The Rachel Report
Monday, May 16th, 2022
Issue #9
Dear Liberty-Lovers,
To say that it has been an interesting 7 days is an understatement. I’ve thought many times about what to write in this week’s email. There are so many thoughts to convey, concerns to address, and worries to hopefully quiet; and I will do my best to do so.
The election did not go as I and so many of you had hoped, nearly straight across the board. Many liberty-loving candidates at the local, legislative, state, and executive levels lost our races in the eleventh hour by small or moderate margins. As a result, the past 7 days have been filled with phone calls, emails, and text messages from Idahoans within our district and across our great state, nearly all espousing the same emotion- hopelessness.
On Wednesday last week, I answered 96 phone calls from constituents in our district. One lady named Sarah, who I had the pleasure of meeting at a forum for district 10 candidates I participated in and who I had spoken to once on the phone before the election, called me at 8am Wednesday morning. I could hear her tears. “What are we going to do? We are going to lose our home. Over fifty percent of all the good candidates lost. How did this happen?” I was in just as much disbelief as her. There was a long silence on the phone as I searched for something to say. “Well, we had definite victories especially in the Senate, at the precinct level, and in the Attorney General’s office. But at the end of that day, God is in control. We fight and answer His call and the rest is up to Him.”
That was just one of many calls like that. One couple who had just moved here from California one year ago called me and the three of us talked for roughly 45 minutes. With deep concern, they told me that they were worried after seeing so many good candidates not be voted in. “Should we just move to Missouri? We were going between Idaho and Missouri last year but Idaho showed the most promise of liberty and Republicanism…But maybe we should move to Missouri before we get rooted in this community if we are looking at 4 years with McGrane, Brad Little, Bedke, and all these Representatives who are bought and paid for by large corporations.”
On Thursday I fielded another 49 calls. A woman I door knocked and later had a phone call with, called me that afternoon,
“I just don’t understand… I thought God was going to do something powerful…” she said.
That caused me to step away from the “results” of the elections and look at the bigger picture. Though the outcome of the election on the 17th wasn’t what we were hoping for… It’s important to recognize the things that God did do and the victories that we did have.
But He did do something powerful… It just didn’t look like we thought it would.
THIS WEEKS EVENTS
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 is our Victory Party! Supporters, volunteers, sign-wavers… PATRIOTS! Let’s celebrate this incredible journey, the things we learned, the friendships we made, the community we built, and the victories that were won in our state last week! Join us at 6pm at Still Water Hallow 18120 Dean Lane, Nampa. Please RSVP to libertyladiesidaho@gmail.com so we can have enough food!
On Thursday I spoke with a former Senator (one of the few good ones) who retired this year and I was so encouraged to hear from her perspective about the wins we saw in the Senate. Several long-time RINOs were defeated in districts 11, 9, and several others. We are looking at an entirely new Senate these next two years and that is exciting!
Several new members of the House were elected including Jacyn Gallagher in district 9, Jaron Crane in district 12, James Faasau in district 19, and Tina Lambert in district 23. These four and many others will fight to keep the House conservative, I’d bet my bottom dollar on it.
I spoke with someone on Friday and they excitedly told me about how many amazing Precinct Committeemen and women got elected in Canyon and Ada County. Keeping our local government conservative is where it begins. We were designed to have a bottom up system and for us that begins with our Precinct Committeemen and women.
We also claimed a HUGE victory in the executive! I am confident that Attorney General-Elect Labrador will fight for Idahoans in a way that we have not seen in the 20 years Wasden held that position.
Continued…
Powerful things did happen in Idaho this election cycle.
But I think most significantly, besides winning the seats we did, we won the hearts and minds of many Idahoans.
Looking at the numbers in my race, my opponent- the Majority Leader- lost support from half of his primary voters. That is significant. Idahoans want conservative change.
Unfortunately we had an inflated number of Republicans who were newly registered to the party for this election and that greatly swayed the outcomes of races across the state.
But even with this additional factor and odds being stacked against us, we saw some victories at every level and that makes me hopeful.
I took an hour away for Bible time on Wednesday afternoon. I was feeling so heavy hearted from the dozens of phone calls I had gotten that day from people who were feeling helpless and hopeless. I knew I needed to pull myself away from my immediate surroundings for a perspective change so I prayed, “God put my eyes on what you want me to focus on.” Was it my loss? Was it the fight ahead? Was it the possibility of running in the next election? Was it the victories we did win?
No. He wanted me to put my eyes on Him.
I opened my Bible to Matthew 14:23-33 when Jesus called Peter to walk on the water toward Him. When Peter’s eyes were firmly fixed on His Savior, He walked boldly, confidently, and hopefully upon the water.
Then Peter’s eyes shifted to the storm around him. Immediately he was afraid and began to sink. Looking at the situation around us can cause us to sink into feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
Looking at Jesus keeps us walking on the water.
I believe I shared this before, but when I began all this, I asked God to take me to a place where my “trust was without borders.” And He sure did.
As I read in Matthew when Jesus called “come” to Peter, I was so struck. Sitting that Wednesday in the wake of defeat, I felt so much peace. I walked toward Jesus when He called “come” to me with this campaign. And we have watched Him perform miracle after miracle.
In loss, in the storm…when things don’t make sense… God is still working and He’s still good. Branden Durst, who ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction put it most beautifully I believe. On Wednesday morning he wrote, “I went to bed… and God was on the Throne. I woke up a couple hours later and He was still there.”
God is on His throne and the good news? He’ll never fall off. He’s been God a long time and He knows what He’s doing.
So take heart, dear friends. We are not finished. We will still fight for what is right. We will still fight for liberty. We will still fight for justice. We will still fight for our representation.
It’s easy to look at last week and have a heavy heart. But my friends, it’s not over. There are still battles to be fought and I am here to tell you that I am armored up and so are so many others across our state and district.
The losses we sustained were heavy, but Conservatives are riled up and even more on fire now than ever before. The “left” in the Republican Party has fueled a flame that cannot be extinguished.
In the wake of the December 7th attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Japanese Admiral Yamamoto wrote “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with terrible resolve.”
Idaho, we have awakened.
And we are filled with terrible resolve to fight for what’s right. I believe God is rising up a generation of warriors to defend and uphold truth, justice, and liberty.
I stand for you and beside you. We will keep doing the next right thing for this beautiful state of ours.
Please continue to reach out to me with questions and concerns. I am not done advocating for our voices to be heard.
Together, we are a force to be reckoned with. And everyone at the capital now knows that.
Keep praying. Keep fighting. Keep standing. Keep refusing to NOT be represented. Keep calling for truth.
Keep advocating for justice. Keep defending liberty.
You’re not alone. United we stand.
Let’s continue to keep Idaho, Idahome!
For Idaho,
Rachel Hazelip
Hi, when Peter asked Jesus to allow him to come to him Jesus replied “come!” Jesus did not specified a name. We are all invited to walk on water under abnormal circumstances, because when it’s normal it is not miracle anymore. God has called us to make change, spread awareness and I believe we did it successfully according NOT to our plan and expectation, but according to Jesus plans. And we can still continue writing articles and publishing books, let us all do our parts as God has called us to do. Glory and praise to our Lord our heavenly father, our savior, our king of kings Jesus Christ.