3.5.2026 - INTERVIEW: Secretary of State Phil McGrane, Idaho Elections, Dark Money, Immigration

Send us Fan MailToday’s show was a classic “all of the above” kind of morning. We started with a mix of Idaho politics and everyday-life tangents—everything from why the governor’s race is crowded while other statewide incumbents are basically unopposed, to Pocatello’s new Target and the excitement around Raising Caine’s. From there we jumped into a clip from the Senate floor where Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke enforced the rule about referring to the governor as “the gentleman on the second floor,” which turned into a broader conversation about how stiff and ritual-heavy legislative procedure can feel when all we really want is plain talk and straight answers.The centerpiece was our conversation with Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane, who walked us through two competing bills to bring back Idaho’s presidential primary (after the frustrations of caucuses and low turnout). One proposal puts the presidential contest in early March; the other folds it into May and shifts Idaho’s state primary earlier for consistency and higher participation. We also dug into “dark money” flooding legislative races (McGrane cited $17.6 million spent), what transparency tools his office has built, and why Idaho is refusing a DOJ request for sensitive voter data—while still working closely with Homeland Security to verify citizenship and keep voter rolls clean. We closed with a listener flash-poll on March vs. May, a candid discussion about voter cynicism and election confidence, and—because it’s us—an unexpected spiral into weird ham radio signals and a full-on Bugles snack debate.---### Highlights- Phil McGrane explains the **two bills** to restore Idaho’s presidential primary: **March contest vs. May consolidation** (plus moving the May primary earlier).- Discussion of **out-of-state dark money** in Idaho legislative races and the push for updated campaign finance transparency laws.- Idaho’s stance on **protecting voter personal data** from a DOJ request, while still partnering with DHS to verify voter roll citizenship status.Let’s talk advertising. When you want to advertise on the radio, you call the station, right? But what about Facebook, Instagram, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, and other streaming platforms?You could try clicking around, reading books, or taking online courses to figure it out—or you can let us handle it. At Sandhill Media Group, we’re your local experts in both radio and digital marketing.Visit SandhillMediaGroup.com today.<a href="https://www.sandhillmediagrou