| Sarah A. Miller smiller@idahostatesman.com. After years in the local Rotary Club and Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, McGeachin made her first run at elected office in 2000, in the Republican primary for Bonneville County commissioner. Janice McGeachin is a well-known figure in the United States. Janice McGeachin, 57, received $314,727 through two different PPP loans for J.R. McGeachin Inc in April . McGeachin and Cawthorn fell on Tuesday. | Sarah A. Miller smiller@idahostatesman.com. Beck, who also has penned several newspaper op-eds defending McGeachin, told the Statesman he backs her because shes honest, transparent and conservative.. James Wilson first appeared through internet searches to be a controversial North Idaho evangelist who authored a book applying tenets of warfare to strategic evangelism, but he is not, McGeachins chief of staff Jordan Watters wrote by email May 27. Occupying a largely ceremonial role, the lieutenant governor acts as president of the Senate. He left the school in 2010 and has worked as a teacher and school administrator since, according to his LinkedIn page. Janice is a former State Representative and a successful business owner from Idaho Falls who, along with her husband Jim McGeachin, own and operate multiple businesses in the automotive industry, with stores in Idaho Falls and Boise. COEUR d'ALENE With an American flag and two crosses in the background at Candlelight Christian Fellowship, Lt. Gov. Governor to serve the state of Idaho. Thats exactly the sentiment behind it just get it done, girl.. [70] Little won re-nomination with 52.81% of the vote, with McGeachin receiving 32.24% of the vote, Edward R. Humphreys receiving 10.96% of the vote, and an assortment of minor candidates receiving the rest. Sami Edge/Idaho Education News (UPDATED: Oct. 19, reflecting the death of Pete Coulson from COVID-19.) His pick for governor in Nebraska, alleged sexual abuser Charles Herbster, failed to make it through the primary last week. A group of retired Idaho county sheriffs and police say Lt. Gov. Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, whom Trump handpicked, has said of the presidents election allegations: It was all bullst.. McGeachin on Fauci: I'll "lock him up", "Idaho Gov. But the media likes to continue to try to destroy my character and my reputation, and, I dont know, it may be in an effort for us to maybe back down. [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. Politics isnt always viewed as a place for girls. Janice McGeachin enters the house chambers at the state Capitol building on Jan. 10, 2022 in Boise, Idaho. I thought it was a perfect saying for Janice, because of everything shes going through, and how much everyone makes her something she is not, Hamilton said by phone. 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. He replaced Knopp, following his withdrawal from the task force. The federal government has gotten to be so big and is interfering so much in all of our lives as states. All Rights Reserved. Late last week, Idaho Lt. Governor promotes 'walk-thru disinfectant cubes', Idaho lieutenant governor got pandemic loans for business, Acting as Idaho Governor, Lt. Gov. "Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a religion of . 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. Shes a former teacher who staked her campaign, in part, on her objections to Common Core, EastIdahoNews.com reported. McGeachin is asking taxpayers to cover $50,000 worth of her legal costs, Boise State Public Radio reported. [45] In a May 2020 editorial, McGeachin wrote that, "I lose sleep at night because the heavy hand of our government is hurting so many Idahoans. July fundraising reports will trickle in over the next few days, as candidates report their monthly activity. The family who drinks together stays together, right? the bartender says. McGeachin was born in southern New Mexico, 35 miles north of the Mexican border, to Allyn and Dorothy Kyes. Littles staff never returned her umpteen-million phone calls, she said. Janice McGeachin presented her 10-point gubernatorial platform for her first 100 days in office during a press conference on the Idaho Capitol steps in March. Janice McGeachin settles Idaho Press Club Lawsuit, Public records show McGeachin billed nearly $17,000 for her own legal fees in records lawsuit, Idaho leaders don't act on McGeachin legal fee request, Idaho lieutenant governor banned mask mandates while the governor was out of town. 