Idaho Gov. Brad Little gives a press conference after delivering his annual State of the State address on Jan. 6, 2025, in the Lincoln Auditorium in the Idaho Capitol. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)
Gov. Brad Little with one stroke of a pen has betrayed the Idaho Constitution, Idaho’s 314,000 public school students, its teachers and the courageous legislators who voted against the voucher bill and who comprise the base of his support in the Legislature.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little signs law that directs state funds to private school tuition
In his State of the State address, the governor made a point of saying he would not sign a bill that was not fair, responsible, transparent or accountable. In his message upon signing the bill, the governor didn’t explain how House Bill 93 met any of these standards. Days before signing, he even admitted it wasn’t accountable.
The brave GOP legislators who voted against it saw that the bill did not meet these standards and probably took Little at his word that he would judge it the same way. Unfortunately, these lawmakers, who have given him all his accomplishments over the past six years, including Idaho Launch, now have a huge bull’s eye on their backs.
The governor has set them up for potential defeat in the 2026 GOP primary election at the hands of the very out-of-state billionaires and their front organizations he delighted by approving House Bill 93 on Thursday. Those billionaires have already started attacking these lawmakers on social media.
The governor may think that by signing the voucher tax-credit bill he has satisfied these billionaires. But history in other states shows that they never give up until they get universal vouchers with no income eligibility limit. Eventually the Idaho voucher program will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and the money will go to families who already send their kids to private and religious schools.
The governor may also think he has made peace with the far right so that he can pursue whatever next step he wants to take in politics: a third term, a run for the U.S. Senate someday, or a prominent position in the Trump administration. Maybe even joining other Idaho Govs. Cecil Andrus and Dirk Kempthorne becoming secretary of Interior.
The trouble is the governor cannot move far enough to the right to satisfy the far right of his party. No doubt party leaders already see that the governor’s approval of the voucher bill, after years of sending signals he would not abandon public education, was more politically motivated than heartfelt.
Furthermore, the governor’s likely political rivals in the years ahead like Attorney General Raúl Labrador and House Speaker Mike Moyle come to their politics honestly – voters at least know where they stand. They usually reward candidates who stand for something.
When the governor loses more of his base of support in 2026, whether he runs for re-election or not, it is likely that a more radically right Legislature will repeal his most precious accomplishment – Idaho Launch.
Then the governor will be left with little more than the tattered remains of Launch and his own political legacy.
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