A few challengers ran spendy races and unseated Statehouse incumbents. 30 talking about this. [86][6], Indoctrination task force and public records violations, COVID-19 pandemic and strained relationship with Governor Brad Little, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 19:27, 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries, America First Political Action Conference, misinformation to disparage COVID-19 vaccines, nation's lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates, Texas' attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election, "Republican hopes to ride far-right rage into Idaho's governor's office", "Far-right challengers look to upset the status quo in the Idaho governor's primary", "In Idaho governor's race, a far-right candidate leans into extremism", "Representative Janice K. McGeachin's Biography", 5 things to know about Idaho's 1st female lieutenant governor, McGeachin says business experience will help her in lieutenant governor role, Bonneville County Primary Election, May 23, 2000, Lt. Gov. The McGeachins are known for frequenting their pub. I was hoping that he would see the virtue of keeping it in place, she said. McGeachin has been married to Jim McGeachin for quite some time. Janice McGeachin walks down the front steps of the Idaho State Capitol building, with her husband Jim, prior to taking the podium to announce her run for Governor,. [22] For the caption, she wrote "Sending love to Todd Engel from the Idaho Capital and 'getting to know' the new Senate Pages. Malkin has promoted anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric. The unorthodox move was a big part of why she became a passionate McGeachin supporter, and now helps organize some of her campaign events. Idaho governor and lieutenant governor get into Twitter fight over state's executive orders, Idaho's 4 electors cast votes for Trump and Pence, "Motion For Leave (1) To File Brief Of Lieutenant Governor Janice Mcgeachin, Senator Lora Reinbold, Representative David Eastman, Et Al (Elected State Officials) As Amici Curiae In Support Of Plaintiff, And (2) To Do So In An Unbound Format On 8 12-By-11-Inch Paper, And (3) To Do So Without Ten Days' Advance Notice To The Parties", "Texas wants to overturn millions of votes. [79], McGeachin was unopposed for the Republican primary. Janice McGeachin and her husband, Jim, stand on the steps of the Idaho State Capitol as she announced her run for Governor in Boise on May 19, 2021. Janice McGeachin, as Senate president, presides over a session in March. Idahos first woman to fill the lieutenant governors office has fostered a national profile for her unconventional and outspoken approach to the job, drawing comparisons to right-wing firebrands such as U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, and Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado. I know she liked to have a good time, said Sen. Jim Patrick, R-Twin Falls, who served three terms with McGeachin in the House and used to rent a place on the same floor of a building three blocks from the Capitol. And I have had two healthy pregnancies, said McGeachin, long a vocal advocate against a womans right to obtain an abortion. "[25] The Idaho Falls Post Register editorial board criticized McGeachin for embracing the 3 Percenters and militia movement. Former state Rep. Jeff Thompson, an Idaho Falls Republican who served two terms in the House with McGeachin, drew a parallel between his old friends political shift and Trumps unexpected ascension in the Republican Party in 2016, all the way to the Oval Office. Regardless, McGeachins faithful following has continued to grow. McGeachin has the endorsement, which is something she has really highlighted in her campaign materials. [55][56] In August 2021, after announcing that she would challenge Little in the Republican primary for re-nomination as governor, McGeachin said that it was "shameful" for Little to ask Idahoans to show love for neighbors by getting vaccinated against COVID-19. She was inspired to enter the race to help address the communitys rapid growth, and what she felt was a lack of planning to go with it, McGeachin recalled. The McGeachins had their first child, a daughter, the year after they married. [38] On his return to Idaho one day later, Little rescinded McGeachin's order and said that her decision "to act solitarily on a highly politicized, polarizing issue without conferring with local jurisdictions, legislators, and the sitting Governor" was "simply put, an abuse of power. Reporter Blake Jones covers the politics and policy of Idaho's K-12 public school system. When he announced his run for president in 2015, she listened to his entire speech and knew instantly she wanted to support him, she said. [74] She opposes Medicaid expansion and was a leading