(R-Idaho State House of Representatives District 11, Seat B)

Idaho State Representative Tammy Nichols provides a case study of the radicalization path that moves from the Tea Party movement, militias, and the insurrectionary bent of the People’s Rights network’s mobilizations around COVID Denial, to attacks on “critical race theory” and the embrace of School-Centered far-right activism.

In 2014, Tammy Nichols joined the Boise Tea Party (294 members) Facebook group.[26] In 2018, her first year in office, Nichols joined the far-right paramilitary groups, the Patriot Network Summit (2,799 members*) and U.S. Militia Northern Command-America’s Militia (3,275 members*). She also joined the Posse-Influenced groups, Constitutional Grassroots Movement (7,026 members), Rural Land Rights Advocates (RLRA) (2,626 members), and The National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans 6,326 members). Finally, in 2019, Nichols joined the Islamophobic group Idaho G416 Patriots (722 members).[27]

In 2020, Nichols joined two of Ammon Bundy’s People’s Rights network chapters—the Area 1 People’s Rights Washington (81 members*) and People’s Rights IDAHO Group (1,345 members*). That same year, Nichols joined the COVID Denial groups Idaho BrushFires (formerly All Jobs are Essential) (1,097 members) and Idaho for Medical Freedom (810 members). In 2021 she joined the School-Centered groups, Stop Critical Race Theory (14,721 members), Stop CRT & National Civics Standards in K-12 Schools (1,694 members), and No Left Turn in Education (11,913 members).[28]

Nichols couples her Facebook memberships with on-the-ground activism. Her state legislative page describes her as the Phyllis Schlafly Eagles State Leader and recipient of the 2016 Phyllis Schlafly Eagle Award. Schlafly was a Christian Right leader who grew to national prominence fighting the Equal Rights Amendment. In addition, Nichols’ page says she received the American Conservative Union Foundation Award in 2019 and 2020 and the Club for Growth Defender of Economic Freedom Award in 2020.[29]

Despite garnering the American Conservative Union and Club for Growth awards, Nichols’ real-life activities in Idaho have skewed in the Posse-style and paramilitary direction. For example, in May 2018, Nichols announced in the Constitutional Grassroots Movement group, “We (Idaho Political Prisoners Foundation) are bringing KrisAnne Hall here to Boise, Idaho next month and are looking for ad sponsors. I am rounding up groups, organizations, or individuals who may be interested in doing this.” The event was slated to include “political prisoners” Ammon Bundy and Eric Parker, the latter a member of the paramilitary Three Percenters.[30]

In June 2020, along with 15 other legislators, Nichols took part in a gathering at the State House chamber to oppose Governor Brad Little’s COVID-19-related policies. Promoted by far-rightists and attended by Ammon Bundy, Eric Parker, and several armed supporters, the participating far-right Idaho Freedom Foundation commissioned a “study” claiming that attending legislators could pass legislation in violation of House quorum rules. Rather than doing so, the legislators issued a proclamation accusing Little of Constitutional violations, a far-right refrain throughout the waves of COVID Denial mobilizations.[31] In 2022, Tammy Nichols continued to promote Idaho Freedom Foundation text alerts.[32]

In keeping with COVID Denial, Nichols sponsored bills to prohibit vaccination mandates and employer inquiries about employees and potential employees’ vaccination status.[33]

Nichols’ jaunts into far-right nationalism led her to rub elbows with Michelle Malkin, the self-declared “mommy” to the “Groyper” mobilization led by white nationalist Nick Fuentes.[34] In a “Legislative Summary” circulated in February 2022, Nichols wrote, “It was also my pleasure to attend an event this evening with Michelle Malkin, put on by [the anti-choice] Idaho Chooses Life. Great talk with great reminders…[S]he talked about one of my favorite documentaries that she is on called ‘Rocky Mountain Heist.’ If you have never seen it, please, please watch it as it is currently happening in Idaho.”[35]

The Citizens United-produced “Rocky Mountain Heist” film is narrated and co-written by Michelle Malkin. The film alleges that the “Gang of Four–a secretive group of leftist millionaires and billionaires… orchestrated one of the most successful campaign-funding schemes ever” and initiated “a never-ending campaign to radically change the culture of a once-reliable Red mountain state.”[36]