Overview
- Little secured the Republican nomination on Tuesday after defeating seven GOP challengers and enters the fall race with a high‑profile endorsement from President Trump.
- Terri Pickens won the Democratic primary and will challenge Little in November; she is a private‑practice attorney and small‑business owner who lost a statewide race for lieutenant governor by 34 points in 2022.
- Former Idaho Supreme Court Justice John Stegner has launched an independent campaign that could affect vote splits but has not changed outside forecasters’ outlook for the contest.
- The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the governor’s race as 'Solid Republican,' reflecting Idaho’s long Republican lean and the fact the state has not elected a Democratic governor since 1990.
- Little campaigned on deregulation, tax cuts, school choice and more education funding and recently signed one of the nation’s broadest transgender bathroom laws that covers private businesses and is likely to prompt legal challenges and debate.