opponent of 2018 Proposition 2, an initiative to expand Medicaid coverage to about 62,000 Idahoans. However, McGeachin declined to say whether she has been vaccinated for COVID-19, or if she has ever contracted the virus, calling both personal questions.. Under her vision for the state, McGeachin said, businesses and churches will never be forcibly closed, as happened during the stay-at-home order out of concern for public health. Supporters and opponents acknowledge, though, she and her growing persona are anything but, with McGeachin increasingly invoking militarized rhetoric and a blend of patriotism and faith as rival political factions signal an intensifying culture war. You know, Mr. Janice Kyes McGeachin ( / mi.n /; born January 18, 1963) [1] is an American far-right [2] [3] [4] politician and businesswoman who served as the 43rd lieutenant governor of Idaho from 2019 to 2023. The fowl-named drink is a layered shooter, made of one part Kahlua, one part Irish cream and one part whiskey. Thats all great, but if thats why you can do it, then you open yourself up for people to look at the businesses.. Online, the church describes its belief that marriage is the exclusive union between one woman and one man. Politics isnt always viewed as a place for girls. Governor Janice McGeachin posed with and then posted on Facebook pictures she had taken with two members of The Three Percenters. Lt. Gov. The Foundation stirred upheaval in this years legislative session over leftist indoctrination in the classroom, an effort that stalled education budgets. At a March rally in southeast Boise for semi-truckers headed to Washington, D.C., to protest pandemic-related restrictions, McGeachin defended her fiery platform and her supporters to the crowd gathered on a small lawn next to a highway offramp truck stop. Elaine King previously ran for the Idaho House of Representatives in District 34, which covers the Rexburg area, in 2018, but lost in the Republican primary. [38] In July 2021, when Little was out of state on a different trip, McGeachin wrote a letter to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, demanding information on what incentives Idaho healthcare providers may have "to impose vaccine mandates on their employees. Because sin is progressive, right? Brown told the congregation. [40][46] At the rally, McGeachin criticized Little and other state officials. Educated at the University of Arizona, McGeachin owned several businesses in Idaho Falls. Its not all about I am woman, hear me roar, she said. Lt. Gov. Janet Adams is a retired Coeur dAlene lawyer. We just like to keep our businesses separate from the politics as much as possible, McGeachin said, picking at her fingernails. She lost the primary by just 241 votes to one-term Commissioner Lee Staker, a former state senator who went on to serve 18 years in the post. Traditionally the officeholder in the bench-warmer spot has waited until the governor chose to end his run, or transitioned to a federal position. Will that be a really impactful endorsement, or not really a defining kind of factor in determining outcomes? Hes a career firefighter who has also represented his school district in the Idaho School Boards Association. "[32] The president-elect of the Idaho School Boards Association resigned from McGeachin's task force a week after its first meeting, writing that the task force seemed aimed at "partisan campaigning. She owns an Irish pub in Idaho Falls and co-owns a wholesale automotive parts supply store and a torque converter remanufacturing facility with her husband. Shes not the Janice that people grew up with, Thompson, who is running to rejoin the state House, told the Statesman in an interview. | Sami Edge, Idaho Education News. [59][73] She appeared at a rally for the Three Percenters, an anti-government militia movement group. [8] As a Republican, she was a member of the Idaho House of Representatives from 2002 to 2012. She defeated four rivals for the job, receiving 29% of the vote to edge former state GOP chair Steve Yates by fewer than 3,000 votes. But, then again, McGeachin, 59, is a surprise candidate, having emerged from relative anonymity after years away from public office to win the lieutenant governors race four years ago as an underdog. We are in a Marxist takeover, a communist takeover (in) this country. He replaced Knopp, following his withdrawal from the task force. Late last week, Idaho Lt. This group is described by Steve Taggart in his most recent Idaho Politics Weekly post as "wacky and extremist at best." Her participation in that event - which also featured . McGeachin remembers the city back then as a great place to grow up a small and supportive community. I stood with them when Mr. Little sent his law enforcement into their business and threatened to take their license