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. In recent months, she has testified in favor of policies targeting critical race theory and social justice in the classroom, at one point saying a controversial bill dealing with critical race theory did not go far enough to oust the content from public schools. "[23][24] McGeachin faced public criticism for the photo and quickly deleted it. Thats where the battle is going to be, and thats why Im running for governor.. She argued, however, that her actions did not violate the governors restrictions, because her pub also includes a restaurant. Janice McGeachin appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight to discuss the indoctrination within Idaho's schools in which she speaks about the importance of education in Idaho and the "indoctrination of our young people" that she says has made her the target of the media for her anti-CRT stance. Jason Knopp is the vice chairman of the Melba School Districts board. [53][54] By fall 2021, Idaho had among the nation's lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates. After buying and restoring the historic building, the McGeachins are celebrating the pubs 10-year anniversary in 2022. Little and McGeachin have become famously locked in disharmony. With campaign signs and rolled banners tucked in different corners of the space giving it a just-moved-in ambiance, McGeachins wood-paneled operations base is nondescript. The soup of the day is beef taco, and the $5 drink special is a melon berry ros sangria. 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. "[49], In May 2021, after Little left the state to attend a Republican Governors' Association conference in Nashville, Tennessee, making McGeachin acting governor in his absence, she issued an executive order that barred the state and Idaho counties, cities, public school districts, and public universities from adopting mask mandates. But in some legislative races, outside political groups might have played a bigger and more far-reaching role. Idaho Lt. Wearing a black Stetson, Brown looked out onto the congregation filled with people of all ages and launched into a 40-minute lesson from the Book of Revelation about where to put ones faith, and how to prepare for judgment. Former Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney, a Republican, recently launched a political action committee with the support of a dozen retired members of Idaho law enforcement to advocate against McGeachin for governor. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue. . 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,. 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. Idaho Statesman reporters Ian Max Stevenson and Ryan Suppe contributed. 3-2-1, he says, tapping the phones touch-screen shutter. 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. Laura van Voorhees recently moved to Kootenai County from California. In 2012, she and her family . Who Is Janice McGeachin's Husband? [40][46] In October 2020, McGeachin appeared in a video by the right-wing Idaho Freedom Foundation in which she wielded a gun and Bible, railed against COVID-19 public-health measures, and questioned whether "a pandemic may or may not be occurring. Beck is not sure how McGeachin made the connection to Trump, he said, but she did it all on her own. We will make Idaho a sanctuary for life, protecting the unborn and protecting our elderly from abuse., Taking Trumps lead, McGeachin told the Statesman she thinks the former president won the 2020 election over Biden, though no evidence has been produced of widespread voter fraud, as Trump and his allies have claimed. 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. Janice McGeachin's income source is mostly from being a successful Politician. 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. The two got more serious when she moved back to their hometown. McGeachin not only listened to her and other parents, Henry said, but also their children. [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. 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. Idaho Lt. Gov. PHOTOS: Lt. Gov. Throwing her hat in the ring for governor, McGeachin appealed to Trump for his endorsement over Little. A political philosophy professor and a former Idaho State Board of Education president also sit on the 14-member assembly. 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, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. And this is a manifestation of it in our face. Janice McGeachin is the first female Lt. As part of a 10-point platform in her first 100 days as governor, McGeachin said she will work to prevent and eliminate all pandemic-related public health mandates, add incentives to increase production of firearms and ammunition in the state and strengthen abortion restrictions. [36], As lieutenant governor, McGeachin has had a strained relationship with the governor, Brad Little,[14][38][39] despite the fact that Little is a fellow conservative Republican. [1], McGeachin has had a number of business ventures. [37] Separately, McGeachin's attorneys billed her almost $17,000 to defend her in the records lawsuit; McGeachin said in 2022 that the public did not pay for these legal fees. The two got more serious when she moved back to their hometown after graduating