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Idaho's Lt. Governor Announces She'll Challenge Governor

Screenshot from CBS 2 Boise

Idaho’s number two elected official says she’s going after number one.

Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin announced on Wednesday that she’ll challenge a fellow Republican, Governor Brad Little, in his quest for a second term.

She joins a crowded field of people looking to boot the incumbent from the governor’s mansion.McGeachin made three stops around the state Wednesday in announcing her candidacy. That included a stop at Candlelight Christian Fellowship in Coeur d’Alene.

Earlier in the day in Boise, the lieutenant governor mentioned her concerns about how state officials, including Governor Little, handled the Covid pandemic. She questioned why schools, churches and businesses were required to close. How many of those businesses have closed for good, she asked. Why could we go to the liquor store, but we couldn’t go to church?

McGeachin is a former five-term state representative from Idaho Falls. As a lieutenant governor in her first term, she’s considered the number two elected official in the state. The most visible part of her job is presiding over the Senate when it’s in session.

McGeachin is the second Republican this week and sixth overall, as well as one independent, to announce a challenge to the incumbent. The other is Ed Humphreys, a financial advisor from Eagle.

With McGeachin and Little already in the race, it’s going to be hard for the others to build enough support to mount a serious challenge. The 2022 primary election is almost exactly a year away.