away, she told a crowd at a rally last week in Meridian. [6][74][75] She opposes minimum wages, believing that government should play no role in determining wages. The soup of the day is beef taco, and the $5 drink special is a melon berry ros sangria. The two married and are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary this summer, McGeachin said, fiddling with a thick-banded, diamond-encrusted ring around her right middle finger. [41][38][50] McGeachin issued the order without consulting Little,[38] and against the wishes of state health officials who had sought a statewide mask mandate,[51] which Idaho has never had. Sami Edge/Idaho Education News A day after announcing she will run for governor in 2022, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin said Wednesday she was running for governor of Idaho . They dont know who this is.. Stationed along the perimeter of the parks amphitheater lawn were members of the right-wing citizen group the Idaho Liberty Dogs, wearing holstered handguns, walkie-talkies and earpieces. McGeachin drew similar scrutiny over several incidents that included members of the Three Percenters, which the Anti-Defamation League labels an anti-government militia movement. McGeachin was born in southern New Mexico, 35 miles north of the Mexican border, to Allyn and Dorothy Kyes. Sometimes they refer to us as being extreme for our views, McGeachin said, before reading a quote from the late Republican U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater. Janice McGeachin announces run for governor Brian Myrick/Idaho Press May 19, 2021 1 of 12 As featured on Lt. Gov. "[52], McGeachin has used her office to promote misinformation to disparage COVID-19 vaccines. No matter how much people are trying to tear her down, she just has an ability to ignore it and move on with what she feels is right., Machele Hamilton, left, a House District 12 Republican primary candidate, and Lt. Gov. McGeachin named Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, and former Republican U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth-Hage, of Idaho, as two women she admires. [73], McGeachin and Republican Representative Larry C. Bradford were re-districted to 31A. Just put your head down and keep going. Idaho Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said McGeachins relationship with Republican leadership has soured during her time as lieutenant governor. The state has also paused vendor payments from McGeachin's office, and McGeachin has told state officials to withhold her salary and benefits to avoid a budget shortfall. The Republican is the first sitting governor in more than 30 years to refuse to take part in the Idaho Debates, which air statewide on Idaho Public Television. [6][7], McGeachin unsuccessfully ran for Bonneville County commissioner in 2000, her first bid for elected office. We will restore health freedom and end the threat of medical tyranny. Were getting to be too much of a centralized government on the federal level and getting away from what I believe our Founding Fathers intent was, McGeachin said, seated in her campaign headquarters office flanked by a framed photo of her firing an assault-style rifle. Henry said she was also a supporter of the task force McGeachin launched last spring when she thrust herself and the state into the fray of national turmoil over the content taught in public schools. Janice McGeachin fined $750 over public record violations, Lt. Gov. The two positions run for election separately, rather than as a unified ticket. Janice McGeachin (then Kyes), lower right, appears in her sophomore year portrait in the 1979 yearbook for Skyline High School, located in Idaho Falls. Idaho Statesman reporters Ian Max Stevenson and Ryan Suppe contributed. "[38] Little said that McGeachin's order "unilaterally and unlawfully" forbade local officials from determining public-health policies in their own jurisdictions and would have forbidden the state from enforcing protective measures for social workers from making home visits to at-risk patients, or for employees in state testing labs. All Rights Reserved. [66], In May 2021, McGeachin filed as a candidate seeking election as governor of Idaho in 2022, challenging incumbent governor Brad Little in the Republican primary. poses with protesters in support of standoff prisoner", "McGeachin in statement: 'I wholeheartedly reject bigotry and discrimination', Dangerous Embrace of the Militia Movement, "Marjorie Taylor Greene Speaks At White Nationalist Conference", Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin", Far-right Idaho lieutenant governor McGeachin announces bid to unseat Little as governor, Lieutenant governor candidates differ on Medicaid, wages, Idaho Republicans push opposition to Medicaid expansion, "Days before filing