from the University of Arizona in 1985 with a degree in business administration, majoring in finance. Her relationship with Little finally boiled over last year when McGeachin leveraged the Idaho Constitution, which bestows power upon her position when the governor is out of state, and issued a pair of pandemic-related executive orders. . Janice McGeachin, who's running for governor, has thrown some of her political weight into a child welfare case involving a 10-month-old baby. The Republican gubernatorial race also stands to have national implications, given Trumps involvement, as well as the likelihood that its victor will steer the direction of the state for at least the next four years after Novembers general election. Each was the first woman to serve in their positions, too, and she credited them both for their fearlessness and no-nonsense approach to politics. [74] In the voter pamphlet, she contended, "The federal government has become too restrictive in how we teach our kids, manage health care, build our roads and manage our resources. "[6][21], In February 2019, McGeachin posted a photo on her Facebook page of her posing in front of her Idaho State Capitol door with two members of the 3 Percenters, an anti-government militia movement group. Lt. Gov. Its a daily process, she said. Amid a deluge of partisan cheerleading, anti-LGBTQ speech and Trump worship from invited speakers, Idahos lieutenant governor took hold of the mic. McGeachin said she doesnt concern herself with unflattering characterizations, or any of the other things people say about her. As I have traveled across our beautiful state, I have listened to our people, McGeachin said in a speech from the Capitol steps in March. [43] In August 2020, McGeachin headlined a rally organized by the right-wing, conspiracist John Birch Society at the rally in Twin Falls, where speakers decried public health measures to combat the coronavirus. We just like to keep our businesses separate from the politics as much as possible, McGeachin said, picking at her fingernails. Janice McGeachin (then Kyes), lower right, appears in her sophomore year portrait in the 1979 yearbook for Skyline High School, located in Idaho Falls. Her candidacy was supported by state Senator Dean Mortimer. | Sarah A. Miller smiller@idahostatesman.com. Janice McGeachin announces run for governor Brian Myrick/Idaho Press May 19, 2021 1 of 12 As featured on Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (@JaniceMcGeachin) November 8, 2016 McGeachin, 57, was a delegate for Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican National Convention, and vice-chair of Idaho's statewide. The federal government has become too restrictive in how we teach our kids, manage health care, build our roads and manage our resources." (UPDATED: Oct. 19, reflecting the death of Pete Coulson from COVID-19.). She said she does not dispute that masks are effective in preventing the spread of the virus, particularly N95s and hospital surgical masks. Joseph Kren was the principal at Priest River Lamanna High School through last spring, when he left the school after 34 years in Idaho education. 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. Regardless, McGeachins faithful following has continued to grow. [6] An ally of the Tea Party movement, McGeachin was considered a possible Republican primary challenger to U.S. Representative Mike Simpson in 2010, but chose not to run. | Kevin Fixler, kfixler@idahostatesman.com. And Idaho will reduce its financial dependency on the federal government, she said, building to a crescendo. Little Says He Hasn't Spoken To Lt. Gov McGeachin In Weeks, Cases of coronavirus in Idaho spike after businesses reopen, Lt. Gov. We need you, youre a fighter, she said, spurring McGeachin to dash on stage to embrace her booster. Janice McGeachin facing public condemnation over photo with 3 Percenters", "Idaho Lieutenant Governor Faces Backlash For Photo Supporting Jailed Militiaman", "Idaho Lt. Gov. Trump calls her just about every other week to inquire about the campaign, she said. He has scored some big wins,. 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. Theres no future for them, and I mean that wholeheartedly., Lt. Gov. 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. FILE . A boat repair lot sits across the street. [58][52], In October 2021, while Little was out of state touring the Southern border, McGeachin, claiming power as acting governor in Little's absence, issued an executive order banning state officials from requiring proof of vaccination from employees and sought to ban employers from requiring vaccinations altogether. Because sin is progressive, right? Brown told the congregation. in finance and accounting from the University of Arizona. appears in video slamming virus rules, whether 'a pandemic may or may not be occurring', Idaho Lt. | Sarah A. Miller smiller@idahostatesman.com.