A prominent conservative in Idaho has stoked fears among Republicans of a liberal influx after posting a photo of a car with a Washington license plate and anti-Trump bumper stickers. 

Theodore Wold, Idaho's former solicitor general and US assistant attorney general under Donald Trump, posted a viral photo on X earlier this week of a car with several bumper stickers. 

'Spotted on the streets of Boise. Washington license plate,' he wrote. 'Ready to devour Idaho after leaving Seattle in shambles.' 

One sticker depicted a Pride rainbow flag, while another read 'Resist.' A third sticker appeared to show Donald Trump depicted as a baby.  

'Yup. Plenty of [liberals] in the Idaho Falls area, too,' one comment read. 

'Idaho is cooked, right along with Texas, Florida, and Arizona. California is helping with that as well,' another wrote. 

However, one commenter noted that Idaho may be attracting out-of-staters for other reasons, writing, 'Well I was born in Boise, lived in Eagle, graduated from Eagle High, left when I joined the military. Came back. I lean moderate left.

'Where you come from likely doesn't determine your politics when moving to Idaho. Both sides want the quieter life Idaho provides and more Californians moving to Idaho are very much Republicans.'

Idaho is one of 13 states with deeply red ties. Boise, however, has remained a small but consistent liberal pocket. 

The blue bubble has also grown in popularity as West Coast cities struggle to accommodate population influxes. 

In the last quarter of 2025, over half of homebuyers in Boise had relocated from other cities, according to data collected by Redfin. 

Seattle residents topped the list of those looking to move to Boise from out of state, with a net inflow of 1,347 from October to December of last year. 

Just behind Seattle residents were those from Los Angeles, with a net inflow of just two fewer. 

Ranked third, significantly behind Seattle and Los Angeles, were San Francisco residents. 

The top outbound cities for Boise homebuyers were Idaho Falls and Hailey, two other popular cities in Idaho. 

Meanwhile, in Seattle, more residents are leaving the city than moving there, with Phoenix ranking as the most popular outbound metro, according to Redfin. 

Many homebuyers are also not moving to the liberal city, with only 3 percent having moved to Seattle from other areas. 

Seattle recently elected a Democratic Socialist, Katie Wilson, as mayor. Wilson has proposed popular progressive 'tax the rich' policies that have generated criticism among other Democrats.  

'I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our state are super overblown,' Wilson said during a forum at Seattle University before delivering a cold sendoff to millionaires fleeing the state: 'And the ones that leave? Like, bye.'

Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka told the New York Times that the perception that the city is hostile toward wealth creators was 'real.' 

Wilson has also been criticized for her 'soft on crime' approach, supporting community policing over strict enforcement. 

She was accused of 'enabling criminals' by residents earlier this year after a shooting left two teenagers dead, and has come under fire for the city's homelessness crisis. 

Similar trends have previously been observed in red states with growing blue cities such as Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Phoenix, Arizona. 

A Statista analysis citing Census Bureau data from 2024 found that numerous blue states had lost population since 2005, while red states have gained residents.