Brad Little publicly sworn in as Idaho’s 33rd governor

Brad Little, the policy-minded former lieutenant governor known for his fiscal conservatism and ranching background, used his inaugural speech to focus on the legacy of his predecessors and reiterate his commitment to their mission as Idaho’s 33rd governor.

“They are why Idaho is a leader in fiscal responsibility and the preferred home for Idahoans and many new residents from other states,” he said. “They are why we’ve continued to grow our investments in quality education. And they are why our personal income growth is the fastest in the country.”

Little said he would seek to reflect shared Idaho values and aspirations.

Stepping up to lead Idaho in the midst of unprecedented urban growth, Little paid homage to Idaho’s pioneer roots in his nine-minute speech.

“For generations, Idahoans have faced the challenges of living in the Western frontier and forged a better future for the next generation,” Little said. “Idaho pioneers did the hard work and made the hard decisions to create opportunities for their families and those who followed.”

All four living former governors were in attendance at the ceremony. Much pomp and circumstance greeted the newly elected officials — canon-fire shook the ground and four A-10 planes flew over the crowd of around 1,500 to much applause.

Friends call Little a policy wonk — former state Sen. Joe Stegner said that early in his career Little found it difficult to “calm his overactive mind and string together four complete sentences on the same subject — but the governor strayed from mentioning any specific policy initiatives until his State of the State address on Monday. He did, though, make a point to emphasize Idaho’s constitutional responsibility to free public education.

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“We must keep cultivating the skills of our citizens as we progress from a historically agrarian society to a modern information-driven economy,” Little said.

Mention of national politics was absent from Little’s speech. Instead, he chose to keep the attention on Idaho and its history.

As a former rancher, Little represents the state’s agrarian past, some of which is slowly disappearing counties like Ada and Canyon urbanize.

In an introduction speech, first lady Teresa Little shared a portrait of the Little family history, going back to the pioneers who arrived in Idaho when it was still a territory, to the governor’s Scottish grandfathers who traveled to Idaho from Scotland in the 1890s to seek work herding sheep.

“Your ancestors may be indigenous to this beautiful land or you yourself may have just arrived,” she said. “Our family is happy, honored and humbled to join hands with each and every Idahoan as we step into this brand new year with a new governor.”

Judy Hinman, the governor’s sister, said her brother has been involved in politics since he was 14, carrying the state flag at the Republican National Convention.

“He was made for this,” she said. “He has politics in his blood.”

The inauguration also saw the swearing in of Idaho’s first female lieutenant governor, Janice McGeachin, who has aligned herself with President Trump and pushed back against federal government intervention in Idaho.

In the crowd, Tom Bailey brushed off questions about Little — he was there for McGeachin.

“She’ll represent the state well,” Bailey said.

“I’d like to see more of state funds go to the eastern side of the state instead of this Taj Mahal in Boise,” he said. He drove four hours from Idaho Falls for the inauguration, the first one he’s ever attended.

The inauguration was also the first for members of the Minico Young Republicans, a group of high schoolers that had driven nearly three hours to the state capital for the inauguration.

“I’m excited to see how this new government affects our state as a whole and our local communities,” said Hana Pfieffer, a student at Minico High School.