Dorothy Moon (born 1958) is an American

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

David Smith
'Republican and more Republican': Idaho shifts ever rightward
''The Guardian'' (May 11, 2022): "elections for other offices of state are more competitive between the hard right and harder right. ... Dorothy Moon, a member of the far-right John Birch Society, is a contender for secretary of state."James Dawson
Idaho Gov. Brad Little wins GOP primary over Trump's pick, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin
Boise State Public Radio News (May 17, 2022): "Other far-right candidates are following McGeachin's lead by seeking statewide office in the Republican Party primary. ... Two state lawmakers, Dorothy Moon and Mary Souza, who both falsely insist that President Biden lost the 2020 presidential election, want to become Idaho secretary of state." politician who served as a Republican member of

Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate seats. ...

from the 8B district from 2016 to 2022. Moon has been the Chair of

Idaho Republican Party The Idaho Republican Party (IDGOP) is the Idaho state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, Boise. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling both of I ...

since July 2022.

Early life and education

Born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

,''Idaho Blue Book, 2019-2020''
p. 205.Kelcie Moseley-Morris
Who's who in the GOP race to be Idaho's next secretary of state?
''Idaho Capital Sun'' (April 20, 2022). Moon grew up near the

Ozark Mountains The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

. She earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in secondary education and a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

in resource planning from

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...

Career

Moon moved to Idaho in 1994. She was a special education director and science teacher at Challis High School, retiring in 2012. Since 1994, she has been president of Moon & Associates, Inc, an engineering and surveying company, and owns a gold mining operation in central Idaho. According to her official biography, she took part in a 1992 Antarctic expedition with Lamont Doherty Geological Observatory. In 2009, Moon became involved with the

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2007, catapulted into the mainstream by Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign. The movement expanded in resp ...

. She ran as a Republican for

for the 8B district in 2016 and won the November 2016 election, defeating Ammon Emanuel Prolife with 87.3% of the votes. She was re-elected in the November 2018 general election. The district consists of Lemhi,

Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...

Gem A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. Certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, an ...

, and

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

counties. In the

2022 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 local e ...

, Moon sought the Republican nomination for

Secretary of State of Idaho The secretary of state of Idaho is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is an elected position within the Executive (government), executive branch of the state government. The current secretary of state is Phil McGr ...

. Moon made baseless claims of voter fraud, claiming on the Idaho House floor without evidence that people from Canada came into Idaho to vote in the

2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...

. Moon lost the primary race to Phil McGrane.

Idaho Republican Party

In July 2022, Moon was elected chair of the Idaho Republican Party, defeating incumbent

Tom Luna Thomas Luna (born 1958)Superintendent of Publi ...

by a vote of 434–287. She drew praise from conservatives and libertarians for her hard-right voting record. Take Back Idaho, a group of Idaho Republicans who oppose extremism, decried her election as "absolutely disturbing." As chairwoman, Moon and her allies clashed with opponents from within the state Republican Party. The Republican Central Committees in Power County and

Bingham County Bingham County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,992. The county seat and largest city is Blackfoot. Bingham County comprises the Blackfoot, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is includ ...

clashed with Moon over her efforts to invalidate elections to the local Republican organizations, with the Bingham County Republican officials suing the state Republican Party in court.Clark Corbin
Bingham County GOP sues Idaho Republican Party
''Idaho Capital Sun'' (September 18, 2023).Shelbie Harris

''Idaho State Journal'' (September 15, 2023). Moon banned media from observing the March 2024 Republican caucuses, a decision criticized by the ''Idaho Statesman'' editorial board. In December 2023, Luna and another former Idaho Republican Party chair, Trent Clark, criticized Moon for undertaking "purges, division and expulsions" within the state party, writing that the party under Moon had "veered significantly from the inclusive big tent party envisioned by Ronald Reagan."Ian Max Stevenson
Former GOP heads say party needs 'course correction' after divisive changes
''Idaho Statesman'' (December 7, 2023). In June 2024, Moon was reelected as chair of the Idaho Republican Party, defeating former Idaho Legislator

Mary Souza Mary Souza is an American politician, small business owner, and former nurse who was a Republican member of the Idaho Senate. She was first elected in 2014 to 2022. In 2015, she co-sponsored a bill that would allow parents to withdraw their chil ...

by a vote of 376 to 228.

