Governor of Idaho

Idaho Governor
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$151,400
2024 FY Budget:	$350,617,500
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Idaho Constitution, Article IV, Section 5
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Governor of Idaho Brad Little Republican Party Assumed office: January 7, 2019
Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
Other Idaho Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Controller • Superintendent of Public Instruction • Agriculture Director • Insurance Director • Director of Lands • Labor Director • Public Utilities Commission

The Governor of the State of Idaho is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch, and the highest state office in Idaho. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and faces no term limits.

Idaho has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

Idaho has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

See also: Idaho State Legislature, Idaho House of Representatives, Idaho State Senate

Current officeholder

The 33rd and current governor of Idaho is Brad Little (R). He was first elected in November 2018 and assumed office in January 2019.

Before becoming governor, Little served as the 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Idaho, serving from 2009 to 2019. In his capacity as lieutenant governor, Little also served as president of the Idaho State Senate. Little also represented District 11 in the Idaho State Senate from May 2001 until 2009.

Authority

The state constitution establishes the office of the governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.

Idaho Constitution, Article IV, Section 5

The supreme executive power of the state is vested in the governor, who shall see that the laws are faithfully executed.

Qualifications

State Executives
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014

Per Article IV, Section 3 of the Idaho Constitution, a candidate for governor is required to be:

• at least thirty years old
• a United States citizen
• a resident of Idaho at least two years prior to the election

Idaho Constitution, Article IV, Section 3

No person shall be eligible to the office of governor or lieutenant governor unless he shall have attained the age of thirty years at the time of his election; ... In addition to the qualifications above described each of the officers named shall be a citizen of the United States and shall have resided within the state or territory two years next preceding his election.

Elections

Idaho state government organizational chart

See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state

See also: Election of governors

Idaho elects governors to four-year terms in federal midterm election years, that is, even years that are not presidential election years. Thus, 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030, and 2034 are all gubernatorial election years. The gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Monday in the January following an election.

If two candidates ever tie in the general election, a joint session of the legislature chooses the winner by a majority vote.

2022

See also: Idaho gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of Idaho

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Idaho on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Little (R)	60.5	358,598
		Stephen Heidt (D)	20.3	120,160
		Ammon Bundy (Independent)	17.2	101,835
		Paul Sand (L)	1.1	6,714
		Chantyrose Davison (Constitution Party)	0.9	5,250
		Lisa Marie (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	46

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 592,603
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Robert Dempsey (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho

Stephen Heidt defeated Shelby Rognstad and David Reilly in the Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stephen Heidt	78.8	25,088
		Shelby Rognstad (Write-in)	21.2	6,736
		David Reilly (Write-in)	0.1	21

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,845
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Melissa Sue Robinson (D)
• Bob Dempsay (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Idaho

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Idaho on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Little	52.8	148,843
		Janice McGeachin	32.2	90,857
		Ed Humphreys	11.0	30,878
		Steven Bradshaw	1.9	5,470
		Ashley Jackson	1.1	3,172
		Lisa Marie	0.4	1,120
	Submit photo	Ben Cannady	0.3	804
	Submit photo	Cody Usabel	0.2	680

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 281,824
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chris Hammond (R)
• Jeff Cotton (R)

Constitution primary election

Constitution primary for Governor of Idaho

Chantyrose Davison defeated Ryan Cole in the Constitution primary for Governor of Idaho on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chantyrose Davison	61.9	346
	Submit photo	Ryan Cole (Write-in)	3.9	22
		Other/Write-in votes	34.2	191

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 559
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Governor of Idaho

Paul Sand defeated John Dionne Jr. in the Libertarian primary for Governor of Idaho on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Sand	60.2	427
	Submit photo	John Dionne Jr.	39.8	282

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 709
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Idaho gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Idaho

Brad Little defeated Paulette Jordan, Bev Boeck, and Walter Bayes in the general election for Governor of Idaho on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Little (R)	59.8	361,661
		Paulette Jordan (D)	38.2	231,081
	Submit photo	Bev Boeck (L)	1.1	6,551
	Submit photo	Walter Bayes (Constitution Party)	1.0	5,787
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	51

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 605,131
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho

Paulette Jordan defeated A.J. Balukoff and Peter Dill in the Democratic primary for Governor of Idaho on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paulette Jordan	58.4	38,505
		A.J. Balukoff	40.1	26,423
		Peter Dill	1.4	954

