Ammon Bundy Drops GOP Idaho Governor Bid, Will Run As Independent – Patch.com

BOISE, ID The anti-government activist and agitator Ammon Bundy said Thursday he will not seek the Republican nomination for Idaho governor but would instead seek the position as an independent.

Bundy, who gained national notoriety over the years for his anti-government views, is best known for leading a group of armed activists in the occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge in 2016. At the time, the group protested the federal control of public lands, and he tried to frame his arrest as oppression by political opponents.

In July, he was found guilty of misdemeanor charges of trespassing and resisting or obstructing officers stemming from his August 2020 arrest. In that incident, he and co-defendant Aaron Von Schmidt refused to leave a Statehouse auditorium after officials ordered it to be cleared. Police said Bundy went limp and refused to stand up and put his hands behind his back. Officers ultimately wheeled him out of the Capitol building on a swivel chair.

A second jury trial is planned in connection with his arrest last year at the Capitol.

In a news release Thursday, Bundy blasted the state's GOP.

"Because of the corrupt and wicked state of the Idaho Republican Party establishment I have considered several times of un-affiliating myself with the party and running as an Independent candidate," he said.

Bundy said he stands behind the GOP platform, but said "the Republican establishment in Idaho is full of filth and corruption and they refuse to put forth the party platform."

As such, Bundy said he's no longer running in the Republican primary but would instead run as an independent candidate.

Bundy registered to vote as a Republican in September, according to voting records obtained by the Idaho Statesman.

Incumbent Republican Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin are likely the front-runners for the GOP nomination in the gubernatorial race

McGeachin jumped on Bundy's announcement, saying in a news release Thursday that she was now the only "viable conservative candidate" in the race.

"I am, as I have been throughout my campaign, entirely focused on defeating Brad Little and restoring the principles of State Sovereignty, Individual Liberty, and Traditional Conservative Values in Idaho," she said.

Other candidates expected to seek the GOP nomination include Steven Bradshaw, Chris Hammond, Ed Humphreys, Lisa Marie and Cody Usabel.

The primary is scheduled for May 17, though the filing deadline is March 11.

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Ammon Bundy Drops GOP Idaho Governor Bid, Will Run As Independent - Patch.com