begins, several candidates declare their intentions", November 6, 2018 General Election Results: Statewide Totals, "Idaho Governor Primary Election Results", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Janice_McGeachin&oldid=1142145521, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 19:27. McGeachins tenure in the Legislature included serving as chair of the House Health and Welfare Committee. Janice's McGeachin's chief of staff has informed McGeachin and a state budget administrator that he will resign when the Idaho Legislature adjourns for the year.. Jordan Watters, McGeachin's chief of staff, gave McGeachin notice of his resignation on Thursday, according to an email from Watters obtained by the Idaho Capital Sun. A month later, she administered an oath to members of the Real Three Percent of Idaho, including Eric Parker, the groups leader, who said she once told him if she were elected, he would have a friend in the governors office. Parker endorsed McGeachin for governor last year. The hourlong service mixed prayers, Christian-inspired acoustic country and a weekly poem, all built around Browns sermon. | Sarah A. Miller smiller@idahostatesman.com. McGeachin was born Janice Kyes on January 18, 1963, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. After buying and restoring the historic building, the McGeachins are celebrating the pubs 10-year anniversary in 2022. Suddenly, the bartender is zipping through the aisle asking those seated if they would like a shot. After library bill vote, Boyle abruptly steps down from House Education, Lawmakers reject new ESA proposal in frustrated debate, Statehouse roundup, 2.27.23: Parental rights bill passes House easily, Coeur dAlene trustee calls anti-levy campaign disgusting and un-American. Janice McGeachin, her husband and their two adult children share ownership of The Celt Pub & Grill, an Irish-themed bar and restaurant in downtown Idaho Falls. Follow Blake on Twitter @jonesblakej. Heres what we know about the members so far: Anna Miller, from the Idaho Freedom Foundation, is an active voice in education policy discussions. Janice McGeachin stands with her husband Jim in front of the Idaho Capitol building prior to taking the podium to announce her run for governor on May 19. Pull open the door on a Saturday evening dinner rush at The Celt Pub & Grill in Idaho Falls, and youll find nary a seat, except for maybe one at the bar. We will expand our Second Amendment liberties and secure our state. Janice McGeachin greets Randy and Colleen Crawford, of Caldwell, at a meet-and-greet campaign fundraiser at a Caldwell-area winery in April. The family who drinks together stays together, right? the bartender says. She argued, however, that her actions did not violate the governors restrictions, because her pub also includes a restaurant. [7][9][10][11] As chair of the state House Health and Welfare Committee, she cut Medicaid funding and voted against legislation to create a state-based health insurance exchange. He spoke about the forgotten man in this country and how the government in Washington, D.C., was too beholden to the corporations and the special interests and that we needed to return the government back to the people, McGeachin said. It didn't last, Republican infighting in Idaho over the coronavirus has reached a new low, Low Turnout For COVID-19 Skeptic Rally Headlined By Idaho Lieutenant Governor, 'Loss of hope': Idaho hospitals crushed by COVID-19 surge, Gov. Grace Panetta and Nicole Gaudiano May 17, 2022, 8:00 PM - Idaho Lt. Gov. | Kevin Fixler kfixler@idahostatesman.com. We can never give up. I stood with them then, and I stand with them today., Lt. Gov. Idaho Lt. She is the first female lieutenant governor of Idaho. McGeachin lists the First Presbyterian Church of Idaho Falls on her campaign website, but said she hasnt regularly attended the church for a couple years. Ive said many times, Id jump in front of a bus for her, she told the audience at the winery fundraiser. McGeachin urges Gov. McGeachin now appears to be following the same political formula that led to Trumps rapid rise, Thompson said, including his defeat of President Joe Biden in Idaho in 2020 by nearly 31 percentage points, despite losing the national election. To Montana the shot buyer offers to his group of new best friends. [22] In a subsequent statement, McGeachin described the men as "two Second Amendment supporters who were here to support Todd Engel, an Idahoan who was treated unjustly by the court system," and said that she deleted the post after "a few people had begun erroneously assigning sinister motives which are contrary to my true character. In one case this spring, a touring musician took to social media to announce a last-minute cancellation of his scheduled concert there when he found out McGeachin was a