Sarah Zabel on polarization, principles, and the independents Idaho’s institutions keep assuming away.
The Idaho Press published a thoughtful profile of Sarah Zabel’s independent campaign, exploring what moved a retired Air Force major general and three-decade Republican to run outside both parties. Her answer starts at home: watching the 2024 election polarize her own community in Bonner County, and knowing her neighbors were better than the political map made them look.
The profile covers Zabel’s substantive priorities — the national debt, protecting Social Security for the next generation, and real immigration reform — and her willingness to say hard things, including that wealthy retirees like herself should be part of the solution. It also captures her sharpest observation about Idaho politics: legitimate independent candidates are running for the state’s highest offices, and the institutions simply assume them away.
Not anymore. Between General Zabel in the First District and Todd Achilles in the Senate race, Idaho’s independents are done being assumed away. They’re on the ballot, they’re drawing coverage, and they’re building coalitions the parties can’t.
Read the full Idaho Press profile.
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