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 65,882
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Idaho

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Idaho on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Little	37.3	72,548
		Raúl Labrador	32.6	63,478
	Submit photo	Tommy Ahlquist	26.2	51,008
		Lisa Marie	1.7	3,397
		Steven Pankey	1.4	2,704
		Harley Brown	0.4	874
	Submit photo	Ben Cannady	0.3	527

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 194,536
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2014

See also: Idaho Gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor of Idaho, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Butch Otter Incumbent	53.5%	235,405
	Democratic	A.J. Balukoff	38.6%	169,556
	Libertarian	John T. Bujak	4.1%	17,884
	Independent	Jill Humble	2%	8,801
	Constitution	Steve Pankey	1.2%	5,219
	Independent	Pro-Life	0.7%	2,870
	N/A	Write-ins	0%	95
Total Votes				439,830
Election results via Idaho Secretary of State

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

There are no term limits for this office.

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of Idaho governors from 1992 to 2013.

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancies are addressed under Article IV, Sections 12 and 14 of the Idaho Constitution.

The powers of the governor devolve to the Lieutenant Governor of Idaho any time the governor is unable or unwilling to discharge the office, or has been removed from the office. In such instances, the lieutenant governor exercises the office of governor either until the latter can resume the office or until the next gubernatorial election.

Additionally, under Section 14, if the offices of both governor and lieutenant governor are vacant, the office of governor passes first to the President Pro Tem of the Idaho Senate and next the Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives.

Duties

The governor is responsible for upholding the Idaho Constitution, executing state law, and recommending a state budget to the legislature. He or she is also the commander of the Idaho militia at all times when the state's military forces have not already been called into service by the federal government.

The governor may fill vacancies in any state executive office, including other constitutional offices, when the law does not otherwise provide the manner for filling a vacancy. If the Senate, whose confirmation is required, is in recess, the appointment stands until the Senate reconvenes.

During special circumstances, the governor can call for special sessions of the legislature. The governor has the power to veto bills, including appropriations, but must list his or her objections. The legislature can override a veto by a two-thirds vote of each chamber. In Idaho, the governor also serves as the President of the Board of Examiners and Chairman of the Board of Land Commissioners and appoints department heads and members of boards and commissions.

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• Granting pardons and reprieves when the legislatively controlled Board of Pardons is not in session, not to be permanent until the Board sits again. Regarding convictions for treason, the governor may only stay the sentence pending legislative review.

• Requiring reports, made under oath, from state officials and managers of state institutions, on any aspects of their jobs.

• Making a 'State of the State' address to the General Assembly at the beginning of each session, including recommendation on prudent courses of action for the state and, somewhat unique among the constitutionally mandated aspect of such addresses, an estimate of the tax revenue the state will require for the coming year.

• Convening extraordinary sessions of the Senate to conduct specific Executive business.

• Authorizing and signing all commissions and grants made by the state of Idaho.

Divisions

Updated January 15, 2021

• Commission on Aging
• Commission on the Arts
• Commission for the Blind
• Office of Drug Policy
• Office of Energy & Mineral Resources
• Division of Financial Management
• Executive Office of the Governor
• Division of Human Resources
• Office of Information Technology Services
• State Liquor Division
• Military Division
• Public Employee Retirement System
• Office of Species Conservation
• STEM Action Center
• Wolf Depredation Control Board
• Workforce Development Council

State budget

Role in state budget

See also: Idaho state budget and finances

Idaho operates on an annual budget cycle with each fiscal year beginning in July. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in July of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year.
2. State agencies submit their budget requests to the governor by September 1.
3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the Idaho State Legislature five days after the session convenes in January.
4. In February or March, the legislature adopts the budget. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.

Idaho is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.

The budget the governor proposes must be balanced. The legislature is constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget, and the governor must sign a balanced budget into law.

Governor's office budget

The budget for the Office of the Governor in Fiscal Year 2024 was $350,617,500.

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers

The salaries of elected executives in Idaho are determined by the Idaho State Legislature. Salaries cannot be increased or decreased during the current terms of affected officers. In 2014, state legislators passed a bill authorizing annual salaries for executives from 2015 through 2018.

