Gov. Brad Little defeated seven Republican opponents in Tuesday’s primary, moving closer to a bid for a third term, The Associated Press reported.
The Associated Press said Little was backed by President Donald Trump, who gave the incumbent his “complete and total endorsement” before Little publicly announced his re-election decision.
Several Republicans challenged Little from the right, including retired police officer Mark Fitzpatrick, who faced scrutiny over remarks about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the AP reported.
Little supported a bill this year that imposes criminal penalties on people who use a bathroom or locker room that does not correspond with their biological sex, and the law extends to private businesses, making it among the most far-reaching bathroom laws in the country, the AP reported. Transgender plaintiffs have filed a new complaint challenging the law, the AP said.
The two-term governor also signed a bill blocking public schools from using taxpayer dollars to support certain teachers’ union activities and ran his campaign on deregulation, school choice and tax cuts, the AP reported. Little previously served in the Idaho Senate and as lieutenant governor and was first elected governor in 2018. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as “solid Republican,” and the state has not elected a Democratic governor since 1990, the AP and Cook Political Report said. The AP also reported that Trump won Idaho by roughly 36 points in 2024.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
