Governor Brad Little recently announced a partnership between the State of Idaho and Turning Point USA to expand its “Club America” program into high schools. Framed as an effort to promote free speech and civic engagement, the initiative—founded by Charlie Kirk—aims to establish chapters in schools nationwide.
Credit: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Wild World Photo
But stripping away the rhetoric, this move raises serious concerns. Turning Point USA is not a neutral civic organization—it is a highly partisan political group with a clear ideological agenda. By elevating and promoting that agenda within public schools, the state is no longer acting as a neutral protector of student speech; it is putting its thumb on the scale.
While the governor’s proclamation is not legally binding, it still carries weight. When state leadership openly encourages students to join a specific political organization, it sends a message about which viewpoints are favored and which are not. That kind of signaling can have real consequences—especially in school environments where students are already navigating authority, discipline, and peer pressure.
Critics, including BABE VOTE, have pointed out the hypocrisy in pushing a partisan presence into schools while simultaneously claiming to keep politics out of education. They’re right to question it. This is not about fostering open dialogue—it’s about legitimizing one side of it.
The concern goes beyond politics. When government begins aligning itself with specific ideological groups, it creates an uneven playing field that can bleed into enforcement, discipline, and how rights are respected. Students who dissent or push back may find themselves treated differently, whether formally or informally.
The Constitution protects free speech—it does not authorize the government to promote one political ideology over others. True civic engagement means creating space for all voices, not amplifying one at the expense of the rest. If anything, this partnership undermines the very principles it claims to support.