co-owner. [14] McGeachin frequently criticized Little's strategy regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Fundraising allowed some successful statewide candidates to dominate the airwaves. McGeachin also garnered criticism after federal records revealed that she applied for and received more than $314,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, even though she previously said she is opposed to government programs that foster dependency. In a social media post, she defended accepting the coronavirus relief payments for her familys businesses, saying that their employees needed the funds because they had been harmed by government shutdowns and other public health requirements. One of the bartenders approaches the party of three to enlist use of a cellphone to take photos of the family from behind the bar. She went on to defeat Democratic candidate Kristin Collum in the general election with nearly 60% of votes. She spoke of a rift between her and her daughter, which she attributes in part to critical race theory teachings at her daughters former college in California. Governor candidacy", "May 15, 2018 Primary Election Results: Statewide Totals", Candidate's security team seen as unusual for Idaho politics, "Lt. Gov. [36] The legislature declined McGeachin's request to have the costs of the settlement paid by the state budget. The pop-up ministry has since grown, and now takes up weekly Sunday residency in the conjoined convention center at the Shilo Inn Hotel, a stones throw from the highway interchange of Interstate 15 and U.S. 20. Their son followed three years later. McGeachin said she leans on her Presbyterian faith and her trust in God when she encounters obstacles. A member of the Idaho Liberty Dogs, a right-wing citizen group, stands guard with a holstered handgun, walkie-talkie and earpiece at a campaign rally for Lt. Gov. On Palm Sunday, the week before Easter, several hundred people arrived at the Cowboy Church well more than the sign on the wall listing a maximum occupancy of 100. Following a stint in Arizona, the family moved to Idaho Falls when she was a child after her father took a job at the Idaho National Laboratory, the nuclear energy research hub run by the federal government. And this is a manifestation of it in our face. Occupying a largely ceremonial role, the lieutenant governor acts as president of the Senate. A boat repair lot sits across the street. [9] Trump endorsed McGeachin's candidacy. [80] She won the general election with 71.19% of the vote against Democratic nominee Scott Cannon. [35][36] McGeachin submitted a supplemental budget request, seeking for that sum to be paid by taxpayer funds. [63], In December 2020, the month after Donald Trump lost the presidential election to Joe Biden, McGeachin, along with Little, Idaho's two Republican U.S. House members, and other Idaho Republican election officials, signed on to an amicus brief supporting Texas' attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election by rejecting millions of votes in four key states won by Biden. She committed, however, to accepting the results of the states May primary, believing voting irregularities in Idaho where Trump won big were not large scale. [48], In July 2020, McGeachin condemned federal economic relief granted during the COVID-19 pandemic. McGeachin and her husband also own and operate an auto parts distribution center, a machine shop and two transmission repair shops. Janice McGeachin embraces Rep. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, before giving her remarks on Wednesday (Kelcie Moseley-Morris/Idaho Capital Sun). During her time at Skyline High, McGeachin was a member of the schools choreographed drill team, involved in student council and also voted homecoming royalty. McGeachin cited Littles handling of the COVID-19 pandemic for prompting her to run now. She committed to tightening voting requirements, protecting individual liberties, eliminating leftist ideology she claimed is being taught in public schools, and ending the barbaric practice of murdering pre-born babies unconditionally, she said. As a man in the audience yelled a vulgarity about Little referencing the female anatomy, drawing laughter from the crowd, McGeachin accused the incumbent governor of losing touch with Idaho values, and turning his back on residents during the pandemic. Her campaign events typically begin with prayer, and she routinely mentions her unwavering belief in God and his plan for the state, and nation, out on the stump. McGeachins May 17 GOP primary is one of Idahos most-watched races, largely because it has determined the governor for the past seven elections in the heavily conservative state. The contest includes eight candidates, with the top three fundraisers so far being Little, the one-term incumbent and