WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.220 Welcome back. We are so thrilled you could join 00:00:03.220 --> 00:00:06.040 us today for another custom tailored deep dive. 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:08.080 Yeah, we really are. I'm excited for this one. 00:00:08.179 --> 00:00:11.099 And I have to be completely transparent right 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:14.119 up front. Oh, boy. When I first looked at the 00:00:14.119 --> 00:00:16.539 source material we are covering today, I was 00:00:16.539 --> 00:00:18.940 a little skeptical. Honestly, I don't blame you. 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:22.140 And you listening might be, too, because on its 00:00:22.140 --> 00:00:25.800 surface, today's source is a seemingly dry Wikipedia 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:29.539 article titled List of United States Senators 00:00:29.539 --> 00:00:31.960 from Idaho. Right. It is essentially a giant 00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:34.920 chronological table. Of names, dates and party 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:37.000 affiliations. It's a huge spreadsheet, basically. 00:00:37.100 --> 00:00:39.759 Yeah. Not exactly a thriller novel at first glance. 00:00:39.899 --> 00:00:42.579 It really isn't. You scroll through and see columns 00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:46.039 labeled class two and class three and rows of 00:00:46.039 --> 00:00:48.399 electoral history. Those tiny, dense footnotes. 00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:50.600 Oh, the footnotes. So you are probably asking 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:53.280 yourself, why are we dedicating a deep dive to 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:56.149 a simple grid of data? It's a fair question. 00:00:56.289 --> 00:00:58.450 Well, because Hidden Right There, buried within 00:00:58.450 --> 00:01:01.170 this very rigid, organized framework, is a wildly 00:01:01.170 --> 00:01:03.770 entertaining story. It really is. It is a story 00:01:03.770 --> 00:01:07.829 of political musical chairs, sudden tragedies, 00:01:07.849 --> 00:01:11.810 bizarre party switching, and the downright chaotic 00:01:11.810 --> 00:01:14.609 maturation of the American West. It is a perfect 00:01:14.609 --> 00:01:17.459 example of how data is never just data. Right. 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:19.859 A spreadsheet or Wikipedia table is essentially 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:22.280 a fossil record. If you know how to read it, 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:24.099 you can see the dinosaurs that left the footprint. 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:26.640 I love that analogy. In this case, the source 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:29.400 tracks Idaho's Senate delegation from the very 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:32.680 moment of its statehood in 1890 all the way to 00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:34.709 the present day. Even projecting forward into 00:01:34.709 --> 00:01:37.989 the upcoming 2026 and 2028 elections. Exactly. 00:01:38.269 --> 00:01:40.769 OK, let's unpack this, starting with those mysterious 00:01:40.769 --> 00:01:43.129 column headers I just mentioned, because they 00:01:43.129 --> 00:01:44.890 actually set the stage for how this whole system 00:01:44.890 --> 00:01:47.590 works. Right. The classes. Yeah. The source divides 00:01:47.590 --> 00:01:49.689 the senators into class two and class three. 00:01:49.829 --> 00:01:51.989 And just as a quick reminder for you listening 00:01:51.989 --> 00:01:54.209 who might not obsess over congressional procedure, 00:01:54.489 --> 00:01:57.250 those classes refer to the staggered election 00:01:57.250 --> 00:01:59.810 cycles of the United States Senate. Because they. 