An Army veteran running for U.S. Senate in Idaho has apparently created a political ad good enough to make people consider moving there.
At least according to the comment section.
Independent Senate candidate Todd Achilles released a campaign video Sept. 22 built around an intentionally simple lesson for politicians thinking about starting another war: don’t.
The campaign promoted the video with the line, “Send this to a friend if you think Congress should attend mandatory common-sense training.”
Within days, the video had drawn more than 14,000 views, with viewers from across the country praising the ad and, in some cases, joking about relocating to Idaho just so they could vote for Achilles.
“I am on Zillow looking to buy property in Idaho right now to vote for this guy,” one commenter wrote.
Another said, “I’ve never wanted to move to Idaho more.”
A Nevada viewer wrote, “I live in Nevada but would totally vote for you!”
One Florida commenter called the ad “hilarious but honestly great,” while a Brooklyn viewer who said she had never been to Idaho urged people to share it.
The reaction is hardly a scientific measure of political support, but Achilles is running an unusual campaign.
Federal Election Commission records list him as an independent challenger for Idaho’s U.S. Senate seat in 2026, while Republican Jim Risch is the incumbent.
Achilles served in the Army from 1992 to 1995 as an armor officer and tank commander, deploying twice to the Persian Gulf. After leaving the military, he spent more than two decades in the technology and telecommunications industry, including senior roles with T-Mobile and Hewlett-Packard.
He later served in the Idaho House of Representatives before resigning in 2025 to launch his Senate campaign. His campaign describes him as a former business executive who spent more than 20 years in senior leadership roles with T-Mobile, Hewlett-Packard and technology startups.
His military service plays directly into one of the central themes of his campaign.
Achilles says he wants to break what he calls America’s cycle of “endless wars” and reassert Congress’ constitutional authority over decisions to send Americans into combat. His campaign platform says his deployments to the Persian Gulf shaped his view of the responsibility involved in sending troops to war.
The new ad turns that position into satire.
One viewer joked that he had been “literally about to start a dumb war” before remembering the campaign’s D.O.N.T. message.
Another wrote, “Instructions unclear and you won’t believe what I just started… A war if you can believe it.”
Others were less interested in dissecting the foreign-policy message than declaring the commercial one of the best political ads they had seen.
“Best damn campaign ad!” one commenter wrote.
“This absolutely belongs in the political ad hall of fame,” another said.
Several viewers said they found the video after seeing it discussed by Breaking Points, while others urged Idaho residents to share it.
One Idaho commenter wrote, “I’m from Idaho and going to vote for Achilles. Both parties failed our state.”
Achilles is running outside both major parties and has made dissatisfaction with the two-party system, congressional dysfunction and U.S. involvement in prolonged military conflicts central themes of his campaign. His campaign says both parties have contributed to rising federal debt, endless wars and political division.
Whether enthusiasm in a YouTube comment section translates into votes is another matter.
But getting people in Florida, Nevada, New York and elsewhere to complain that they can’t vote for an Idaho Senate candidate is probably not the worst problem for a campaign to have.
As one viewer put it:
“How can this ad not have taken off?”
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