Thousands of conservative-leaning Washington residents fled the deep blue state for neigboring Idaho, voter data published by the Gem State shows.
Data published by the Idaho Secretary of State’s office shows that out of the nearly 119,000 people who recently moved to the state, 65% registered as Republicans, compared to just 12% registering as Democrats.
The data, which was reviewed by Fox News Digital, show that out of the roughly 20,000 Americans who moved from Washington state to Idaho, 62% registered as Republicans, compared to 12% as Democrats, 24% as unaffiliated and 2% as “other.” The percentage of registered Republicans originally from Washington who recently moved to Idaho is actually higher than the state’s overall percentage of registered Republicans, which sits at about 58%.
“We weren’t surprised to find that Republicans are moving to Idaho. However, we were surprised to see just how overwhelming it was. Of those moving to Idaho, the majority of voters from 48 out of the 49 other states are Republican,” Republican Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane told Fox News Digital.
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Payette Lake, along the resort town of McCall, is in the central mountains of Idaho at an elevation of over 5,000 feet. (Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“That said, it shouldn’t be a shock that conservatives would be attracted to Idaho’s robust economy, business-friendly environment, and strong conservative values. Idaho has become a destination for those who embrace the values and quality of life that define our great state,” McGrane added.
The data comes as a handful of expensive and liberal states, such as California and New York, have, since the pandemic, seen an exodus of residents who have moved to states like Florida and Texas. Speculations and concern have mounted that state migration changes could lead to blue state voters bringing their politics to red states.
The Idaho data, however, show right-leaning voters from blue states are fleeing to a state with similar politics. Idaho Republicans control the state’s offices of the governor, secretary of state, and both chambers of the state legislature.
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The Space Needle stands over the Seattle skyline as Mount Rainier is seen in the background on March 13, 2022. (John Moore/Getty Images)
The Seattle Times noted that real estate ads advise residents in states such as Washington to “escape liberal hell” and move to Idaho.
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“Time is not on your side, flee the city NOW before the coming collapse!” another ad for a house listing in Idaho states, the outlet reported.
Houses in the Harris Ranch community of Boise, Idaho, on July 1, 2022. (Jeremy Erickson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Conservative-leaning Washingtonians are not the only demographic moving to Idaho, with the voter data showing Republican Californians also fled to the red state.
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Out of the nearly 40,000 people who left California for Idaho, a whopping 75% registered as Republicans, the data reviewed by Fox News Digital show. Only 10% of the California pool registered as Democrats, 14% as unaffiliated and 2% as “other.”
Tents and belongings at a homeless encampment in Toriumi Plaza in Los Angeles. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
California has become the poster child state for resident migration, with more than 340,000 people fleeing the state between 2021 and 2022 alone. The Golden State has seen a handful of celebrities and notable businesses also flee since the pandemic, including Rod Stewart, Hillary Swank and Elon Musk’s Tesla.
Before the pandemic, California averaged less than 200,000 residents a year who moved to other states, the San Francisco Chronicle previously reported.
Moscow Mountain in early winter in Latah County in northern Idaho. (Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The voter data out of Idaho also found the majority of Americans who moved from Oregon to the Gem State registered as Republicans. Just over 9,000 Oregonians moved to Idaho in recent years, 65% of whom registered as Republicans, 14% as Democrats and 19% as unaffiliated.
A homeless man holds a syringe after injecting methamphetamine into his arm on March 13, 2022, in Seattle. (John Moore/Getty Images)
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Those who have fled liberal states such as California and Washington often cite spiraling crime, high taxes, rampant drug use, as well as strict pandemic restrictions during lockdowns for the move.