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:02.579 Don't all run at once. Precisely. The framers 00:02:02.579 --> 00:02:04.819 of the Constitution designed the chamber so that 00:02:04.819 --> 00:02:06.939 only one third of the Senate is up for reelection 00:02:06.939 --> 00:02:09.599 every two years. To prevent a complete overnight 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:12.099 turnover. Exactly. Every state gets two senators 00:02:12.099 --> 00:02:14.580 and they are always assigned to two different 00:02:14.580 --> 00:02:16.740 classes. So they never run for reelection in 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:19.759 the exact same year. Which creates a really fascinating 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:22.960 rhythm to a state's political timeline. It really 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:25.750 does. So keeping that rhythm in mind. Let's look 00:02:25.750 --> 00:02:27.650 at the very beginning of the timeline where we 00:02:27.650 --> 00:02:30.990 find our first major oddity. The statehood limbo. 00:02:31.090 --> 00:02:34.830 Yes. Idaho officially joined the union on July 00:02:34.830 --> 00:02:38.550 3, 1890. Right. But if you look at the table 00:02:38.550 --> 00:02:41.490 for the very first two senators, George Shoup 00:02:41.490 --> 00:02:43.990 and William McConnell, their terms do not start 00:02:43.990 --> 00:02:46.370 on July 3. They don't. They didn't take office 00:02:46.370 --> 00:02:49.590 until December 18, 1890. Almost six months later. 00:02:49.750 --> 00:02:52.210 There is nearly a six -month gap where this... 00:02:52.569 --> 00:02:55.050 Brand new, fiercely independent state, just didn't 00:02:55.050 --> 00:02:57.090 have any senators representing it in Washington, 00:02:57.270 --> 00:02:59.469 D .C. Which is a brilliant historical detail. 00:02:59.610 --> 00:03:03.289 Today, if there's a vacancy or a new seat, we 00:03:03.289 --> 00:03:05.750 expect immediate action. A governor just appoints 00:03:05.750 --> 00:03:07.849 someone? Right, or a special election is swiftly 00:03:07.849 --> 00:03:11.009 organized. But in 1890, the United States was 00:03:11.009 --> 00:03:13.270 operating under the original constitutional rules 00:03:13.270 --> 00:03:15.909 for electing senators. Which was completely different. 00:03:16.189 --> 00:03:19.270 They were chosen by state legislatures. not by 00:03:19.270 --> 00:03:21.969 a direct popular vote of the people. That shift 00:03:21.969 --> 00:03:24.669 to a popular vote didn't happen until the 17th 00:03:24.669 --> 00:03:27.550 Amendment was ratified decades later in 1913. 00:03:27.770 --> 00:03:30.469 Exactly. So imagine the reality on the ground 00:03:30.469 --> 00:03:35.110 in Idaho on July 4, 1890. Day one of statehood. 00:03:35.169 --> 00:03:38.219 Day one. They are a brand new state. They don't 00:03:38.219 --> 00:03:41.020 have a fully functioning, sitting state legislature 00:03:41.020 --> 00:03:43.919 ready to just convene and vote on who goes to 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:45.740 Washington. Building a state government from 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:48.300 scratch takes immense time and coordination. 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:51.520 It's massive. They had to organize voting districts 00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:54.860 across rugged mountainous terrain, hold local 00:03:54.860 --> 00:03:57.620 elections to actually form that state legislature. 00:03:57.879 --> 00:04:00.319 Physically convene those newly elected local 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:02.419 officials. And then finally hold a floor vote 00:04:02.419 --> 00:04:04.930 to select Shoup and McConnell. It's like having 00:04:04.930 --> 00:04:06.870 to build the airplane while you were already 00:04:06.870 --> 00:04:09.129 falling out of the sky. Exactly. That almost 00:04:09.129 --> 00:04:12.069 six -month limbo is a stark reminder to you listening 00:04:12.069 --> 00:04:14.689 of the massive logistical hurdles involved in 00:04:14.689 --> 00:04:16.670 adding a new star to the flag. It wasn't just 00:04:16.670 --> 00:04:19.069 a flip of a switch. No, it was a grueling administrative 00:04:19.069 --> 00:04:22.750 process across a frontier landscape. And even 00:04:22.750 --> 00:04:25.449 after they were selected, you have to factor 00:04:25.449 --> 00:04:28.649 in the sheer physical logistics of the era. The 00:04:28.649 --> 00:04:31.189 travel alone. Right. Traveling from Boise, Idaho 00:04:31.189 --> 00:04:34.009 to Washington, D .C. in the dead of winter in 00:04:34.009 --> 00:04:38.209 1890 was a multi -day arduous journey by train. 00:04:38.699 --> 00:04:40.899 So the delay wasn't just political, it was geographic. 