Speaker Scott Bedke and Terri Pickens Manweiler face off for lt. gov. Here’s our pick
Republican Scott Bedke has served Idaho for a decade as speaker of the House, and we hope he will continue that history of service as our lieutenant governor.
Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin has made a joke of the office over the four years she occupied it. Bedke, a grown-up and level-headed leader, can restore the dignity she discarded if he’s elected.
Democrat Terri Pickens Manweiler has leveled a number of criticisms against Bedke, pointing out his votes in favor of the abortion trigger law and other measures which are harmful to the state.
We agree with many of Pickens Manweiler’s criticisms of Bedke. The decision to appeal the injunction barring enforcement of Idaho’s abortion ban in cases where it conflicts with federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care is galling. We don’t like his voting history on abortion and many other issues.
But we also know he has done a lot in House leadership to keep even worse ideas off the table.
Bedke hasn’t always done everything he could to rein in the rise of the far right in the Idaho Legislature — Pickens Manweiler has a point here, as well. He should have done more than he did, and concessions he made along the way hurt rather than helped him.
Nonetheless, Bedke has his virtues.
Bedke is admired by those who’ve worked with him — on both sides of the aisle — for his fairness and sense of duty. He is known as a trustworthy person whose word is his bond.
Most importantly, he is effective in many important areas of policy. Many issues are not partisan; they are simply problems that need solving. And it’s in these areas especially where Bedke’s intelligence and ability to negotiate have shone through.
Bedke’s negotiation of a settlement agreement in 2015 to resolve disputes between surface and groundwater users was a landmark event in one of the most vital, though thankfully apolitical, issues facing Idaho.
While problems with that agreement reared their head this year, the accomplishment of the 2015 settlement agreement was massive. That agreement has largely held in check water calls that could be hugely disruptive to Idaho agriculture.
The hard-fought negotiations leading up to that settlement show Bedke’s unique promise as a lieutenant governor. He brokered the deal not because he was the speaker of the House — the speaker of the House has no particular responsibility for water agreements — but because he was able to earn the trust of both sides of the dispute.
While Pickens Manweiler is quite capable — and while we agree with her on many important areas of policy — these years of experience are an asset of Bedke’s that she cannot match.
And experience is particularly important for a lieutenant governor.
The position of lieutenant governor is one of the most limited in Idaho government. Strictly speaking, the only responsibility of a lieutenant governor is to fill in when the governor is absent and to preside over the Senate. But the most effective lieutenant governors in Idaho have found special roles in which they could serve the state — as Brad Little did with nuclear energy.
Bedke’s ability to win trust and respect mean he could be uniquely effective in roles like these. For that reason, he has our endorsement.
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we write endorsements
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Members of Idaho Statesman editorial board interview political candidates, as well as advocates and opponents of ballot measures. The editorial board is composed of journalists and community members. Members of the Statesman editorial board are: Statesman editor Chadd Cripe, opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, assistant editor Jim Keyser and community members John Hess, Debbie McCormick and Julie Yamamoto.
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