Idaho GOP Platform Responses

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Survey and Interview Responses

How long have you lived in Idaho?

I am a lifelong Idahoan, born and raised on our family ranch in Emmett. My grandfather emigrated from Scotland in 1894 and built one of the most respected sheep operations in the country. I have never lived anywhere else.

How long have you been a Republican? Any prior party affiliation?

I have been a Republican my entire life. One of my earliest memories is campaigning with my father in 1964 and handing out candy with “Goldwater for President” tags. I have never been registered in any other party.

Have you been involved with any political organizations (IACI, Idaho Majority Club, IFF< etc.)

Before entering public office, I served as Chairman of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry. I have recently attended and spoken at Idaho Majority Club events, including their America 250 event alongside Donald Trump Jr.

Have you supported candidates from another party?

I have never supported any candidate other than a Republican in a partisan race.

Why are you running for this office?

I want to keep Idaho the most prosperous state in the nation while fiercely defending our core values of faith, family, and freedom. We have delivered historic tax relief, record investments in education and infrastructure, and strong economic growth. I am not slowing down.

Have you held elected office before?

I was appointed to the Idaho Senate, then elected and re-elected four times. I served as Lieutenant Governor from 2009 until I was elected Governor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

What makes you qualified for this role?

I have a proven record of historic tax cuts, red-tape reduction, economic growth, and record investments in education and public safety while keeping Idaho’s budget balanced and earning the AAA credit rating. I get the job done for Idahoans.

What are your top priorities in your first year?

I will continue historic tax relief and cutting red tape. I will expand our successful border security efforts and Operation No Return to keep dangerous illegal criminals out of Idaho communities. I will grow our LAUNCH workforce program, a national model for putting President Trump’s America’s Talent Strategy into action.

How have you served your community (boards, nonprofits, etc.)?

I have served on the Idaho Community Foundation, Emmett Public School Foundation, University of Idaho Foundation, and as a director of the Idaho Wool Growers Association.

Fiscal conservative

Yes. As Governor I have delivered $6.1 billion in tax cuts, including the largest income-tax cut in state history. We earned Idaho’s AAA credit rating while keeping the budget balanced as required by our Constitution.

Social conservative

Yes. I signed the bill making Idaho the first state to protect women’s sports. I am staunchly pro-life with very limited exceptions and signed the Fetal Heartbeat Preborn Child Protection Act. I strongly oppose marijuana legalization and signed mandatory minimum fines for possession.

Share your one minute elevator speech.

My entire career has been focused on making Idaho a place where people want to live, work, and raise their families. When I started my executive political career, we had 10% unemployment and 100,000 people out of work. Tragically, young people were leaving the state. The good news? It looks very different today. We have tailwinds instead of headwinds. We’re creating opportunity through strong education, infrastructure, and a climate with less regulation and lower taxes that attracts business and investment. We’ve created a place where families can enjoy the fruits of their labor.

What is your plan to advocate for your top priorities?

We’re going to keep moving in the same successful direction, but the challenges look different now. Education, transportation, and making healthcare affordable and accessible remain critical as costs keep rising and Medicaid enrollment grows. With a strong economy and good jobs, we can move more people out of the social safety net into self-sufficiency. My goal is simple: create opportunity so Idahoans can take care of themselves and their families instead of depending on government programs.

Regarding the budget, what criteria will you use to decide which programs to cut or protect?

When we look at budget cuts, the top priority is keeping people safe. I refuse to make short-sighted cuts that end up costing us more money down the road—that’s being penny-wise and pound-foolish. We need smart investments in healthcare, transportation, and education to keep our economy surging. Idaho now has the fastest-growing personal incomes in the nation. That growth is what allows us to help people leave the safety net and become independent through good jobs and careers.

What performance metrics should agencies be held to?

We hold agencies accountable with clear performance metrics all the time. In healthcare and human services, we use auditing to prevent people from getting stuck in the safety net. Idaho ranks at or near the top nationally in compliance for food stamps and Medicaid. In corrections, we provide real services so inmates can become productive citizens instead of just warehousing them—because most will return to our streets. Good personnel management and strong oversight keep programs working as intended without waste or fraud.

What role should state leaders play in preventing fraud, and how would you ensure accountability?

We have an active waste, fraud, and abuse hotline so state employees can report problems. I expect good personnel management so issues like nepotism or misconduct never waste taxpayer dollars or lead to expensive lawsuits. The money we spend on lawyers is one budget line that should always get scrutiny. My job is to make sure government programs are run correctly, follow state law, and serve as a rescue net—not a permanent resting place.

How will you address illegal immigration in Idaho?

I worked closely with other Republican governors pushing the previous administration to restore President Trump’s border policies, but we were ignored. Now, with President Trump back, strong messaging has dramatically slowed illegal crossings. Idaho moved quickly to implement 287(g) agreements, and our state police are working with federal authorities. The message is clear: if you’re a bad actor, you don’t want to come to Idaho. We’ve created an environment where criminals know they’ll be arrested and incarcerated. Rule of law and public safety guide every decision.

How will you defend parental rights in education?

Idaho leads the nation in parental choice. According to the Reason Foundation, we offer more options than any other state. Parents aren’t stuck in their zip code or assigned school. We have strong charter schools focused on innovation, magnet schools, homeschooling, and private schools. This competition forces districts to improve discipline and results or lose students and funding. In the next term, I will continue expanding choice and innovation so parents—not government—control their children’s education.

How will you protect Idaho’s interests when dealing with federal agencies and mandates?

Dealing with the federal government is night-and-day different post the Biden administration. I fully support President Trump’s initiatives on energy, healthcare, and natural resources. We’ve used Good Neighbor Authority to apply all our best practices from the State of Idaho and use them to help the feds manage their lands more productively.. My focus is making these positive changes permanent through legislation so they survive any future liberal administration. We need long-term certainty so businesses will invest in sawmills, energy projects, and strategic mineral mining. Capital markets reward stability, not constant policy flip-flops.

What is your stance on legalizing marijuana?

I am strongly against legalizing recreational marijuana. The marijuana industry ranks Idaho as the very last place they want to go. When Colorado’s former governor ran for president, he admitted everything that was promised around marijuana was wrong—child use increased, organized crime got worse, not better. I support FDA-vetted medical compounds for specific treatments like nausea in cancer patients, but the recreational industry always uses “medical” as a foot in the door. Law enforcement, corrections, and health officials all tell me it makes their jobs harder. It’s a gateway drug, and Idaho doesn’t need those problems.

How will you stay accessible and responsive to constituents?

We run “Capital for a Day” events, especially in rural communities, where I bring the right cabinet members to listen all day. We meet with mayors, legislators, county commissioners, and everyday citizens. I also speak regularly to service clubs, chambers, and interest groups across the state. The goal is simple: hear what’s working, what isn’t, and turn good ideas into real programs. Many state initiatives started from questions asked at these events.

What question do you wish voters were asking—but aren’t?

I wish voters would ask more about long-term consequences—five, ten, twenty years down the road—instead of supporting one-time deals that create bigger future costs. We need to keep Idaho the least regulated state so small businesses can thrive without expensive legal and regulatory teams. Clear, consistent rules and a single point of contact in agencies help entrepreneurs. As our economy evolves rapidly, we must keep building opportunity on opportunity.