00:04:41.339 --> 00:04:43.459 Very much so. You know, before we move past this, 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:45.100 I want to jump forward for just a second because 00:04:45.100 --> 00:04:49.100 there is a fantastic modern quirk that contrasts 00:04:49.100 --> 00:04:51.860 so perfectly with those early days. Oh, the seniority 00:04:51.860 --> 00:04:54.399 thing. Yes. Idaho is currently one of only 14 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:57.279 states, alongside places like California, Pennsylvania, 00:04:57.379 --> 00:05:00.160 and Georgia, with a very specific demographic 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:03.540 quirk. It completely upends how we view seniority. 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:05.959 In the Senate, you have a senior senator and 00:05:05.959 --> 00:05:08.519 a junior senator based purely on... on how long 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:10.779 they've been serving in the chamber. Right. Right 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:12.699 now, the senior senator is Mike Crapo, serving 00:05:12.699 --> 00:05:15.860 since 1999. The junior senator is Jim Risch, 00:05:15.980 --> 00:05:18.660 serving since 2009. But the quirk is that the 00:05:18.660 --> 00:05:21.399 senior senator, Crapo, is actually younger in 00:05:21.399 --> 00:05:23.720 physical age than the junior senator, Risch. 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:26.699 It's such a great little detail. Congress time 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:29.120 is measured by incumbency, not your birth certificate. 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:32.639 You can be the elder statesman in age. But if 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:35.160 you just won your first election, you are the 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:37.019 junior member getting the worst office in the 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:39.220 building. Exactly. OK, let's go back to those 00:05:39.220 --> 00:05:42.540 early frontier days, because that reality makes 00:05:42.540 --> 00:05:45.399 the early party politics of the state look completely 00:05:45.399 --> 00:05:48.100 alien compared to today. Oh, absolutely. If you 00:05:48.100 --> 00:05:51.480 think modern politics is rigid and deeply polarized. 00:05:52.439 --> 00:05:55.699 You have to hear about the era of the Silver 00:05:55.699 --> 00:05:58.019 Republicans. Such a great era. Because there 00:05:58.019 --> 00:06:00.899 is one name on this list that just defies every 00:06:00.899 --> 00:06:03.540 conventional rule of modern party loyalty. You 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:06.660 are talking about Fred Dubois. Yes. He is arguably 00:06:06.660 --> 00:06:08.680 one of the most fascinating characters in this 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:10.939 entire historical record. I completely agree. 00:06:11.139 --> 00:06:14.160 His timeline is pure chaos. I tracked his electoral 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:16.339 history through the source, and it is a roller 00:06:16.339 --> 00:06:18.759 coaster. It really is. He was first elected to 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:21.920 the Senate in 1890 as a Republican. Simple enough. 00:06:22.100 --> 00:06:24.259 Standard starting point. But then he loses his 00:06:24.259 --> 00:06:27.160 reelection bid and the table lists him running 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:29.860 as a silver Republican. Right. He vanishes from 00:06:29.860 --> 00:06:32.519 the Senate for a few years, but in 1901, he manages 00:06:32.519 --> 00:06:34.660 to get elected again. To the stage other Senate 00:06:34.660 --> 00:06:37.319 seats. Yes. Still flying the banner of a silver 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:40.779 Republican. Then midterm, he completely changes 00:06:40.779 --> 00:06:42.759 his party affiliation and becomes a Democrat 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:45.459 before eventually losing reelection under that 00:06:45.459 --> 00:06:48.290 new label. What's fascinating here is how much 00:06:48.290 --> 00:06:50.769 the Bois shifting labels tell us about the era. 00:06:50.889 --> 00:06:53.029 They really