The Left has adopted a pretty sneaky strategy in a handful of red states this year. Knowing that the Democrat brand is so toxic, they’re instead supporting “independent” candidates for offices. In Idaho, Senate candidate Todd Achilles is the nominal independent who’s received a lot of support from Democrats.
Achilles is a former Democrat state representative, but based on the rhetoric on campaign website you’d think he’s awfully pro-Second Amendment. He’s vowed to “vote against new federal bans on firearms or magazines, a federal registry of gun owners, or any proposal that lacks Fifth Amendment protections and due process,” and to “support local programs that instill our tradition of training and responsible gun ownership.”
That’s all well and good, but Greg Pruett, founder of the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, says Achilles doesn’t talk about any pro-gun votes when he served in the state House, because he was actually a darling of the gun control lobby just a couple of years ago.
What Achilles doesn’t mention is far more revealing. In 2024, he earned an endorsement from Moms Demand Action, one of the most aggressively anti-Second Amendment organizations in America. Their endorsement requires candidates to complete a lengthy questionnaire and align with strict gun control positions. Achilles wasn’t just a participant; he was one of only two Idaho candidates who met their standards.
The Moms Demand Action 2024 press release touting their endorsement of Achilles repeatedly refers to MDA “volunteers” who were running for office, which implies that Achilles was actually involved with the gun control group and didn’t just seek out its support.
You won’t find any mention of Everytown for Gun Safety or Moms Demand Action among the endorsements that Achilles is touting this year. That’s not a big shock, given that those groups are as politically toxic as Democrats are among Idaho voters.
As far as I can tell, no media outlet in Idaho has asked Achilles to explain how he went from a Moms Demand Action-endorsed candidate two years ago to someone who claims they’ll vote against gun and magazine bans. Nor has Achilles faced any questioning about what gun control measures he would support.
The Supreme Court is likely going to strike down bans on so-called assault weapons next year, so it’s not exactly an act of political courage to say he wouldn’t vote for one. What about waiting periods? What about a federal gun licensing scheme, or a federal “red flag” law?
Does Achilles support national right-to-carry reciprocity? He’s been publicly opposed to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so does that mean he’s in favor of restoring the $200 making and transfer taxes on suppressors and short-barreled firearms that were removed through the omnibus bill?
These aren’t theoretical questions. These are all proposals that Republicans and Democrats have introduced in Congress, and if Achilles is elected he may very well have to cast votes on one or more of them.
Jim Risch has been a reliable defender of the Second Amendment during his tenure in the Senate, while Achilles is at best a roll of the dice… and at worst a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It would be one thing if Achilles was up front about what led Moms Demand Action to support him two years ago, and could offer a reasonable explanation about how his views may have evolved since 2024. I’m not seeing any of that from him or his campaign, though, and that makes me wonder if his views have really changed at all.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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