservative.

I believe in limited government, individual responsibility, and freedom. But I also believe in protecting our borders, keeping dangerous drugs out of our communities, and preserving traditional American culture.

Libertarians don’t just want small government. They want almost no government. There’s a fundamental difference.

Conservatives believe in ordered liberty. Liberty within a framework of responsibility, community standards, and protection of the vulnerable. The libertarian agenda represents something else entirely.

During my time with YAL, I watched them operate in the legislature. Their strategy wasn’t about good governance or effective policy. It was about pushing their agenda and creating chaos when they didn’t get their way (they still do this).

They picked fights that weren’t strategic. They burned bridges that didn’t need to be burned. They prioritized ideology over results.

And when we tried to explain how things actually work in Idaho they didn’t want to hear it. They had their talking points, their agenda, and their ideology.

Idaho was just a vehicle for their national libertarian movement.

What Idaho Needs to Know

Idaho is a conservative state.

We believe in strong families, safe communities, secure borders, and the rule of law. We believe in limited government, but we also believe government has legitimate and necessary functions.

We don’t want our kids exposed to drugs. We don’t want open borders that compromise our security and sovereignty. We don’t want the human trafficking and exploitation that comes with legalized prostitution.

These aren’t controversial positions in Idaho. They’re common sense.

But if Young Americans for Liberty continues to gain influence in our state legislature, we need to understand what that actually means.

The Choice Ahead

Young Americans for Liberty has every right to promote Libertarian ideology in Idaho. But they need to do it honestly. They need to tell voters what they actually believe. What they say at their conferences.

What they’ll actually push for when they have enough power and they “activate” their agenda.

The fact that they won’t campaign honestly on their actual positions tells you everything you need to know.