do. And to be absolutely clear to 00:06:53.029 --> 00:06:55.410 you listening, we are not taking any political 00:06:55.410 --> 00:06:57.970 sides here. No, not at all. We weren't endorsing 00:06:57.970 --> 00:07:00.649 the platforms of the 1890s or projecting them 00:07:00.649 --> 00:07:03.769 onto today. We were simply analyzing the historical 00:07:03.769 --> 00:07:06.829 record. Exactly. And that record shows that the 00:07:06.829 --> 00:07:10.470 Silver Republican faction wasn't just some quirky 00:07:10.470 --> 00:07:13.560 nickname or minor disagreement. It represented 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:16.639 a massive foundational schism in American politics. 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:19.420 Unpacking that schism is crucial because it wasn't 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:22.079 about abstract political philosophy. It was about 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:25.509 raw economics. It was entirely about the lifeblood 00:07:25.509 --> 00:07:27.829 of the Western economy. Right. During this period, 00:07:27.990 --> 00:07:30.949 the national bimetallism debate was raging. The 00:07:30.949 --> 00:07:32.850 Eastern banking establishments and the National 00:07:32.850 --> 00:07:34.930 Republican Party were generally leaning heavily 00:07:34.930 --> 00:07:37.050 toward the gold standard. But in the American 00:07:37.050 --> 00:07:39.970 West, and specifically in states like Idaho, 00:07:40.250 --> 00:07:42.930 silver mining was a massive economic driver. 00:07:43.470 --> 00:07:45.769 Westerners, many of whom were heavily indebted 00:07:45.769 --> 00:07:49.269 farmers and miners, fiercely advocated for the 00:07:49.269 --> 00:07:51.910 free silver movement. They wanted silver, coined 00:07:51.910 --> 00:07:54.970 alongside gold, to expand the money supply and 00:07:54.970 --> 00:07:57.889 make their debts easier to pay. So when the national 00:07:57.889 --> 00:08:00.490 Republican platform threatened to devastate that 00:08:00.490 --> 00:08:03.230 local silver -backed economy, politicians like 00:08:03.230 --> 00:08:05.970 Dubois didn't just fall in line and issue a polite 00:08:05.970 --> 00:08:08.329 press release. They fractured the entire party. 00:08:08.449 --> 00:08:10.870 They did. Dubois' journey highlights the extreme 00:08:10.870 --> 00:08:13.689 fluidity of early state politics. When the national 00:08:13.689 --> 00:08:16.069 party apparatus collided with the fierce local 00:08:16.069 --> 00:08:18.750 economic realities of the frontier loyalty to 00:08:18.750 --> 00:08:21.550 the state's primary industry, absolutely trumped 00:08:21.550 --> 00:08:24.110 loyalty to a national political brand. Imagine 00:08:24.110 --> 00:08:26.509 a modern politician doing that today. Getting 00:08:26.509 --> 00:08:28.829 elected as a staunch partisan, realizing the 00:08:28.829 --> 00:08:31.189 national platform doesn't fit their state's main 00:08:31.189 --> 00:08:33.889 industry, creating their own breakaway third 00:08:33.889 --> 00:08:36.250 -party mid -career, winning an election under 00:08:36.250 --> 00:08:39.830 that new rebel faction. eventually just shrugging 00:08:39.830 --> 00:08:41.929 and joining the opposition party entirely. Twitter 00:08:41.929 --> 00:08:44.129 would completely melt down. The news cycle would 00:08:44.129 --> 00:08:46.570 be in shambles. But for Dubois and his voters, 00:08:46.750 --> 00:08:49.629 it was just survival. The rules were still being 00:08:49.629 --> 00:08:52.330 written and the electorate was willing to reward 00:08:52.330 --> 00:08:55.649 a politician who adapted to protect their livelihoods, 00:08:55.649 --> 00:08:58.389 regardless of the letter next to his name. OK, 00:08:58.470 --> 00:09:01.029 here's where it gets really interesting. We need 00:09:01.029 --> 00:09:03.809 to talk about what I can only describe as the 00:09:03.809 --> 00:09:07.370 cursed era of Idaho's Senate seats. Cursed is 00:09:07.370 --> 00:09:09.289 definitely the right word. If you look at this 00:09:09.289 --> 00:09:13.009 timeline from roughly 1912 to 1962, a 50 -year 00:09:13.009 --> 00:09:16.830 span, the data reveals a staggering era of tragedy 00:09:16.830 --> 00:09:19.149 and turnover. The mortality rate is genuinely 00:09:19.149 --> 00:09:21.269 difficult to comprehend when looking at a modern 00:09:21.269 --> 