The people of Idaho elected Brad Little to be their Governor in November of 2018 and reelected him in November of 2022. He has served as Idaho’s 33rd Governor since January 7, 2019.
Governor Little is an Emmett native who was raised on his family’s sheep and cattle ranching operation. He graduated from the University of Idaho in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness, and has worked in the ranching industry for his entire professional life. In 1978, Brad had good fortune and married Teresa Soulen of Weiser.
Teresa and Brad are the proud parents of two sons who have wonderful wives – Adam and Angela, and David and Kelsey. They have six beautiful grandchildren.
Governor Little has a heart for public service. He first served in public office in 2001 when he was selected to fill a Senate vacancy. He was then elected to four consecutive terms to the Idaho Senate. During his service as a Senator, Brad was elected by his Republican peers during his first full term to serve in Party leadership as Majority Caucus Chair. He then served as Idaho’s 37th Lt. Governor starting on January 6, 2009.
Governor Little is committed to making decisions through one lens: the lens of ensuring Idaho’s children and grandchildren have the best opportunities to stay in Idaho and for the ones who have left to choose to return. His time as Governor has been marked by historic investments in education and infrastructure and unprecedented tax relief.
Governor Little has advocated his whole life for limited government, and Idaho achieved the title “least regulated state” during his first term. He works to ensure the lightest possible hand of government in the lives of Idaho’s citizens, and he seeks to build the public’s confidence in state government.
Historic Tax Relief
Idahoans benefited from the single largest income tax cut in history as well as permanent, ongoing income tax cuts to boost their prosperity while keeping our tax rates competitive and business climate vibrant. Now, Idaho is putting an additional $1.5 BILLION back into the pockets of Idahoans!
Historic transportation investments without raising taxes or fees
Gov. Little’s sustainable transportation funding solution saves Idahoans’ time, keeps us safe on the road, and boosts commerce. It was the single largest state investment in transportation infrastructure in Idaho history! We did it without raising Idahoans’ taxes or fees. We secured additional investments to tackle the backlog of transportation projects across Idaho!
Education and Workforce Development
K-12 support from the State of Idaho grows 30-percent in 2022, and Gov. Little secured legislative support for the single largest increase for schools in state history for 2023. We achieved significant investments in literacy and teacher pay, and Idaho is EMPOWERING PARENTS with new grants that help them take charge of education expenses for their children. Additional investments go toward career technical education, community colleges, and colleges and universities to prepare our workforce.
Public Safety
Idaho is demonstrating we “back the blue” and defend the police by investing in frontline personnel at the Idaho State Police. Gov. Little also introduced bonuses for Idaho State Police officers. Idaho secured additional state trooper positions and a new project to combat Idaho’s growing drug threat that is exacerbated by Biden’s open border policies. Gov. Little seeks to reduce crime by decreasing the revolving door back into prison.
Safe and Secure Elections
Secure elections are the cornerstone of our democratic republic form of government. Gov. Little prioritizes safe and secure elections by seeking to add investments in election cybersecurity, integrity audits, and improved IT statewide.
Broadband
Idaho added close to $100 million to expand internet connectivity for underserved areas to improve commerce, economic growth, and education, and we are leveraging federal funds to further upgrade broadband infrastructure to ensure every rural Idaho community can facilitate remote work, education, and telehealth!
Agriculture and Water
Agriculture – and our economic future – hinge on safe and dependable water sources. Gov. Little championed tens of millions in strategic investments in long-term water projects and safe water systems for our communities, and added another $750 million to improve the quantity and quality of water throughout Idaho!
Healthy Lands
Gov. Little is combatting the divisive, defeatist “climate fire” rhetoric by investing in the active management of our lands and adding resources for fire suppression, Good Neighbor Authority, and Shared Stewardship.
Healthy Lands
Gov. Little is combatting the divisive, defeatist “climate fire” rhetoric by investing in the active management of our lands and adding resources for fire suppression, Good Neighbor Authority, and Shared Stewardship.
Healthy Idaho
To increase the number of medical professionals in our state and improve healthcare access to support healthy Idahoans, Gov. Little achieved investments in nursing programs at Idaho’s colleges as well as funds to address the physician shortage across Idaho. Idaho made new investments to further increase healthcare capacity by investing in more health profession education and better access to behavioral health resources.
Economic Development and Capital Construction
Gov. Little’s plans boost the economy in rural communities by improving state parks and outdoor recreation opportunities. In addition, we’ve added millions to address needed projects and repairs in public buildings!
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
During his first term as Governor, Brad Little has already recorded historic achievements when it comes to saving Idahoans more of their hard-earned money, protecting our state’s financial wellbeing, and defending the values Idaho families hold dear.
Check out Gov. Brad Little’s top 10 latest accomplishments:
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Cutting red tape – In just three years, we cut or simplified a whopping 95-percent of Idaho regulations, easing burdens on small businesses and citizens. And we’re going to keep on cutting red tape in the years ahead!
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Providing historic tax relief and stable budgeting – Gov. Little championed historic tax relief for citizens and businesses in the past few years, with plans to give more money back to the people through continued tax relief. Idaho achieved the AAA credit rating, our rainy-day funds are full, our budget is balanced, and for two years under Gov. Little we have had a record budget surplus!
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Pushing back on Biden’s overreach – Gov. Little challenged Biden’s unprecedented attempts to invade Americans’ lives with illegal government-imposed vaccine mandates. Governor Little is protecting Idahoans’ God-given rights.
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Leading on COVID response – Idaho stayed open and provided citizens tax relief while other states went on lockdown. Idaho is one of only a few states with more jobs today than before COVID. Gov. Little never had a mask mandate or vaccine mandate, and he banned vaccine passports. Instead, we responded by adding capacity in healthcare. Idaho’s economy thrives today because we are a top 10 state for the fewest COVID restrictions.
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Finding solutions to Biden’s border crisis – Idaho faces a growing drug threat because of Biden’s horribly inept handling of the crisis at the border. Gov. Little is leading Idaho toward safety by working with law enforcement and communities in new ways to fight the influence of Mexico drug cartels in our state, and we sent troopers to the border to help our fellow Americans.
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Back the Blue – While others seek to defund the police, Gov. Little DEFENDS the police. We are backing the blue by supporting law enforcement’s needs and giving them pay raises and bonuses.
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Supporting Veterans and the Guard – Gov. Little is working to improve the quality of life of our brave veterans with historic investments in veterans homes. He is doubling scholarships for our valuable men and women of the Guard who do so much to protect our country, state, and communities.
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Supporting parents and education – Gov. Little made historic investments in literacy, education, and workforce training to support our future workforce – our students! We are empowering parents and families with new resources because, after all, PARENTS are in control of their children’s education in Idaho – as it should be.
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Making investments where they count, without raising taxes – Gov. Little championed historic investments in transportation, water, broadband, agriculture and a number of other areas that impact Idahoans’ daily lives. He did it without raising taxes on people and businesses.
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Promoting election integrity and freedom – Gov. Little plans for election integrity audits and new resources to protect us against cyber-attacks by bad actors in China, Russia, and elsewhere. Under Gov. Little’s watch, Idaho is a top 10 state for Overall Freedom, Economic Freedom, Regulatory Policy Freedom, Gun Rights, Occupational Freedom, and Health Insurance Freedom.