Dairy farm boycott against senator highlights 'escalating' GOP split: 'Tipping point'

A deepening schism within Idaho's Republican Party has turned bitterly personal, with conservative hardliners and agricultural business leaders clashing over immigration policy in ways that are now directly costing their livelihoods.

The conflict crystallized when Tom Zuiderveld lost 80 percent of his income after dairy clients refused to continue buying synthetic oil from him — solely because of his wife's political positions, reported the Washington Post. State Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld, a far-right Republican who has championed strict immigration enforcement, saw four dairies sever ties with her husband, costing the couple approximately $125,000 in annual commission.

"They did exactly what they wanted to do: send a message," Tom Zuiderveld said.

This rupture reflects a broader fault line dividing Idaho's GOP between a hard-right faction pushing uncompromising immigration restrictions and more moderate Republicans defending the state's agricultural industry, which depends critically on foreign-born workers. Idaho's dairy sector — the nation's third-largest — employs approximately 4,500 people, 90 percent of whom are immigrants, and many without legal work permits.

Glenneda Zuiderveld, who has served since 2022 and represents the ultraconservative "Gang of Eight" within the State Freedom Caucus Network, co-sponsored measures requiring E-Verify checks and has pushed for strict enforcement. She has also backed the nation's strictest bathroom bill, championed Ten Commandments displays in schools and co-sponsored a failed resolution calling for President Joe Biden's impeachment over immigration failures.

When dairy lobbyists appealed to her faith, urging care for vulnerable populations, Zuiderveld dismissed those arguments as personal rather than official responsibilities: "You don't get to use somebody else's tax dollars to take care of the lesser of these."

Rick Naerebout, CEO of the Idaho Dairymen's Association, characterizes the May 19 Republican primary as potentially consequential: "This will be a potential tipping point for Idaho: Do we continue to shift further to the right, or do we moderate some?"

The dairy industry has opposed immigration bills, characterizing them as "out-of-state ideas" imposed by groups like the Heritage Foundation. All such measures ultimately failed after pushback from law enforcement, clergy and businesses arguing mass deportations would devastate Idaho's economy.

Zuiderveld's primary opponent, Brent Reinke — the dairy industry's preferred candidate — represents the moderate approach. While supporting Trump's border policies, Reinke views state-level immigration mandates as counterproductive. E-Verify compliance could burden employers, and requiring local sheriffs to enforce immigration law would strain county jails and taxpayers.

"What's the impact next week, next month and next year?" Reinke asked, criticizing the "radical approach" of reflexively opposing federal funding.

The Zuidervelds now rely on savings, and Glenneda acknowledged losing another dairy account while campaigning. Yet she remains intractable about her conviction-based stance on immigration enforcement, despite the financial devastation it has caused her own family.