00:09:23.830 legislature. It is. If you trace the 50 years 00:09:23.830 --> 00:09:27.629 between 1912 and 1962, seven different sitting 00:09:27.629 --> 00:09:30.490 senators died while holding office. Seven. And 00:09:30.490 --> 00:09:32.429 as a quick historical footnote, the source mentions 00:09:32.429 --> 00:09:34.450 Frank Church also passed away, though. It occurred 00:09:34.450 --> 00:09:37.210 just after his long tenure ended in 1981. But 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:39.480 seven men... dying while actively serving in 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:42.539 a 50 year window is a grim statistic. Very grim. 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:45.519 That's a staggering mortality rate for one state's 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:48.600 small delegation. No wonder the political landscape 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:50.679 is so volatile. It really makes you wonder why. 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:53.779 Was it the grueling multi -day train travel back 00:09:53.779 --> 00:09:56.179 and forth from Idaho to D .C. before the era 00:09:56.179 --> 00:09:58.919 of widespread commercial flights? The intense 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:01.720 stress of the era. Whatever the cause, it turned 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:04.440 the state's representation into a chaotic game 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:07.059 of roulette. Politically, it created an unbelievable 00:10:07.059 --> 00:10:11.340 dynamic. When a senator dies in office, it creates 00:10:11.340 --> 00:10:14.360 an immediate vacancy. And those sudden vacancies 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:17.139 triggered a revolving door of temporary appointments, 00:10:17.460 --> 00:10:20.600 high stakes special elections and intense political 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:23.200 musical chairs that you just do not see in modern 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:25.879 times. The John Thomas saga is the wildest example 00:10:25.879 --> 00:10:27.759 of this. Oh, I was mapping out his timeline and 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:31.240 it is absurd. Tell them about it. So Frank Gooding 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:34.340 dies in office in 1928. John Thomas is appointed 00:10:34.340 --> 00:10:36.799 by the governor to finish Gooding's term. Okay. 00:10:36.899 --> 00:10:39.139 Thomas then wins a special election to hold the 00:10:39.139 --> 00:10:41.860 seat, but a few years later, he loses his re 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:43.899 -election bid. So as Senate Cruz seems over, 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:46.320 he goes home. Exactly. Twelve years pass. A long 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:49.100 time. Then in 1940, another senator dies in office. 00:10:49.419 --> 00:10:52.000 And who gets appointed to take that newly vacant 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:54.759 seat? John Thomas. John Thomas. He essentially 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:57.639 became the state's go -to understudy for Senate 00:10:57.639 --> 00:10:59.559 tragedies. That's exactly what he was. He gets 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:02.820 appointed. loses the job, waits an entire decade, 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:05.620 and gets called up to the majors again to fill 00:11:05.620 --> 00:11:07.820 a completely different deceased man's seat. And 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:10.019 the irony is he eventually became part of that 00:11:10.019 --> 00:11:13.019 same tragic statistic, dying in office himself 00:11:13.019 --> 00:11:16.279 in 1945. Which set off an absolute ping pong 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:18.700 match of a rivalry between two other politicians. 00:11:19.139 --> 00:11:21.600 Henry Dvorshak and Burt Miller. The Dvorshak 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:23.700 and Miller sequence is a Shakespearean level 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:26.080 of political fortune and misfortune. Let's look 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:28.700 at the mechanics of it. John Thomas dies in 1945. 