rancher from Emmett; McGeachin, owner of several businesses in Idaho Falls; and newcomer Ed Humphreys, a financial adviser who lives in Eagle. The committee was premised on the notion that "the scourge of critical race theory, socialism, communism, and Marxism" was "infiltrating" the Idaho school and college system. Janice McGeachin launches bid for governor, challenging. Each rode the Make America Great Again wave under former President Donald Trump that propelled a number of far-right candidates into office. The men wore shirts promoting Todd Engel, who was sentenced to prison in connection with the Bundy standoff fatal encounter with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). She said she does not dispute that masks are effective in preventing the spread of the virus, particularly N95s and hospital surgical masks. [29], In 2021, McGeachin convened an "education indoctrination task force" co-chaired by fellow Republican Priscilla Giddings. Idaho Education News Data Analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report. Janice McGeachin, 57, received $314,727 through two different PPP loans for J.R. McGeachin Inc in April . In her 3 years as lieutenant governor, she has publicly defied the governors pandemic requirements, issued executive orders in his absence and ignored the advice of the Idaho attorney generals office on release of public records. The McGeachins two adult children run an Irish pub the family owns in a historic building they restored in downtown Idaho Falls. Also in 2020, McGeachin appeared in a video montage, along with other Idaho elected officials, posted to YouTube by the Idaho Freedom Foundation. Little to reopen all businesses in Idaho by April 30, Activist apologizes after refusing to leave playground, 'Freedom' rally in Twin Falls decries moderate Republicans, public education, masks and the media, Idaho lieutenant gov. Michael Nelson said hes a former police officer who worked a 25-year career in the San Francisco area. Shes touted her business acumen as a reason why shes qualified, said David Roth, former chair of the Bonneville County Democratic Party, now running to challenge U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, in November. McGeachin herself donned a mask at times around the Capitol during a statewide peak of COVID-19 from the delta variant, telling the Statesman she did so out of respect for others who were there. She does not cave with pressure, and stands up for what she believes, Hamilton told the Statesman in a phone interview. Janice McGeachin, take questions during a meet-and-greet campaign fundraiser at a Caldwell-area winery in April. | Sarah A. Miller smiller@idahostatesman.com. McGeachins push to become Idahos lead executive is her second campaign for statewide office after a narrow margin of victory in 2018s Republican primary for lieutenant governor. One more for prosperity.. Another source of inspiration for McGeachin can frequently be found hanging around her neck. Professor Scott Yenor is a professor of political philosophy at Boise State University. 3-2-1, he says, tapping the phones touch-screen shutter. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue. . McGeachin claims the in-house smoked chicken wings are the best in the state. The pastor of the Cowboy Church, Scotty Brown, looks the part. Laura van Voorhees recently moved to Kootenai County from California. Since 2016, Beck and his family have donated the second-most money among Idaho residents directly to Trumps campaigns and political action committees, eclipsing $250,000, according to Federal Election Commission records. [5] [1], McGeachin has had a number of business ventures. Governor promotes 'walk-thru disinfectant cubes', Idaho lieutenant governor got pandemic loans for business, Acting as Idaho Governor, Lt. Gov. Since winning the lieutenant governors office, McGeachin has regularly garnered the spotlight for her combative relationship with Little. Shortly after taking office, she posted and hastily deleted a photo to Facebook posing in front of her Capitol office with two men flashing the movements hand gesture. Repeatedly passed off by school district officials, Henry said, she reached out to the governors office for help. Idaho already would ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the precedent-setting case of Roe v. Wade. Janice McGeachin, the renegade lieutenant governor of Idaho who is running for governor, likes to portray herself as a law-and-order candidate. [27][28][29] McGeachin was apparently one of the highest-ranking elected officials to address the far-right conference. Trump calls her just about every other week to inquire about the campaign, she said. She found herself embroiled in controversy when she posted - and deleted - a photo on her Facebook page that appears to show her.