If Idaho Gov. Brad Little wins reelection, we have some advice for his second term
Idaho Gov. Brad Little emerged victorious from the May 17 Republican primary. To stay in office, he still needs to win the general election in November against a host of challengers.
If history is any indication, though, the candidate with an “R” after their name will easily prevail. Incumbency usually helps, too. We don’t want to discount the general election, so we couch this advice for Little with the conditional tense.
It’s plausible that, at 68 years old, Little could decide that a second term as governor would be his last. That means he would have just four years to cement his legacy as governor.
His first term has been defined by the COVID-19 pandemic. If a second term were to stay pandemic-free, it would provide an opportunity to create an agenda of his choosing, rather than responding to a crisis.
If he chooses not to run for a third term, that also presents a chance to cut his own path, not cowed by a potential primary challenge from his far right flank in the closed Republican primary in 2026.
In other words, Little would have an opportunity to be bold and courageous, to lead rather than appease, and to create a lasting legacy that Idahoans will remember long after his photo in the halls of the Capitol has faded.
While Idaho has made incremental strides in funding public education, Little could propose a budget that moves Idaho into the 21st century and out of last place in per-pupil funding in the nation. If he wins in November, he could put together a truly historic State of the State address and budget proposal that recommends bold investments in career-technical education, higher teacher pay, more teachers, incentives to teach in rural school districts, more counselors, higher pay for paraprofessionals and a more reliable source of funding than property tax levies for school buildings.
Also, over the past couple of years, Little has written letters of approval that sound more like letters of veto, on issues from local budgets to abortion. He’s signed distasteful bills out of an apparent need to appease Idaho’s far-right base. In a second term, Little should break free from those shackles and use his veto power when he knows it’s the right call.
Not only would his conscience rest easier, but the taxpayer-funded constitutional defense fund would get a much-needed rest.
The governor’s veto pen might need a couple of refills next session, as several unreasonable Republicans displaced reasonable Republicans, especially in the Senate, which has historically been a backstop to the craziness from the House. Just as Little sees his role as being resolute against the fringe elements of the Democratic Party, he should, as well, remain resolute against the fringe elements of his own party.
No longer would Little see the need to sign on to frivolous lawsuits, like he did just before the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously threw out a lawsuit filed by the Texas attorney general challenging other states’ 2020 presidential election results.
Little could also spend less time railing against President Joe Biden, another tactic that plays well with the rabid right but comes off as pandering to the rest of us.
The fundamental danger in his insistence on continually criticizing the president on so many issues — from vaccine mandates and gasoline prices to climate change and the U.S.-Mexican border — is that it goes against the desire of many to find solutions to problems. He is walking a path that allows for nothing but division. And that gets us nowhere.
Gov. Little, if he were to win a second term, has the opportunity and the potential to be one of Idaho’s greatest governors at a time that could propel the growing state to new heights. But it will take bold leadership, innovation, creativity and courage to put Idaho on a path to long-term prosperity so that our children and grandchildren really will want to stay in Idaho.