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:32.480 brief interim appointment. Henry Dworkak, a Republican, 00:11:32.600 --> 00:11:35.440 wins a special election in 1946 to finish the 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:37.659 term. So Dworkak is now the incumbent senator. 00:11:37.919 --> 00:11:40.759 But his victory is incredibly short lived. In 00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:43.740 the regular 1948 election, Dworkak loses his 00:11:43.740 --> 00:11:45.919 seat to a Democrat, Burt Miller. Miller heads 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:48.500 to Washington and takes office in January 1949. 00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:51.879 But tragically, Miller dies just 10 months later 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:55.320 in October 1949. Creating yet another vacancy. 00:11:55.460 --> 00:11:57.860 And the governor at the time immediately appoints 00:11:57.860 --> 00:12:00.740 Henry Dworkak to fill the seat. The very guy 00:12:00.740 --> 00:12:03.960 who just lost the seat a year prior gets appointed 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:06.240 right back into the exact same chair because 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:09.080 the man who beat him passed away. You couldn't 00:12:09.080 --> 00:12:11.019 write a script like that and have people believe 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:14.360 it. No, you really couldn't. If we connect this 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:17.659 to the bigger picture, you have to ask yourself 00:12:17.659 --> 00:12:21.000 who actually benefits from all this high turnover 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:24.379 and sudden mortality. And the answer is the state 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:28.279 governors. This era. handed immense, unprecedented 00:12:28.279 --> 00:12:30.940 power to the executive branch back in Idaho. 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:33.200 Because they held the keys to the kingdom every 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:35.919 time a tragedy struck. Exactly. Every time a 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:38.200 seat suddenly opened up, the governor had the 00:12:38.200 --> 00:12:40.399 constitutional authority to unilaterally appoint 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:42.539 a replacement to head to Washington. They were 00:12:42.539 --> 00:12:44.840 constantly shifting the balance of power. Choosing 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:47.320 who got a massive leg up of incumbency in the 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:50.299 next special election. This mechanism led to 00:12:50.299 --> 00:12:53.240 some incredibly short Almost phantom -like terms 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:55.120 in the Senate. I noticed one term that was so 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:57.980 brief it barely registered. Kirtland Perky. Yes. 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:00.860 The source shows Perky, a Democrat, was appointed 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:04.399 to continue a term after a death in 1912. He 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:08.120 served from November 18, 1912 to February 6, 00:13:08.379 --> 00:13:11.429 1913. That is less than three months. He was 00:13:11.429 --> 00:13:13.690 practically unpacking his bags in Washington, 00:13:13.870 --> 00:13:16.049 D .C., when his term ended because a successor 00:13:16.049 --> 00:13:18.909 was elected. It highlights how volatile representation 00:13:18.909 --> 00:13:21.330 was for the people of Idaho during that half 00:13:21.330 --> 00:13:23.990 century. You had representatives who barely had 00:13:23.990 --> 00:13:25.629 time to learn the rules of the Senate chamber, 00:13:25.830 --> 00:13:28.429 let alone build any meaningful seniority or influence 00:13:28.429 --> 00:13:30.450 before they were replaced by someone else. And 00:13:30.450 --> 00:13:32.529 it wasn't just debts causing this revolving door. 00:13:32.710 --> 00:13:35.669 No. The table shows a few other dramatic exits 00:13:35.669 --> 00:13:38.090 that really emphasize how stepping into the Senate 00:13:38.090 --> 00:13:41.320 wasn't always seen as the ultimate. final career 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:44.320 destination. It is largely viewed as today. Look 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:47.259 at John F. Nugent in 1921. He simply resigns 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:49.200 the Senate seat to become a federal trade commissioner. 