Idaho Democrats choose small business owner in uphill race against incumbent GOP governor

Gov. Brad Little, R-Idaho, will face Democratic candidate Terri Pickens in November as he vies for a third term.

Pickens, a private practice attorney and small business owner, edged out several challengers in the state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.

She faces an uphill battle in a Republican-heavy state that has not elected a Democratic governor in 36 years.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report, a leading election forecaster, rates Little’s re-election bid as “Solid Republican.”

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Pickens previously ran as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022, when she lost to Republican candidate Scott Bedke by 34 points. Bedke is the state’s current lieutenant governor and is running for another term.

Little, who won the state’s GOP primary, is endorsed by President Donald Trump and is expected to cruise to the general election.

Former Idaho Supreme Court Justice John Stegner has also launched a bid to unseat Little as an independent.

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Little, a rancher who previously served in the state Senate and as lieutenant governor, has embraced deregulation, increased public education funding and tax relief in his bid for a third term.

He defeated a crowded field of GOP candidates on Tuesday, including former police officer Mark Fitzpatrick, who challenged him from the right.

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Little recently signed into legislation a law cracking down on transgender individuals using bathrooms that do not correspond with their biological sex. Idaho’s law is one of the most stringent in the country because it applies to private businesses in addition to public property.