Trump backs Idaho Gov. Little for reelection — before he's said he'll run
Idaho Gov. Brad Little received President Donald Trump's endorsement Tuesday for another term, nearly a year ahead of the Republican primary — and before the two-term incumbent governor has even announced a bid for reelection.
'Brad Little is the strong and highly popular Governor of Idaho,' Trump posted on Truth Social, the president's social media platform. 'Brad Little has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!'
It is unclear whether Little, 71, an Emmett sheep and cattle rancher, will seek a third term, or which candidates may consider challenging him in the May 2026 primary. Idaho's 33rd governor thanked Trump on the social media platform X, without stating whether he will run for reelection.
'It is an honor to have the support of President @realDonaldTrump,' the post read. 'Idaho will continue leading the fight to Make America Great Again!'
Little's campaign did not immediately respond to a request from the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday evening.
This year, Little has taken several trips to Washington, D.C., including to visit with Trump. In January, before Trump was sworn in as president, Idaho's governor also traveled to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private resort in South Florida.
Trump, the 45th and 47th U.S. president, remains popular in Idaho, a deep red state. In 2024, he earned nearly 70% of the votes in the presidential election — up from about 64% in 2020 and about 59% in 2016. Nationally, Trump's favorability rating has declined with Americans since he took office, according to recent polling.
Little first won election to become Idaho's lead executive in 2018. The sitting lieutenant governor ran in a crowded GOP field and defeated his closest challenger — Raúl Labrador, now Idaho's attorney general — by about 5% points. He sailed to victory over his Democratic rival in the general election that fall.
When Little sought a second term in 2022, Trump — out of office after losing the 2020 election to Democratic President Joe Biden — endorsed the governor's main challenger in the Republican primary, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin.
'I am giving Janice McGeachin my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of Idaho,' Trump said at the time, a near carbon copy of the endorsement he issued Tuesday for Little, right down to the arbitrary capitalization. 'She will make a fantastic Governor, and will never let you down!'
Little easily overcame Trump's backing of his rival and beat McGeachin in the primary by nearly 60,000 votes. Six months later in the general election, Little easily earned a second term with nearly 61% of the vote, with his nearest contender winning about 20% of votes.
A former four-term state senator, Little was appointed lieutenant governor in 2009 by then-Gov. Butch Otter, a fellow Republican. Little then won two terms as the second-in-command executive role before running to replace his predecessor.
In Idaho's 2026 gubernatorial race, only Democrat Terri Pickens, of Boise, has announced her intention to run. She previously ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2022.
'We need Idaho Gov. Brad Little to tell the Trump Regime to stay out of Idaho and stay away from the Idaho National Guard,' Pickens said in a statement released earlier Tuesday. 'Gov. Little, we need you to find your courage and stand up for our freedom.'
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