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:51.960 Which today would be seen as a highly unusual, 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:55.500 almost inexplicable career move. Leaving the 00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:57.340 United States Senate one of the most exclusive 00:13:57.340 --> 00:13:59.740 legislative bodies in the world for an appointed 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:02.259 regulatory commission role. But at the time, 00:14:02.279 --> 00:14:04.500 D .C. wasn't necessarily the center of the universe 00:14:04.500 --> 00:14:07.429 for a Western politician. We see that local pull 00:14:07.429 --> 00:14:10.429 even closer to our modern era with Dirk Kempthorne. 00:14:10.509 --> 00:14:13.509 Right. He was elected in 1992, reelected in 1996. 00:14:13.889 --> 00:14:17.169 But then in 1999, he voluntarily retires from 00:14:17.169 --> 00:14:20.009 the Senate entirely just so he can go back home 00:14:20.009 --> 00:14:22.190 and run for governor of Idaho. It shows that 00:14:22.190 --> 00:14:25.529 the locus of power, the real ability to affect 00:14:25.529 --> 00:14:27.409 change in the minds of some of these leaders, 00:14:27.590 --> 00:14:30.409 still rested heavily back in the state capital 00:14:30.409 --> 00:14:33.389 of Boise. The draw of local executive power, 00:14:33.509 --> 00:14:36.389 the ability to directly manage the state's resources 00:14:36.389 --> 00:14:38.549 and lands was enough to pull a sitting U .S. 00:14:38.570 --> 00:14:40.710 senator away from Capitol Hill. Definitely. But 00:14:40.710 --> 00:14:43.110 amid all this chaos, all these three -month terms, 00:14:43.250 --> 00:14:45.789 sudden tragedies, party switches and resignations, 00:14:45.889 --> 00:14:48.769 there is one glaring massive exception in the 00:14:48.769 --> 00:14:51.090 historical record. The absolute record holder. 00:14:51.269 --> 00:14:53.330 William Borough. Borough was a titan of the Senate. 00:14:53.899 --> 00:14:55.860 While everyone around him seemed to be playing 00:14:55.860 --> 00:14:58.080 a high stakes game of political musical chairs 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:01.399 or meeting tragic ends, Bohr, a Republican, held 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:04.759 his seat for an astonishing 33 years. From 1907 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:07.720 until his death in 1940. Looking at the visual 00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:10.620 layout of the Wikipedia table, his block of time 00:15:10.620 --> 00:15:13.559 is just this massive solid pillar of stability 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:16.940 in an otherwise turbulent sea of short rows and 00:15:16.940 --> 00:15:19.440 constant turnover. His longevity in that specific 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:22.820 era is truly an outlier. He built immense national 00:15:22.820 --> 00:15:25.019 influence simply by surviving and holding his 00:15:25.019 --> 00:15:27.769 ground. But what is interesting is that Borah's 00:15:27.769 --> 00:15:31.230 33 -year tenure, which was a complete anomaly 00:15:31.230 --> 00:15:34.269 in the early 20th century for Idaho, is actually 00:15:34.269 --> 00:15:36.509 much closer to the standard operating procedure 00:15:36.509 --> 00:15:38.549 we see in the state today. So what does this 00:15:38.549 --> 00:15:40.669 all mean? When we follow the timeline down to 00:15:40.669 --> 00:15:42.570 the very bottom of this table where the modern 00:15:42.570 --> 00:15:45.639 era is mapped out. The contrast is night and 00:15:45.639 --> 00:15:47.860 day. It is a complete paradigm shift. If you 00:15:47.860 --> 00:15:50.059 synthesize the entire trajectory of the data, 00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:53.200 the chaos, the factionalism, the rebel energy 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:55.940 