Ammon Bundy, who received national attention for armed standoffs with federal authorities in 2014 and 2016, launched his campaign for governor of Idaho Saturday.
Bundy released his first campaign video over the weekend kicking off his bid to be Idaho’s next governor. In the video, Bundy criticized Idaho’s state leadership as well as President Joe Biden. He is entering a field of seven other GOP candidates who have filed paperwork to run.
“I’m running for Governor because I’m sick and tired of all of this political garbage just like you are. I’m tired of our freedoms being taken from us and I’m tired of the corruption that is rampant in our state Government,” Bundy said in his opening campaign video.
“And look, let’s be real, Joe Biden and those in the Deep State that control him, will simply not be able to help themselves,” he continued. “They are going to try to take away our gun rights, freedom of religion, parental rights, and more, and further violate the Constitution in unimaginable ways — even more than they’ve already done.”
Bundy first gained national attention when he and his family led an armed resistance against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2014. BLM agents launched a raid against the Bundy ranch, run by Bundy’s father, in Nevada to repossess land that the Bundy’s had allowed cattle to run on but refused to pay grazing fees to the federal government for.
The BLM claimed the Bundys had refused to pay grazing fees for the land for years. The Bundys said that they had paid all their grazing fees to the state of Nevada. A federal judge later dismissed all charges against the Bundys over the incident after finding that federal prosecutors had his potentially exculpatory evidence during the trial.
Bundy again received national attention when he lead an armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in 2016, protesting what he said was the wrongful conviction of two Oregon ranchers for arson. Bundy was later acquitted of all charges relating to the incident.
Last year, Bundy was arrested twice at the Idaho State House while protesting a civil liability waiver bill. His first arrest was for violating his one-year ban from entering the Idaho State House.
His second arrest was “over ‘citizen journalists’ being barred press credentials and being removed from the House hearing. He walked to the press desk, sat down, and refused to leave the chair. Police were eventually forced to roll him out of the Capitol in the chair he had commandeered in order to take him into custody,” The Daily Wire reported at the time.
State Rep. Greg Chaney (R) may have been the lawmaker to get Bundy arrested the second time. He defended his actions at the time as necessary to restore order during the session.
“I’m not sure precisely what their goal is, but I’m absolutely sure that the two individuals whom I asked to leave were intending to create a scene,” Chaney said. “At times in the last 24 to 36 hours, this building has descended into complete chaos, and the only way to make sure that all citizens feel comfortable coming here to be heard is to make sure that we don’t allow rule deviations in general.”