2024

In 2024, the officer's salary was $151,400, according to the State of Idaho.

2023

In 2023, the officer's salary was $151,400, according to the Council of State Governments.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $138,302, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the governor received a salary of $138,302, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the governor’s salary was $138,302, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the governor’s salary was $138,302, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the governor’s salary was $138,302, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the governor’s salary was $124,436, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the governor’s salary was $122,597, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the governor’s salary was increased to $122,597, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the governor’s salary was increased to $120,785, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the governor received a salary of $119,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the governor's salary was $117,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2012

In 2012, the governor was paid an estimated $115,348, according to the Council of State Governments.

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Idaho

Partisan breakdown of the Idaho governorship from 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, Idaho had Democratic governors in office for the first three years while there were Republican governors in office for the last 19 years. Idaho is one of eight states that were run by a Republican governor for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. Idaho spent the last 19 years under Republican trifectas.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Idaho, the Idaho State Senate and the Idaho House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

SQLI and partisanship

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Idaho state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Idaho never had a Democratic trifecta during the period of the study, but the state has had a Republican trifecta from 1995 to 2013, and before that divided government between 1992 and 1994. The Idaho state legislature has been in Republican hands since 1992. The state’s lowest SQLI ranking came near the bottom-10 class (40th) in 1999 and 2000 under a Republican trifecta, while its highest ranking (17th) also occurred under a Republican trifecta in 2007. Idaho made its largest leap in the SQLI ranking between the years 2011 and 2012, jumping nine spots in the SQLI ranking in a single year.

• SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: N/A
• SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 28.50
• SQLI average with divided government: 31.00

Chart displaying the partisanship of Idaho government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

Historical officeholders

There have been 33 governors since 1890. Of the 33 officeholders, 21 were Republican and 12 were Democrat.

#	Name	Term	Party
1	George W. Shoup	1890	Republican
2	Norman B. Willey	1890-1893	Republican
3	William J. McConnell	1893-1897	Republican
4	Frank R. Steunenberg	1897-1901	Democratic
5	Frank W. Hunt	1901-1903	Democratic
6	John T. Morrison	1903-1905	Republican
7	Frank R. Gooding	1905-1909	Republican
8	James H. Brady	1909-1911	Republican
9	James H. Hawley	1911-1913	Democratic
10	John M. Haines	1913-1915	Republican
11	Moses Alexander	1915-1919	Democratic
12	David W. Davis	1919-1923	Republican
13	Charles C. Moore	1923-1927	Republican
14	H. Clarence Baldridge	1927-1931	Republican
15	Charles B. Ross	1931-1937	Democratic
16	Barzilla W. Clark	1937-1939	Democratic
17	Clarence A. Bottolfsen	1939-1941	Republican
18	Chase A. Clark	1941-1943	Democratic
19	Clarence A. Bottolfsen	1943-1945	Republican
20	Charles C. Gossett	1945	Democratic
21	Arnold Williams	1945-1947	Democratic
22	Charles A. Robins	1947-1951	Republican
23	Leonard B. Jordan	1951-1955	Republican
24	Robert E. Smylie	1955-1967	Republican
25	Don Samuelson	1967-1971	Republican
26	Cecil D. Andrus	1971-1977	Democratic
27	John V. Evans	1977-1987	Democratic
28	Cecil D. Andrus	1987-1995	Democratic
29	Phil Batt	1995-1999	Republican
30	Dirk Kempthorne	1999-2006	Republican
31	Jim Risch	2006-2007	Republican
32	Butch Otter	2007-2019	Republican
33	Brad Little	2019-present	Republican

State profile

Demographic data for Idaho
	Idaho	U.S.
Total population:	1,652,828	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	82,643	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	91.7%	73.6%
Black/African American:	0.6%	12.6%
Asian:	1.3%	5.1%
Native American:	1.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.6%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	11.8%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	89.5%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	25.9%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$47,583	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	16.9%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Idaho. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Idaho

Idaho voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

More Idaho coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Idaho
• United States congressional delegations from Idaho
• Public policy in Idaho
• Endorsers in Idaho
• Idaho fact checks
• More...

Contact information

Address:
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720
Phone: (208) 334-2100
Fax: (208) 854-3036

See also

• Idaho state executive offices
• Idaho state executive officials

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the Governor of Idaho