Political positions

Moon is part of the

, which gained strength in Idaho politics in the 2020s. She is a member of the

John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, right-wing populist, and ...

Militia movements

Moon is a supporter of Eric Parker, a right-wing militia movement leader who pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor of obstructing a court order, arising from his role in the 2014

Bundy standoff The 2014 Bundy standoff was an armed confrontation between supporters of cattle rancher Cliven Bundy and law enforcement following a 21-year legal dispute in which the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) obtained court orders directin ...

in Nevada, in which armed men faced off with federal agents at a ranch near

Bunkerville, Nevada Bunkerville is a census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 1,069 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the census-designated place of Bunkerville (which may not co ...

. Moon organized a letter-writing campaign on Parker's behalf, and introduced him to applause in a session of the state House.Jason Wilson
Idaho candidate for governor endorsed by rightwing militia leader, video reveals
''The Guardian'' (June 9, 2021).Bryan Clark

''Post Register'' (January 23, 2018).

Education standards

In 2020, Moon opposed the adoption of proposed state educational standards for English, literacy, and science; she specifically objected to what she contended was a negative portrayal of logging, mining and other

resource extraction Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. ...

industries, and opposed content on the adverse environmental impacts of logging and dams.

Environment

In 2021, Moon sponsored legislation that called for the killing of 90% of the state's

gray wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though grey ...

. Moon also supported a measure to urge Congress to revoke " wilderness study area" designation from large swaths of Idaho land, as well as a separate measure to urging Congress to restrict the ability of private landowners to sell their land to conservation organizations for transfer to a federal agency.

Vaccines and COVID-19

In March 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Idaho The first case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Idaho was confirmed on March 13, 2020, when a Boise woman tested positive. As of February 15, 2023, there have been 517,540 confirmed cases and 5,389 deaths within Idaho, while 975,583 people ha ...

, Moon promoted an end-of-session party in downtown

, despite public health advice to avoid large in-person gatherings to prevent the spread of the disease.James Dawson
Idaho House Republicans: Party On Amid Coronavirus
Boise State Public Radio (March 17, 2020). In October 2020, she was one of several Republican Idaho elected officials to appear in an

Idaho Freedom Foundation The Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) is a conservative and libertarian think tank located in Boise, Idaho. Ronald M. Nate has served as the organization's president since January 2024. Founding IFF was begun in 2009 by Wayne Hoffman, who had bee ...

video questioning the existence of the pandemic. In February 2021, Moon supported a measure to ban state contractors from requiring employees to be vaccinated ( against COVID-19 or any other disease).James Dawson
Bill Barring State Contractors From Having A Vaccine Mandate Clears Idaho House
Boise State Public Radio (February 24, 2021). During the legislative debate, Moon was one of several Republican state representatives who spread

anti-vaccine Anti-vaccine activism, which collectively constitutes the "anti-vax" movement, is a set of organized activities expressing opposition to vaccination, and these Social networking, collaborating networks have often sought to increase vaccine h ...

misinformation, claiming that her son became autistic after receiving a vaccine. During the debate, Moon said: "There's no way another Moon will ever take a vaccine until the end of any of our lives." In March 2021, Moon and fellow state Representative Heather Scott organized a demonstration in support of a bill to terminate the COVID-19 emergency in Idaho; the rally featured multiple

face mask The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect the ...

burnings in

burn barrel Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances contained in waste materials. Industrial plants for waste incineration are commonly referred to as waste-to-energy facilities. Incineration and other high ...

Election of Joe Biden

Moon has said she does not believe

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

was legitimately elected president of the United States. Days after her election as party chair in July 2022, the party was scheduled to consider a resolution declaring as such.

Personal life

Moon's husband is Darr, a licensed civil engineer and land surveyor involved in Gold mining, who serves on the national council of the

. They have two children. They live near

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

Electoral history

2020 Idaho House of Representatives election

;Seat B

2022 Idaho Secretary of State Republican primary election

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moon, Dorothy 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American far-right politicians Living people Republican Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives Missouri State University alumni Women state legislators in Idaho John Birch Society members 1958 births 21st-century members of the Idaho Legislature