of the early 1900s, contrasts sharply with a 00:15:55.940 --> 00:15:58.460 modern era defined by deep entrenched institutional 00:15:58.460 --> 00:16:01.019 stability. Let's look at the current U .S. senators 00:16:01.019 --> 00:16:03.580 to prove that point. Mike Crepo has been in office 00:16:03.580 --> 00:16:06.200 since 1999. Jim Risch has been in office since 00:16:06.200 --> 00:16:08.919 2009. Both are Republicans. There are no silver 00:16:08.919 --> 00:16:11.539 Republicans fracturing the base over local mining 00:16:11.539 --> 00:16:14.620 issues. There are no sudden executive appointments 00:16:14.620 --> 00:16:17.179 upending the balance of power every few years. 00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:20.220 The frontier has settled. The state matured. 00:16:20.340 --> 00:16:23.220 The political machinery became institutionalized 00:16:23.220 --> 00:16:25.960 and the electorate's voting patterns solidified. 00:16:26.350 --> 00:16:28.610 The data shows a state that went from wildly 00:16:28.610 --> 00:16:31.870 unpredictable to highly reliable. And the source 00:16:31.870 --> 00:16:33.950 also notes the current representatives in the 00:16:33.950 --> 00:16:37.009 House, Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson, both Republicans 00:16:37.009 --> 00:16:40.450 as well, which just reinforces that solid block 00:16:40.450 --> 00:16:43.250 of political consistency. The table even projects 00:16:43.250 --> 00:16:46.490 out to the upcoming elections, class two in 2026 00:16:46.490 --> 00:16:49.769 and class three in 2028. You look at those future 00:16:49.769 --> 00:16:52.409 dates and the volatility of the past, the Dubois 00:16:52.409 --> 00:16:55.950 era of jumping parties, the Thomas era of. appointments 00:16:55.950 --> 00:16:59.190 seems like ancient history the data projects 00:16:59.190 --> 00:17:02.529 pure continuity the era of the frontier rebel 00:17:02.529 --> 00:17:04.930 has been replaced by the era of the entrenched 00:17:04.930 --> 00:17:07.190 incumbent it really is an amazing journey to 00:17:07.190 --> 00:17:10.130 trace it is so as we wrap up this deep dive I 00:17:10.130 --> 00:17:11.710 want you to remember something the next time 00:17:11.710 --> 00:17:13.609 you stumble across a seemingly boring Wikipedia 00:17:13.609 --> 00:17:16.750 table or a dry spreadsheet it isn't just a list 00:17:16.750 --> 00:17:19.359 of names It isn't just a collection of dates 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:22.680 to memorize. This table of Idaho senators is 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:25.900 a footprint of human ambition. Yeah. It is a 00:17:25.900 --> 00:17:30.039 record of profound personal tragedy and the grueling 00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:32.900 physical toll of public service in the early 00:17:32.900 --> 00:17:36.640 20th century. It maps out shifting local economies 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:39.500 from the silver mines to the modern day and the 00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:41.740 growing pains of an American state finding its 00:17:41.740 --> 00:17:44.589 footing on the national stage. This raises an 00:17:44.589 --> 00:17:46.529 important question, though. Something for you 00:17:46.529 --> 00:17:48.490 to mull over long after you finish listening 00:17:48.490 --> 00:17:51.250 today. We've traced this incredible journey from 00:17:51.250 --> 00:17:54.710 extreme volatility to long -term stability. Idaho 00:17:54.710 --> 00:17:57.849 traded the chaotic rebel energy of the silver 00:17:57.849 --> 00:18:01.710 Republicans for decades of predictable ironclad 00:18:01.710 --> 00:18:03.710 seniority in Washington. They got stability, 00:18:04.029 --> 00:18:06.509 sure. But at what cost? Exactly. You have to 00:18:06.509 --> 00:18:08.329 ask yourself, did they lose a bit of that fierce 00:18:08.329 --> 00:18:10.849 frontier independence along the way? A brilliant 00:18:10.849 --> 00:18:13.380 thought to leave on. There is always a fascinating 00:18:13.380 --> 00:18:15.339 story hidden right beneath the surface of the 00:18:15.339 --> 00:18:17.180 data if you are willing to look closely enough. 00:18:17.380 --> 00:18:19.220 Thank you so much for joining us on this deep 00:18:19.220 --> 00:18:20.880 drive, and we will catch you next time.